The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-02-19

gium, and the cottons are chiefly from
England. There is no reason why they
should not come from our mills.
1t is the same with hardware. The
most now sold is German although 1t
is made after American patterns, and
certain classes of articles are sold I'M
der American trademarks. The impress
sion obtains everywhere that the
American hardware is the best. For
this reason the Germans initiate 1t. 1t
is the same with sewing machines, the
German limitations Of the American
makes being actively pushed. l find
the Germans here, as everywhere, the
most active commercial element. They
have several large stores In Asuncion,
and they send their travellers to the
towns of the interior.
The most Of our business with Para
quay is done through BuenOs Ayres.
We have no direct connection with the
merchants of Asuncion, and have to
pay the Argentines a toll on all our
trade. If there was an American bank
at Buenos Ayres with a branch here, it
would materially help matters and the
bank branch would pay. One Para
guayan importer tells me that he Is
selling a great deal Of American goods.
He says that credits are not at all
bad, and cites as an instance that In
business of 100000 gold last year he
he expects to collect.
STOCK COMPANIES
don't know that much money could
be made by stock companies in Para
quay. A gas plant and an electric
street car plant or an electric light
plant might pay in Asuncfon. The
city has thirty thousand people, and
still uses coal oil. A concession might
be gotten for electricity. and the street
car lines which are now doing a fair
business with mules would pay with
electric cars. Coal, however, is high,
and the cost Of generating the cleo
tricity would be great. NotwithStand-
ing the large forests. the frewood Of
Asuncion Is sold in little bundles at
the markets A bundle costs five cents
and the average housekeeper buys her
wood from day to day and carries it
meat.
Paraguay has, I am told, good to-
bacco and cotton lands, and planta-
lions for raising these articles might
be established were it not that there is
no labor to work them. The Paraguay
ans do not care to work. They are
poor enough, but they despise over
exercise. They receive very fair wages
for this continent. The Paraguayan
dollar is only worth fifteen cents. 1t
often falls below that and it rises and
falls every week. AS to wages, brick
layers get five of these dollars day,
carpenters the same, and common
workmen a bout three. Track layers on
the railroad are paid about $3.50, en-
gineers receive $500 a month and con-
ductors are paid S120. The apparently
hish wages of the engineers comes
from the fact that they are usually for
eigners, and have to manage the ma
chinery. Collecting tickets is not
skilled labor, and hence the conductors
are Paraguayans. AS to the wages of
women, house servants receive from 81
to SO month in gold and board
AMERICANS IN PARAGUAY.
l doubt whether there are twenty
Americans all told in Paraguay. 1
have already spoken Of our consul He
is Mr.. John Ruffin, from Memphis,
Tenn. He is a well-educated man and
appears to have made himself popular
| with the government He is very
! proud, among other things, of having
esta blished the consulate in two-story
/ house. of which there are not a great
| number in Asuncion, and it was
/ through his kindness that l have a
photograph of the building. The vice
! consul is Mr. William Harrison, white
| man, who is also the agent of one Of
| our largest life insurance companies in
| this part of South America. He lives
| in the city Of Villa Rica, but has also
! offices in Asuncion. He is married to
a Paraguayan lady, and has several
bright, half-American, Paraguay
an children.
There are two American dentists III
Asuncion, one of whom is DR.. H. C.
Bishop, Of California, and the other
DR.. Fiagg, Of New York. DR.. Flagg
has been in Asuncion for years, and
has, I am told, made considerable
money. He has pleasant home on the
outskirts Of the city and is much re-