The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-06-25
BRAZIL and THE UNITED STATES.

any business manased BY South American
omclals can ever pay. Every ome1aa ex-
poets 70 make . squeeze or aepefcenfAge
out OF al the money which comes into his
hands. The result n that the government
roads are badly managed anc poorly adj
mintsfered.
TIE loses have been 20 great that law
has been recently passed authorizing the
leasing Of the government railroads. and Il
h probable that they win eventually 90
into the hands Of English capitalists The
under . guarantee from the government OF
per cent or per cent. on the capital in
vested. ana many Of them are now worked
on that basis.
10 Pays Fifty Per Cent.
One Of the most profitable roads Ia the
world ID that which runs up the mountains
from Santos to Jundiahy. This road has
paid ~ much AZ 20 per cent. dividends, and
for years IL paid. 10 per cent. semi-annually.
The road was first built with government
guarantee Of 5 per cent. 1t had capital
of 80, 00o coo. II increased this to u5. o0o 600.
and It has now made its capital $2s.ooe.0oo.
II II now pafaileling Its lines in order TO
accommodate the enormous business which
goes over II. II II the only connection
which Santos has with the interior. and the
enormous coffee shipments which 90 out
from that port are brought from the PLAN
tations on this railroad. The trade OF San
tos amounts to SIS. 900 year.
The road shoots out OF Santos to the foot
OF the mountains. Here the locomotives
are taken or and the cars are dragged up
the hill by stationary steam engines. which
wind and unwind immense steel wire ca
blss, to which the cars are attached.
On nearly all Of the roads Of Brazil there
are first, second and third class cars. Few
~ Ate.r he ~fA IA xAo - - r
rule. are by no means. a. good a. ours.
The Brazilian Central has q Pullman sys-
TEN. 20 that you can go from Rio Janeiro
70 Sac Paulo by sleeper.
Most OF the trains, however, have only
day coaches. The charges for baggage are
very heavy. My trunks have usually cost
me more than my railroad ticket. Nothing
but q single handbag is allowed to be taken
into the carriages. The man who brings
more Is not allowed to pass through the
gates until he has handed II over to the
express and baggage men. This IL very
inconvenient.- especially as no baggage Is
checked which looks at all fragile or which
is not carefully wrapped.
Money In Steamships.
I am told that there is = great deal Of
money in Brazilian steamships. The line
on which I came to Para from Rio was the
Brazilian Lloyd This lne has q monopoly
large number Of ships. which go from port
to port, and which are always loaded with
passengers and freight. Formerly 1t made
a great deal Of money, but since 1t has
gone into the hands OF the government 1t
has steadily lost. Its ships are first-class
steamers of from zoe to 5000 tons, made
in England and well equipped in every re-
spect. 1 am told that the line will probably
be for sale soon, and IL so 1t would be q
good investment for American capital.
We should have a line Of steamships
from New York to Rio de Janeiro and the
other ports on the east coast OF South
America 1t II along this coast that the
most OF our trade with South America IL.
and this trade amounts to much more than
a hundred million dollars a year. Upon
nearly every dollar OF it We have to pay a
percentage to the European steamships for
carrying the goods.
They Discriminate Against u.
They discriminate against us and work
in favor OF their own countries. This Is
50 even with some OF the foreigners who
operate with American capital down here.
] heard of a German house not long ago
which does a business OF importing. 1t
brings In about 5000 packages every
month. Its capital comes from the United
States, but II boasts that It gets its i'm
ports almost exclusively from Germany.
Indeed a number OF foreign transporta-
ton companies have combined against the
United States to drive some Of the steam
ers on the other side OF the Atlantic out OF
the Brazilian market. They formed a
trust last year and reduced the freight
rates on coffee to about 10 cents a bag
When they hac succeeded and had the
field to themselves they raised the rate to
30 cents a bag, at which II stands at pres
ent.
This same combination charges a higher
rate on all shipments OF goods from New
York to Brazil than II does from the Euro
pean ports TO Brazil. Some Of the COM
mission merchants Of Rio Janeiro find 1t
more profitable TO ship -four from New
York 10 Rio by way OF Hamburg. taking
IL over 5000 miles of additional ocean
travel. and thereby getting a lower freight
Consul General Seegar says that one OF
the leading agricultural houses Of Sac