The Indianapolis journal., 1899-02-19

It is the same with sewing machines, the
German limitations of the American makes
being actively pushed. I find the Germans
here as everywhere, the most active COM
mercial 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 Paraguay
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 mat
ters and the bank branch would pay. One
Paraguayan 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 a business of
100000 gold last year he has lost only $780,
and much OF this he expects to collect.
STOCK COMPANIES.
don't know that much money could be
made by stock companies in Paraguay. A
gas plant and an electric street-car plant
or an electric light plant might pay in .Asun-
cion The city has thirty thousand people,
and still uses coal oil. A concession might
be got 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 gen.
Grating the electricity would be great. Not
withstanding the large forests the fire-wood
of Asuncion is sold in little bundles at the
markets A bundle costs cents, and the
average housekeeper buys her wood from
day to day and carries it home along with
her vegetables and meat.
Paraguay has, 1 am told, good tobacco
,%.,&f, for
ing these articles might be established were
it not that there is no labor to work them.
The Paraguayans 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 be-
low that and it rises and falls every week.
AS to wages, brcklayers get five of these
dollars a day. carpenters the same, and
common workmen about three. Track layers
on the railroad are paid about $3.50, en-
glneers receive $500 a month and conductors
are paid $120. The apparently high wages
of the engineers come from the fact that
they are usually foreigners and have to
manage the machinery. Collecting tickets
is not skilled labor, and hence the-conduc-
tors are Paraguayans. AS to the wages of
women. house servants receive from 81 to So
a month in gold and board.
AMERICANS IN PARAGUAY.
I doubt whether there are twenty Ameri-
cans all told in Paraguay. 1 have already
spoken of our consul. He is Mr.. John
Ruffin. from Memphis, Tenn. He is a we'll
educated man and appears to have made
himself popular with the government. He
is very proud, among other things, of hav-
ing established the consulate in a two-story
house, of which there are not a great num-
Der in Asuncion, and it was through his
kindness that have a photograph of the
building. The vice consul is Mr.. William
Harrison, a 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
Paraguayan lady and has several bright
half American, half Paraguayan children.
There are two American dentists in Asun-
cion, one of whom is DR.. II. c. Bishop, Of
California and the other DR.. Flagg, of New
York Dr. FIagg has been in Asuncion for
years. and has, l am told, made consider
able money. He has pleasant home the
outskirts of the city and is much respected,
as, indeed, is the case with all the Ameri-
cans.
A very important part of the American
colony is made up of missionaries. These
are of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
They have two very good schools in Asun-
cion, one for boys and the other for girls
1 would say in closing this letter that the
Methodists have done more in South Amer
lea in the way of education than any of our
Christian denominations They have taken
the continent as one of their chief fields of
work and have established modern schools
in Peru, Chile, the Argentine, Paraguay and
Brazil. Their system of education is much
respected by the natives, and many of the
children of the best families of the above
countries are under their tuition.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.