Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-02-25


healthy To IN extreme.
cry OF nRiunT coLoRs.
Although Asunclon Is older than any
/ city nt North America. n appears dc
| iightfuliy ricnn ana fresh. Its streets
eros one another at right angles. aud
they 80 slope towards the water that
every good rain washes thtm clean. We
] have NiNty inches uf rain hero every
year. and when II does rain. It puuu.
| only few ~ the streets nrc paved
/ The most of them are of rcd sand xiv
ing the city "a rnrr-tinted foundation.
Lot rs notice the houses. They arr
built cluse 10 the Sidewalks Nv solid
blncka. forming great onc-story walls
! with here or their door OF an Iron
/ lHrrcd window opening Into the street
| You can toll the different houses by the
| culnrs. Somc are painted rusc-piuk.
I uthcrs siy-blue. SOME hlood-tcd and
| others ~ all the tints of yellow and
I green. We arc now coins towards tn
l purtuiiicc. II ~ % light lavender. ON
our way we pass a market house paint
! ed fuspsuiuk and "a little further on
I Jersey cream Even the public build
I inrs arr painted. Tho presidents pul-
/ nrc has tinted exterior. The houses
! of congress are ~ n delicate lilac, while
| the official newspaper 10 printed IN q
monaatcry-iike structure uf Indian red.
A Town or NEWSPAPERS. TELE-
GRAPHS AND SCHOOLS.
II seems funny 10 think ~ news
| papers In Paraguay, Hut there arG
ncwHboyH everywhere poking their dat
lies under your nose The papers are
printed In Spanish and they sell fur ten
cents copy. or about two cents OF our
money. They are foli0s ~ the old
blanket sheet shape. containing little
news, hut big Advertisements. Here "
one that has tcl"rraphlc dispatches, IN.
Gliding cables from Washington ana
Rome Asuncipn has a telegraph line
connecting u with UucnoH Aytcs. from
where dispatches can be- sent TO all
pnrts ~ the world. There are also one
or two wires 10 the Interior or thc
county. and thcs" are patroniHed 70
Huch an extent that 1000 messages
were received last year.
AHuncion has tclophoncr. They are
owned by a stock company which pays
divid snds II 20 per cent every year
Notwithstanding that It's telephone
rates arr lower than any In the United
| states. The company charges business
houses g. gold per month ANA for tolr-
phones IN residences the monthly
charge IL only $3.50 In gold.
We can visit the central station, VI
IN an interesting sight. the 'hclp
girls of Paraguay have oven rMccl'r
voices than our own hello girls ana
l.
of them ARE In their bare feet. and their
low-neck dresses nre ~ white ms the
! ornrgo blossoms that some Of the firlH
wear In their hair Their" are ornnre
trees lust back Of the Office. ~ thnt
the flowers are readily at hand. The
girls stand up 10 their work. making the
connections by putting pegs IN AMI out
OF n wall ~ numbered holcf, thereby
bringing together the various CUSTOM
cra. nnk the manager some questions
nH To the sainrLs and am told that each
girl receives about SO gold a month or
u 80 week.
STREET CARS AND RAILROADS.
We see tram cars on the principal
streets. The carr are open at the side
and az" SO rudriy made that they sccm
o. have been chopped out with hatch
1t. Each IL drawn by three mules,
which SO on the dead gnllop. ana the
cars run 90 far apart that you often
have o. walt half hour for a ride.
The different lines connect the whnrvca
with the railroad depot. aud they 20
out to the suburban towns They arr
well pntr0nl4ed, but are not paying In
NcHtmcntH.
II il tho same with tho Paraguay
only steam railrond. This was built un-
dor guarantee from the government
Ly English constructors. The English
made money hy building n, but tho
rad has paid no dividends since It was
opened. II goes about 40 miles into
tho interior, II connects villa Rica
with ArunclOn. and VIII be- extended. II
IL said. down 60 tho pnfann river.
Another line which 10 talked Of. but
which fear win not soon be- construct
ed, ~ To- run from Asuncinn 60 the port
NJ Santos. Brazil, on the Atlantic. such
road. while very expensive To- build,
would open much good country and
would probably have large traffic.
BANKS WHICH BEAT 4 PER CENT.
one NJ the duoercst things about
AHunolon II the money. That In circu'
latinn II a paper currency, poorly print
ed aud ~ poor material. II now comes
from Germany, and II not nearly ~
good NJ the old paper money which was
made In the United States The bank
notes are In all denominations, from .
cents to fiQ0, nnd the paper In NJ such
n discount that u ParnguaSau dollar IL
now worth about ~ cents " our money.
The banks OF AHunclon handle this stun
by the baskctful. They cord II IN like
paper. ana they are making lot of
money out ~ their business.
Indeed, u seems 60 me there " a
chance for some of our idle American
funds 10 be used In banking IN Para
quay The usual rate NJ Interest out
side the banks is ~ per cent, ana In the
banks you cannot borrow money for
less than | per cent per month. The
usual discount rate II y per cent, and
bank gives no faVnrs without rcceiv-
ing "a money compensation. ~ result
the banks pay big dividends Take the
Mercantile Bank ~ Paraguay, upon
which | have letters ~ credit. This
bank pnid "a dividend OF 10 per cent last
year aud its president tells mo II has
mover paid less than 10 per cent IT.
capital II only $4,000 In gold, ana still
liz business last year amounted 10
5000 goo. The Territorial Bank, which
has capital ~ t70,000 paid dividend
NJ II per cent last year and other prl-
vate banks do, II II said. even better,
From these figures u win be- seen that
u takes good deaf of money 10 do the
business ~ Paraguay There " now
between tS 000. 600 and SO, 600 ~ Par
ngunynn money In circulation, ana tho
government N trying In Increase the
value " tho currency by Withdrawing
"a certain amount every year, II takes
about 5000 0o0 annually To- run the gov
ornment. and the exports and imports
amount TO about Sli,OOO,Oo0 gold year,
PARAGUAY TEA,
Considerable money IN made In the
raising " cattle, There IN a great deal
invested IN shipping hides and n large
amount In preparing and shipping mate
or Paraguayan tea, paraEuayan tea
comes from the leaves Of a bush which
grows wild In some parts OF Paraguay.
The leaves are gathered. roasted over
IRE ana ground 10 u powder. They