Evening star., 1903-09-12
TO coax commerce
Wise Steps That Will Be
Taken by Rio Janeiro.
TO IMPROVE HARBOR
SANITARY MEASURES TO PRE-
VENT YELLOW FEVER EPIDEMICs
Progressive and Intelligent Admins
tration-Work Of the Tariff Commis-
sion-American Trade With Brazil
pecial Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil.
August 10, 1903.
F Grit and pluck are not alone for the
United States OF North America. They
have the same qualities in the United States
Of Brazil. II takes both to go ahead with
public improvements and internal develop
ment in the face Of dull times. That is
what this country is doing. Through alter
mating periods Of prosperity and depression
the chief aim is kept in mind. but the most
resolute purpose is shown in commercial
adversely.
Coffee crises have lasted so long that they
have ceased to. be crises. No one is ready
to admit that the low price Of Brazirs lead
ing crop has become permanent condition,
yet the wait for the upward turn in the
market is such a long one that to put on
the measures which are to develop Rio
Janeiro's trade till the turn comes. per-
haps with rush, would be too uncertain.
Instead the wiser plan has been adopted
of coaxing commerce by producing the
necessary facilities and also by safeguard
ing it from the plaques Of coast cities In
the tropics.
Harbor Betterments.
learned something Of these matters
while crossing the bay to take the railway
which chambers by cogs up the steep noun
tain sides to Petropolis. When this ride Is
taken for the first time it is easy to under
stand why artists, poets, travellers and even
jaded tourists go into rhapsodies over the
green mountains and the blue waters and
call Rio the grandest spot in the world
NV Brazilian companion listened patiently
to my own ecstasies and politely pointed
out the distinguishing attractions. But 1t
was clear that he was bored. He bright
ened up when my questions became matter
of-fact. 1.-THE scenery Is grand, he said,
land you would some new phase of it
every day in the year, but we can't live on
scenery. l count the ships In the harbor
and my count is far below what it used to
be. We've got to have those docks and
wharves and we've got to make Rio
habitable city. That's the way to make our
trade grow"
Further he told me what the proposed
harbor improvements are. They will be quite
extensive and also extensive. But Brazilian
credit Is good and the loan has been OBJ
tanned in London on fair terms. The con-
tracts for the new works are expected to
be let before the erd of the present year.
and the plans are I'll completed. Rio has
before 1t the example of Santos, which de-
termined to maintain it's prestige the
chief coffee port of the world and built
splendid quay and warehouses. While there
a few days ago l saw a dozen big trans
atlantic steamers alongside the quay and
dl3uOSt dS HidHy Sailing VESSELS odutOS D6-
fore then was terror as a yellow fever pest
hole, and during the construction Of the
works epidemic followed epidemic. But now
the city is as healthy as any seaport of Co.
600 inhabitants. and 1t Is rarely that ship
with cargo from Santos has to be quar-
antined. .s rsrs.;!>. - H.
Improvement Of the City.
Rio Janeiro. with a population of 100000.
has greater problems of harbor betterments
nd ipop bp0i fban itS
down the coast 1t is graphing with them
vigorously The big city which in reality is
a group Of cities on the hillsides and in the
hollows between them. is going to have
more air to breathe. Broad streets, almost
parks, are to be opened from the water
front back to the congested quarters. It is
the kind of municipal progress that takes
money and makes the taxpayers nervous,
but it has to come and the work of tearing
down old buildings and widening the thor
OughfareS is soon to begin. Much already
has been done in cleaning up old places and
beautifying what were formerly pestilentiaI
spots. l noticed also that in the streets
surrounding the government buildings as
phalt paving was replacing the cobblestones.
An American woman who is fond of Brazil
told me she was sorry for me to Rio
when 1t was so dirty. / have been through
the business quarters. the tenement districts
and the manufacturing sections and found
little to justify her opinion. The streets
were as clean as those in three-fourths the
cities of the north, and there were abundant
evidences of efficient local administration in
the matter Of sanitation. The fashionable
and beautiful residence suburbs of Larang-
eiras and Botafago appeared to me the only
ones neglected.
Effective Sanitary Measures.
A touch of the supposed bubonic plague
two years ago resulted in the adoption of
sanitary measures which, by the testimony
of ho oJd
The city has a progressive and vigorous
mayor. who has an ambition to make Rio
a model municipality. He is sustained
by the general government, which, as in
all the Latin countries, centralizes much
municipal authority in itself The present
tendency is to make for Rio Janeiro as the
national capital system approximating
to that under which Washington is gov
erned. The constitution Of the republic of
Brazil provides that the capital shall be
located near the geographical center, in the
interior state Of Goyaz, but as no time is
fixed for its location there Rio Janeiro
plans improvements as the seat of govern
ment for indefinite time. The old no.
ton that tropical seaport must be un-
healthy is put aside. The example Of Ha-
vana seems to be IN mind and the time
is anticipated when the yellow fever epi-
denies will be only memories
For the policy which Brazil Is now fol-
lowing in public improvements, sanitation
credit Is given the present administration.
which holds steadily to practical measures.
The Brazilians are less prone than most of
their neighbors to indulge in political alb
stractions and theatrical discussions. They
look to the concrete.
The Administration.
President Rodriguez Alves was inaugu-
rated in November The force of his poll
cies already is felt. The testimony of the
foreign element is that 1t is the best ad-
ministration both In the personality of
its leading members and in it's public mea-
sures that Brazil has had since the en-
pire was displaced by the republic. In
my visit to the chief executive was i'm
pressed by the quickness with which he
went to the point as well as with his cour-
tesy. President Rodriguez comes from the
gOvernOrship, or presidency they call
It here, of the powerful state of San Paulo
to the presidency OF the nation.
San Paulo is the Ohio among the Bra
lillian states IN the matter of furnishing
presidents. Mr.. Campos Sallas. the pre-
decessor Of President Rodriguez, had been
the governor of San Paulo before he be-
came president. This state Is the wealth.
lest and most progressive one In Brazil