Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-07-18
UNCLE SANS C0NSuLS
Some OF Them In Remote and out Of
The way Places - The Consuiates
Al GnayaquiI and Zanzibar. ,
Special Correspondence.

Washington, July 6.-Uncle Sam has
something like 500 commercial agents,
denomlnated as consuls scatterd
throughout the world some of them in
remote and out Of the way places.
While consulships are much sought
after particularly by men who think
they ought to be rewarded for pOllt-
ical service, but comparatively few Of
these positions are sinecures, In some
~ them the compensation, which Is in
fees, is decidedly meager and in a few
the pay is nil
Several Of the consular posts are UNI
desirable by reason of their remoteness
and others from the prevalence Of
cholera. smallpox and yellow fever.
Such post is Guayaquil, Ecuador al
most directly Oh the equator. which
has more than once gone a-besgng for
suitable man to hold down the job,
and more than one good fellow, like
oartoonist Thomas Mast, Drawing It's
torrid and pestlential atmosphere, has
been carried off by the plague
Guayaqull is an ancient town, hav-
ing been founded by Pizarro In 1885
and now has a population of about Co.,
OOO 1t has always been bad luck
town. its three centuries and a half
OF history having been an endless
chain of Yicissitudes war, pillage,
devastating fires, earthquakes and pes
thence. II Is built upon a small, fiat
marshy peninsula and suffers from a
lamentable want Of sanitation
The most remote and isolated OF
all Uncle Sans consulates is that
az Tahiti, in the Society Islands, out
in the md-Pacific, south of the equa-
tor. This little dot IN the sea belongs
to France 1t has population Of
about 10000. the number Of Americans
In the entire group being about 400.
Contrary 70 his usual policy In the mat
ter Of cOnsulates Uncle Sam owns the
house and grounds occupied by the
consul at Tahiti. The house Is little
white frame cottage with q sloping
roof. shaded by tall tropical trees. In
the surrounding country the natives
busy themselves with the culture Of
vanilla beans. cocoanuts, cotton, sugar
and various tropical fruits.
Despite Its isolation the consulate at
Tahiti Is not an undesirable position
though the pay is not large. The pres
ent consul Is Princeton graduate and
has been a missionary in various fields
He receives about $1,000 In salary, and
his fees amount TO about Sl3 a year
The climate at Tahiti is mild ana equa-
HE. being far removed from the hur-
rcane belt Of the Pacific. In the hot
season the temperature rarely rises
above 50, while IN the cool halt Of the
year IL does not drop below co.
Another out Of the way consular
post Il that at Tamatave, on the island
OF Madagascar. This big island. east
OF the southern point OF the continent
OF Africa, Is the home OF the Hovas,
some years ago conquered by the
French who exiled the Hoya queen
ana took control OF the island Besides
our representative there are no resi-
dent Americans In Tamatave. lie re-
oeives 5000 year and Insignificant
fees. The American consulate Is sit
uatcd near the similar headquarters OF
me Italian, German and Norwegian
governments, and aside from the repre-
'NANthNtNNF " AilNnf AuuIAVttN our tOUhUl
has little opportunity for social inter-
course, save with the dark skinned ma
tives. who live In rude huts. which con-
stitute the greater part of the town.
Tamatave Is built upon a small tongue
OF land juttlng out from the coast and
80 narrow Is II that when walking on
the main street one can see the ocean
washing the beach few hundred yards
70 the right and left.
sun another remote and not par
ticularly desirable place is the consulate
at nanzibHr city, the capital Of the Is.
land OF Zanzibar and the largest settle.
men. on the eastern seaboard OF AZ.
rica Tie city mas population Of
about 1900. Uncle Sans representa-.
tive there enjoys the fellowship Of but
Two Americans IN his entire district,
| which Includes 100000 people mostly
negroes. who are dominated BY Arabs
The climate Is tropical ana unhealthy
for white men. The cost OF living q
very high.
The consulates are not always filled
| BY American citizens. Representing
! the commercial interests OF this coun-
| try are Irishuen In France. French
| men In Germany. Germnas IN Italy.
! and SO on, men born IN foreign coun-
| trics. but USUALLY naturallzed Amerl-
cans. La fact there are In the service
more naturalized than native Ameri-
cans. There are also In the service
men who never saw the United States
to say nothing Of citizenship.