Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1899-01-24
ROADS IN PORTO RICO
GENERAL STONES INVESTIGATION OF
THE ISLANDS HIGHWAYS.

Office Of good roads inquiry of the de.
partment Of agriculture, recently r..
turned from Porto Rico. where, in ad.
dition to fighting with his regiment. he
investigated thoroughly tho condition
OF roads ON the island. General Stone
found the means of communication BE-
tween the interior and the coast and be.
tween the towns generally to be very
poor. A railroad runs partly around the
island, but 10 badly planned, poorly
supported and miserably managed. The
roads In the interior are constantly
muddy, 30 much 10 that passage is al
ways almost impossible. the oxen sink
ing to their knees and the wagons to
their axles. This renders the Transporter
ton Of the products of the island from
the interior to the seaports very difh-
,ult and expensive undertaking and
hampers to great extent the commerce
of the island. Coffee ia brought from
the plantations in the interior on the
heads Of the men and women or on pack
animals, at cost Of 81 per hundred
weight. This cost binders the success.
full cultivation of the large coffee plan
tations. It il equally detrimental to the
interests Of the sugar planters, many of
whom have plantations in the valleys
Of the interior. Tobacco is more easily
handled, so that its production is not 80
much affected. General Stone said:
II am convinced that Porto Rico will
never have a complete system Of wagon
roads such az some Of the states have.
Roads are enormously expensive IN that
island, the celebrated military road cost
ing In the neighborhood Of 500, 900 per
mile. The enormous rainfall distributed
throughout all seasons is ruinous to any
road unless thoroughly we'll drained and
constructed on hard foundation. be-
lieve, however, that the place OF the
wagon roads will be more than Allied by
electric roads, of which I am certain
there will soon be network over the
island. Steam railways would be too
expensive to construct or to operate,
there being no coal on the island, while
there is an abundance Of water power.
The rivers rise in the mountains in the
interior and have an average fall OF
2, 500 feet in their short race to the sea,
and there 10 always abundance Of water
pouring over high falls. Power for cleo
trio roads could be obtained from these
falls at little expense, the roads could
be easily graded and the rain would not
affect an electric road % 1t does wagon
road. These roads would open oommuni-
cation between the interior and the coast
and place tho coffee. sugar and tobacco
Of the plantations within easy access Of
the seaboard.
II regard tho possibilities for tho in.
vestment Of American capital in Porto
Rico as something immense. Porto Rico
is destined to outstrip Cuba In tho next
few years. In addition to having more
stable government it's climate is better,
it's people more peaoeable and better
workmen and its coil fully as fertile.
The Porto Rican laborer resembles the
Italian of the same claes. He is cheer
full. industrious and economical, and bis
labor 10 very cheap, about one-fourth
that of an American laborer. This is
explained by the fact that food and
clothing cost but very little on the ie
land. The laborer lives on the fruit Of
the banana tree, which also furnishes
partly his clothing and housing. He
needs little furniture and little clothes.
"The educated natives are q high
class Of people, cultivated, polite and
compare favorably with the higher class
es in tho States. The lower classes are
and willing to learn. They are
all very friendly, and almost every one
on the island is attempting to learn
They are especially DESTROYS Of
having American schools established or
having the English language taught in
tho schools. With cheap labor and free
access to American markets, railroad
facilities and plantations owned and
operated by Americans, I fail to eco
but brilliant future for the
island. The sugar, coffee and tobacco,
the banana and ooooanut plantations,
electric railroads and paper making are
all good enterprises in which capital Gun
be proatably invested. There is little
doubt that in few years Porto Rico
will be the winter resort Of America.
Its climate is equal to that Of Florida
or Cuba in the winter time; its atmos
phere more healthful and it's scenery far
more varied aud interesting. In addi
ton to all the tropical luxury Of vege
tation Porto Rico has high mountains;
beautiful valleys, splendid waterfalls
and beautiful views. As the electric
roads open up communication with tho
interior it will be possible for the tour
lat to visit all the show places Of the
island at bis ease. and with American
hotels or boarding houses scattered over
the leland he can always get good &C.
Within q year there
will BIO number Of fine hotels at San
Juan and Ponce, and preparations made
for the influx of winter tourists.
In conclusion General Stone said that
owing to the density Of the population
Of Porto Rico and the oheapness of living
it would be long time before wages
reached the American eoale, but as the
demand for Porto Rioan products in
creased the demand for labor there would
the price Of it, and gradually,
az tho 18borer became accustomed to the