The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1903-10-02

talns and wide grassy plains the LAND
is South American in character
American capital is employed in ex-
plotting Trinidad asphalt" and is
needed to develop various of the neg
lected resources of the island There
is considerable trade between Trinidad
and Venezuela. About one-eighth OF
the. land is under cultivation. The
sugar industry has, as in the other
islands, fallen off of late years, and
other industries are beginning to re-
ceive attention. 1t is crown colony,
with little recognition given repre-
sentation of the people.
The British West Indies are report
ed very much dissatisfied with British
rule, but as not ready to make over
lures to the United States. Causes for
discomfort are freely given-the mother
country has not been careful in Sc
lecting good officials for the West In
dian dependencies; when a hurricane
recently worked devastation in ia
maica she gave little either of aid or
sympathy to the sufferers; in the riots
Of last March in Trinidad no justice
was shown the people, and at that
time, though an epidemic was raging
in the town of Port of Spain (Trini-
dad), the government for "the sake of
economy" shut off from the people the
supply of pure water. When one is
told that the governor of Trinidad,
ruler over less than 300,0 900 people, re-
ceives a salary half as large as that of
the president of the United States, one
cannot wonder at complaints over gov
ernmental blunders, and that change
in administration is desired.
Owing to Canada's recent prosperity
and to the shutting out of German
sugar by the Dominion government, at
least the sugar growers in the British
West Indies have been decidedly
friendly towards the question of annex
alton to Canada.
Guadeloupe came into possession of
the French in 1884, and Martinique
the following year. The former has
an area of 688 square miles and a pop
ulation of $4,000; the population of
the latter in 1901 was 2O3 ,000-but in
May, 1902, almost the whole island
was overwhelmed by a volcanic erup-
ton, and to-day little remains to sug-
gest it was once ''the most interest
ing island of the most attractive archi-
pelago in the world" The Danish
West Indies are barren lot, scattered
over watery space 100 by 20 miles in
extent, but with an inhabited area of
but SIS square miles and a population
of only 5000.
The extent and conditions in general
of Cuba and Porto Rico have filled the
papers ever since the Spanish war; so
we need make no reference to them.
but can turn attention to the repub-
lies of Haiti and San Domingo. Over
a million people dwell in Haiti, nine
tenths of whom are negroes and the rest
mulattoes There are mountains in Haiti
with an altitude of almost II, 900 feet. and
it is thought great mineral wealth is con-
cealed in these mountains. The political
disturbances of the last two centuries
have admitted of little progress and
development Of the country. The old
plantations are in decay, industrial en-
terprise is lacking. and political cor
ruption is doing its work There is
some trade with Europe and the Unit
ed States. The population of San Do
mingo (the eastern portion of the
island of Haiti) is about $4,000. The
people are a mixed race, and whites
are comparatively numerous. Consid-
cradle American capital is invested in
San Domingo. DANIEL CLEvERToN.