The daily news., 1900-04-13
PUERTO RICANS
FACE STARVATION
Delegations Call Upon Cover
nor For Food.
MANY TOO LAZY TO WORK

While There Are Some Who EcaEy
Need Assistance, O;hrrs Live Cpon
Generosity of Americans la Prefer
cnct to Earning Their Bread.
San JAN. April l2-GcnerIl condl-
tion> II Puerto Rico remain the same
tro'a week to week Delegations of
country people continue TO arrive at 'h'
governors palace almo,, daily and b'y
for relief
Without doubt, thousands Of PUert'
Ri.aIs are destitute AID wI,laot work
One re-ds but glance at the poor. ragged,
barefooted poems, notice the EXPIRE sion
of want and des;itution, to be Convinced
of this fact Nevertheless the situation
Is not quite as bad as it has been painted.
At noon yesterday another delegation
Of poor people from Aguas Bencs pre-
sented themselves at the palace.
The procession was headed by four or
five little girls not over 10 years of age,
two Of whom carried black flags, evi-
IDENTIFY supposed to signify that the party
was in mourning for the ones left be-
hind; too weak from starvation to at
tempt the long journey TO the capital
The little girls were followed by %
women and 100 men. They were re-
ceiyed at the palace by Colonel Hod. to
whom they presented a petition, telling
of want aud destitutiOn. This is the
second delegation Of the sort from Aguas
Bueuas this week, the first arriving on
Monday IL might be noted in this oOn-
nectiOn that nearly all of these delega-
tiOns have come from this same general
district. They arrive at the palace al
most daily and the general opinion Is
that they are directed by people with an
object in view.
When all originate III the same dis
trict it appears rather suspicious.
Dlanes the AIcalde.
According to the report of the post
commander at Aguas BuenaS, under date
OF March 29, over 5000 nations have
been issued weekly from that post for
over three months. He says that there
are no needy people excepting those who
do not wish to work.
There are few families who have not
at least one ablebOdied man. The alcalde
has issued orders that any ableboiied man
must be made to work for their ratiOns.
He ,tatcs that the alcalde failed utterly
to;r - the rods repaired, although be
has mad ample time, and that the al
ealde receives 30 relief supply tickets
monthly.
The official adds in his report that in
his personal opinion the requests for
work and provisions are simply schemes
of the alcadeS to provide provisions for
the lazy idle people. The sergeant be-
lieveS that the petitioners are backed by
a certain clique of citizens Of the town
including the alcade, who desire that
every family should draw relief sup
plies. whether or not they are destitute
He also adds that the alcade in issuing
the relief tickets allotted to him, does
not distribute them TO the more needy.
Such instances as This need not b. taken
a. applying to the entire island.
Thousands Have Been Fed.
In MANY cases the people are actually
starving. with no work 10 do. Thou
sands of dollars worth of provisions
have been issued to these people for
many months. Thousands have been
fed. and the relief supply has never run
short. In Puerto Rico. aS in every
country, Il class of people exist who viii
not work 80 long as they may pick up
enough 10 keep the spark of life ahame
without exerting themselves. This sort
Of people have learned of the 3, ,095. 900
to Puerto Rico. aud many
of them have come i'll expecting TO re-
ceive their share.
The condition of the labOring class
will be materially relieved in a few
weeks. Contracts for the building of
nine new roads from seacoast towns to
interior points were let few days ago.
The approximate cost Of this work will
be $500, 900, Of which $S5 900 must be
earned per month, according to the con
tracts 1t has been estimated that nearly