Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-04-21
Paul R0hne Returns From a
Five Years. Stay.
SAYS COUNTRY IS RICH
Present President is Unpopular
Work of Revolutionists-A
Lack of Capital.

Paul Rohne, formerly a we'll known
resident of Butte and for several years in
the employ of the Lexington company,
eturned to Butte recently from Guate-
mala, where he has resided for the past
five and a half years. Mr.. Rohne was en-
gagedth there n~instailing electric light and
coffee mill machinery and was the owner
of a large machine shop in the district of
Costa Cuca the principal coffee district Of
Guatemala. Owing to the financial dis
tress prevailing there, MI. Rohne was
compelled to dispose of his business and
on account of the scarcity of money ac-
cepted a consignment of coffee, most Of
which he brought to Butte.
Guatemala is a very rich country" sale
MI. Rhone today land some day in the flu
ture 1t will be a great country. Owing to-
the unsettled condition of affairs there
just now. capital is sadly lacking. The
last revolution took place just before the
beginning of the Spanish-American war.
For thirty years prior to that time the
country has been justly governed and
Guatemala was progressing splendidly.
President BarriOS who was assassinated
by an Englishman was very popular. He
was a very progressive man but he was
never properly appreciated by the people
Estrada Cabrera the present president is
very unpopular. He is guarded with as
much care as the Gar of Russia. He
is a half-breed, that is half Indian and
half Spanish.
Under his administration the country
has lost it's credit and exhange is as nigh
as ten to one. The country is in contln-
ual turmoil, but through lack of organi-
cation the revOlutiOnists are unable to aC-
cOmplish much. Through the money pull
of the Southern Pacific the progress Of
the country has been retarded, but recent
-. -~~.A-- HA~- 1N-l 1900
been established. There is an English
and. Chilean line to Mexican ports and the
Hamburg line under the Spreckels man-
agement traverses the whole coast line
from San Francisco to Guatemala.
Coffee raising is the chief industry all
though considerable attention Is devoted
to sugar, cocoa and rubber. The crude
sugar Is exported to San Francisco"
THE western or Pacific side of Guatemala
is the richest and most productive part 10
the country. The coffee plantations are
strictly modern and all the larger plants
are equipped with electric light apparatus
and the most improved machinery.
The / motive power in nearly all
cases, is water. 1t is said that Gerr ~
has about $3.50, 900. 900 invested in co.4ee
plantations in that country.
81 spent about five months prospecting
in the eastern portion of the country in
the Sierras da las Nina range, where the
| mines are located. This part of the
try has not been developed, although
some very high grade silver properties
nave been found in the district. From
one claim which I have patented, I re-
ceived returns as high as $3.50 in gold to
the ton. but o n account of the difficulties
Of transportation and the unsettled con-
dition of the country l was unable to work
it. A French prospecting expedition is in
| there now exploring the country. I am
confident that it will develop into a
splendid bearing district when thoroughly
developed. One drawback heretofore to
mining operations there was the poor
mining laws, but they were revised last
year and owners of mines feel more Sc
cure nOw.
1.-The unskilled labor is performed by
the poems who are little better than
slaves. They get about two cents a day.
They are mostly Indians in a semi-civi-