The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-07-29
MONEY IS SCARCE
Santiago Merchants Timid
About Purchases.
CABLECRAM FROM SKATER.
Says Stories of Dishonesty in Collec-
ton of Taxes at Santiago
Are Untrue.

More Than $a.OOO.OOO VIII BE Sent to tho
Soldiers In the Captured City and q
Boom Is Expected Immediately Upon
the Receipt of the Money-Shafter Re-
ports Great Distress Among the Citizen,
of Santiago-Deaths from starvation.
Washington, July 27.-The war de-
partment has made pubic the following
dispatch received from General Shaftel
in response to a query by the depart
from Santiago
Santiago, via Hayti, July 26.-Adju-
tant General United States Army, Wash
ington: Press reports not true.
only know of three ships having ar
rived. one from Kingston the Others
from the United States. The Brattor
has sold it's cargo: the others, a shiT
from New Orleans, has sold only q
part of it, and the captain tells me
he is going away tonight | think he
will sell before he leaves The trouble
is they did not expect to pay any duty
and arrived here without money. The
Spanish customs as applied to Spanish
subjects has only been collected and
the 20 cents per ton as ordered by the
secretary.
Attempt to Collect Tax.
Il discovered this morning an attempt
on the part of the municipal authori-
ties to collect local tax Of 40 cents per
100 kilos, in this instance amounting
to $1,000. / had already settled this
matter by ordering its on-collection
The fact is there is no money here to
do business, and merchants are very
tmid about making purchases, fearing
the effect of the Red Cross supplies
who really are feeding the town. The
New Orleans man, for instance brought
twenty-nine head of cattle, which he
sold at $50 per head; the person buying
kills one day. selling the meat at 7C
cents per pound. or course only few
people buy. The first week we were
here people were starving to death. and
1 think a few now are dying from the
effects of starvation. / am positive
however. that the customs have been
honestly administered
''SHAFTER, Major General"
Ordered to Pay the Soldiers.
GeneTdl mint tndl the cnleI
obstacle in the way Of prosperity among
the people at Santiago was the lack Of
money to do business with has had q
ready response. Paymaster General
Stanton has orders to pay the soldiers
He already has four paymasters at the
front and he has ordered fifteen more
to proceed at once to Santiago with
$2,000,O00. 1t will be necessary to send
even more than this to pay all Sec
rotary Alger remarked as he checked
the order:
There, / guess that will bring a lit
tie prosperity to the old town"
The Yosemite naval reserves were
paid $4,000 in st. Thomas ten days ago
and they left $4,000 In two days. This
shows how pay money will boom things
In Skaters bailiwick.
First Estimate Correct.
General Shafter cabled the war de-
partment that II would be necessary
to provide transportation for between
$4,000 and $4,000 prisoners. This was
the estimate a few days after the sur
render, but later advices indicated that
the number might be much larger. The
message shows the first estimate to be
correct.
The first load will be taken on the
Alicante, which Is expected from Mar
Unique. The Alicante was formerly the
hospital ship for Admiral Cervera' s