St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1900-07-07
ONE DOLLAR PER YEAR. 4
POOR PLACE FOR ICEMEA
People In the Tropics DON'T Indulge
Much In Frozen Water-Not
Essential to Comfort.

According to tf.s consular reports
more ice is consumed in Chicago dur
ing "a hours of hot weather than is con-
sumed By all the Latin American states
except Mexico in II months. lin Chi
eago ice is considered necessity all
the year round. and in The Latin states
lit IS considered in some places luxury
lin very hot weather bat NOT an over
desirable lu,sl...y. There are medical
men, says the Chicago Chronicle. who
attribute the longevity of life in tile
tropics to the absence Of ice-eold wa
ter and beverages. which force am rln-
natural and hurtful temperature of the
stomach and open the, system to dis
ease attacks with little or. no power Of
resistance. This is especially true
they say. of those +who.are subjected to
much physical exercise, for cold drinks
greatly shock the system without ma
tefially quenehing thirst.
The nights in the tropics are nearly
always cool, which enables butehersta
prepare meat in the evening for the
next days consumption witllout fear
of 1t spelling meanwhile { AS forfnIits
and vegetables. they are SO plentiful All.
the year round and so cheap that it
does not pay to go to the expense Of
erecting cold storage houses. or keep
ing refrigerators to preserve them. So
while natnre has not provided the Lat
in American states with .ice-makins
weather, it has provided them with a
climate and ground prod dctionsSwhieh
make ice not an absolute necessitgs
The laws of nature always conserve
man IS best interests. sg - sa.s
Most OF the principals cities insfhe
Central and South American states
have one or more small ice factories
but none of them can find a market for
the production. This comes in part
from the inability of the people to pay
the price, which runs all the way from
one cent to eight or more cents
pound. in part from no pressing desire
to have ice and in part from asupersti-4
tion that ice. especially manufacturer
ice, is not healthy. 1t may besaid that
family ice consumption is confnedsen-
tirely to the wealthy and those in fair
titles merely sufficient to serve ice wa,
ter and cool wines at mealtime. 1t IS
believed, however, that il the factories
would introduce improved machinery
SO as to reduce the cost of production
and then manufacture the article in
large quantities at low prices tos con-
sumers the people would in time give
them support.
The New Orleans and Galveston ice
factories are trying to build up d trade
in Central and dnorthern South America;
but the waste by melting is so great
that there is little if8any profit in the 4
business 1t is said an AMERICA COM
pany is talking Of constructing Il num-
Der of floating ice plants which they
propose to move from coast town to
coast town as occasion and demand
may seem to justify. But il is clearly I
to be seen by the consular reports that 1
two things will have to be done before
he ice trade in the Latin states. will
TO much The cost Of ice must
De reduced SO as to meetthe abilityof
he people to pay and the people must
De educated into looking upon it as o
necessity rather than an expensive and
luxury.
But American money and enterprise
S at work and. if possible ice VIII be
made a popular commercial eommotl
tyfin the tropics.