Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-25
A Bank for Farmers.


Returning to. the banks, one of the queer
est financial institutions of Paraguay is the
Agricultural Bank. This is managed by
the government. 1t is sort of combina-
ton of bank and an agricultural depart
ment. Its business is to help along agri-
culture by introducing seeds and tools and
by ioaning money to farmers on farm prop
erty. 1t has a capital of about half a mil
Hon dollars, gold. 1t loans on about half
the assessed value of the property, charg-
ing what is here considered the very low
interest rate of 8 per cent. Connected with
it there is a warehouse which is filled with
farming implements and seeds. The OIL
Gals say the institution is a success, al
though such banks in other parts of South
America have ended in failures. This bank
is one of the methods by which the Para
guayan government is trying to build up its
farming interests. The government also
offers Inducements to immigrants, giving
each new settler some agricultural machin-
cry, eighty acres of land and a loan of
II cents month for seven months for each
adult and 9 cents for each child. 1t gives
each immigrant a mich COW, oxen and
seeds, and also agrees to pay his passage
from Buenos Ayres up to Asuncion. There
are strings attached to some of the above
gifts by which the immigrants pay back in
installments for all they receive outside the
land.
Queer Colonies.
The immigrants who come to Paraguay
settle in colonies. and not upon their farms.
There are scattered over the country per-
haps a half dozen colonies composed of
different nationalities. There is one not
far from Asuncion called San Bernardino
populated by Germans. There is another
of Australians, who got up a brotherly love
scheme and came to Paraguay to live after
the Golden Rule. They began enthusiasts
tically. They chartered a ship, each SELL
ing his property and putting the money
into the general fund. In order to cut
down the expenses they divided the work
on the voyage among the different members
of the colony. They had hardly left Aus
tralia before the Golden Rule was kicked
higher than Gideroy's kite, and when it
fell it came down in a thousand pieces.
These brother1y lovers and sisterly lovers
acquired pleasant way of throwing the
dishes at one another during the trip, and
by the time they reached Asuncion they
were guarreling as discordantly as many
strange parrots. They soon became dis
gusted with themselves and their lands
have now been redivided.
Another colony of special interest to the
United States is just across the river
from AsunciOn in the Chaco. This was
named after President Hayes, because he
decided territorial question between the
Argentine and Paraguay in favor of the
latter. The colony is called Villa Hayes,
but they pronounce it here as though it
were spelled Villa Eyes for that is the
way the Spaniards pronounce Hayes. This
colony named after our President is large
u engaged in cultivating sugar cane and
dStilling its juice into a rum So yilIainous
that 1t Will Kill at forty rods. Inasmuch
as rum is an article that is in demand in
all parts of Paraguay at all times the col
ohy Is probably in a good financial cond-
ton FRANK G. CARPENTER