The times., 1898-10-23

s
off, Immediately jump up on their prices
for the simplest things, hundred per
cent or more. They seem to think that,
as nation, we are literally made out
of money" and have come to disburse
it.
There Is no doubt that certain manufac-
tories would do well in Porto Rico-such
as paper mill for instance, an fce-mak-
ing plant, and others of similar nature,
to supply the needs of the island. There
are few good openings for well-conduct-
ed American hotels restaurants. barber
shops, laundries, tailoring establishments,
livery stables. hack and express lines;
and in the professional lines American
doctors, dentists and photographers will
| dobutless soon absorb most business OF
that nature: while the native lawyers
who. like other Spanish-Americans, are
born limbs of the law, will continue to
monopoize the legal business. When the
building era begins. as it is bound to do
by next year at farthest there will bs
work for a while for mechanics of all
sorts
Probably, in time. the agricultural lands
Will pass into the hands of Americans
their superior methods and commercial
sagacity being bound to eventually abb
sorb the holdings of a race so ill-fitted to
compete with them as the Porto Ricans
Today, In spite of adverse circumstances,
coffee growing in this island is about the
most profitable industry in the world
Under ordinarily favorable circumstances
1t never falls TO pay from 30 to 40 per
cent on the investment, year In and out.
Where the bounties of nature are so
lavishly bestowed as in Porto Rico, there
must be many new Industries within the
reach of far-seeing Americans-such as
chocolate and cocoa factories; utilizing
the palm oil nuts. castor and vanilla
beans with which the island abounds as
well as the spice and dye plants. fruit
packing establishments, raising chickens
and eggs with incubators Ia thing yet
unheard of here), and especially brew
cries. In the last-named line there is
certainly a most excellent opening. The
people consume vast amount of beer,
which is all brought from the United
States and Germany, at great expense.
The fashion here Is to serve II with
broken ice in the glass, which. of course,
renders it disagreeably fiat and tasteless.
A Moderate Climate.
Porto Rico is not SO very hot-not cir
cumstance to New York or Washington
| in midsummer-the average daily temper
| ature being so degrees; but the fact re-
| mains that 1t is extremely trying to for
| eigners. 1t stands TO reason that eli
and where paper is in short time re-
duced to powder, must be hard on the
human frame. While the natives some
times live to good old age, few in
stances being recorded of persons past
| one hundred years. people from the North
are sure of having a serious time for
! year or two, and II they survive the ac-
/ climating process, are generally cut off
| long before the natural three score years
! and ten.
| Yesterday was talking with a Chicago
| real estate man whom / met IN Ponce.
| The gist of what he told me is as follows:
II left home with the idea that Porto
! Rico would offer some splendid openings
| for men of small means, and came here
expressly to seek information in that line.
| And / have been Disseminated not to say
grieyously disappointed. You know how
| il is in the United States-that a man who
has only few thousands at command is
| quite lost sight of in this age of pools
| and trusts and combines and syndicated
department stores; and I supposed that
here was one of our new possessions to
which he might come and with his lin
tied means begin life under more hopeful
| conditions. But l was altogether mis-
taken. l find that the coffee, sugar and
tobacco plantations are OF great extent,
and although their owners are willing TO
from $4,000 up to half million.
Fruit farming, being new venture is
uncertain, and reliable data upon which
to base estimates are impossible TO OBJ
tain. After investigating all these / turn
ed my attention to dairying and minor in
dustries; but there are unfavorable cir
cumstances surrounding each of them
more or less unsurmountable; and on the
whole / have concluded TO go home and
ha .aI fe cd for hat
nowhere on Gods green earth does the
poor man stand so good chance as in
the United States"
Looking for Frnnchises.
AS an Indication of what is already 60
ing on, it may be stated that there are
seven bids before the council of Ponce
for street railroad franchise between
that city and the port-a distance of two
and a half miles. One of the bids offers s10-
coo outright, with forfeitures at the end of
twenty years. The plans include every
known form of motor and one provides
for a swinging car to be run on a single
rail-
The postal department has recently es-
tablished stations all over the island and
bids for carrying the mails to various
points have been called for. II Is said that
a Philadelphia went by the last steamer
to the United States to purchase ma
chinery for an ice plant, to be set up
at a town called MayagueZ; and rumors
are rife of large deals by American syn
dcates in Porto Rican tobacco and coffee
lands
Ponce is the largest city of the island
with a population in normal times of
perhaps 3s,600. 1t is a rich old town, ex-
ceptionally clean for Spanish-America
and well built. Its dwelling houses are
mostly of wood, with iron balconies
green jalousies and windows without
glass, while the public buildings are of
brick and stone. The latter are grouped
around palm-shaded plaza and include a
Roman Catholic Cathedral and an Epis-
copa1 church, besides the usual .'palacio,'
theater and casino. There are half a
dozen other churches, well-kept hospi-
tai, public library and reading room. two
colleges and military school. The wide,
well-paved streets are lighted with gas,
by an English company. The next town
in point of population Is San Germain,
which has about 10000. according to the
latest census. A very interesting place
to visit is Mayaguez, on the west coast,
with a population of 12,000. 1t is a gar
rison town with clubs and gas-works and
the best hotel on the island A fine iron
bridge, completed some six years ago,
connects the town with its port, but, un-
fortunately the harbor Is accessible only
to vessels drawing not more than sixteen
feet.
This is our last day in Porto Rico, and
tomorrow we sail for Jamaica, en- route