Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1904-01-11
HIeHsALLs COSTLY IN PANAMA.
Washington Government Gets Facts
and Figures 10 Prove it.

and Figures to Prove Il.
Highballs will be pretty expensive IN
Panama and Colon when the Ameri-
cans 90 down there 10 dig the canal.
because artificial fee costs 1919 cents
a pound, ana there is a special Govern
ment tax on all imported liquors.
There are only a few ice factories in
the new republic, and in the past these
have been run as a government monop-
Oily and usually leased to the highest
bidder
There are some small distilleries,
but their product would poison a dog
so the men who have tried it say.
Since the recent revolution there
this Government has taken a deep in
terest in Panama and Colon. and as a
result Vice-Consul Ehrman at Panama
and Consul Malmros at Colon have
been logged by the Department of
State to hurry out a report on just
what there is in the two cities.
Everything in the two cities is told
about In a pamphlet of twelve pages
issued by the Department OF Com
mcrce. Eight Of these pages are de-
voted to statistics OF the earnings of
the Panama Railway and table of ex-
ports and imports.
The commerce of Panama, accord
ms to the report, amounts to about
100000 a year
The country has a population Of
about 100000.
The principal ports are Colon and
! Panama and they are visited annually
/ by more than 1000 vessels, which land
over 100000 tons of merchandise
and nearly 100000 passengers. For
! fear some misguided person will be-
/ lieve that all this passenger traffic and
merchandise is intended for the
/ Isthmus. the Consuls say that all is in
! tended for transfer over the Panama
Railway.
II costs quite a bit of money to
travel over the Panama Railway.
Two passenger and two freight trains
leave each terminal daily. The trip
takes three hours, and the distance is
exactly forty-seven miles. The fares
Tor passengers with baggage are lin
gold: First class, SO; second class,
So; without baggage. 81 and 50.
Vice-COngul Ehrman says the bank
ing business is conducted on pretty
much the same lines as elsewhere, but
the rate Of exchange for the year aver
ages about $50 per cent.
The "baggage-s and freight
handler is not over careful in handling
boxes, trunks, ETC., for Mr.. Ehrman
says:
In packing or putting up American
goods Americans have much to learn
both as TO the amounts TO put in a
package ami as to durability of boxes,
&C"
England and France buy pearls from
the natives each year amounting TO
about 100000.
The United States leads in the mat
ter of trade because of its nearness
and the lower freight rates.
Panama exported to the United
States in 1903 goods worth S193, 342. OF
which S56,767 was for hides; SF9,s74.
india rubber; s27.SO5. cocobolo nuts;
S16.59S, ivory nuts, and $6,90S, coffee
The steamship earnings decreased
S125.S25 from 1901 because of the un-
settled conditions.
Regarding the population the report
says: The population is composed
OF various elements, Spanish, Indian.
negro and a limited number of persons
from the European countries and the
United States. especially those engag-
ed in commerce and transportation
and the operation OF the Panama Rail
road. A considerable number of the
population is composed of persons
brought to the Isthmus as laborers for
the construction of the canal and their
descendants. Since the abolition OF
slavery in Jamaica q considerable
number of blacks and mulattoes have
settled on the Isthmus as small deal
ers and farmers, ami in some villages
on the Atlantic side. they are said TO
be I'm the majority. AS a result the
English language is much in use, es-
pecialIy on the Atlantic side. Some o.
the native population have retained
heir customs, speech and physical
) type. especially those in the western
part OF the province and claim 10 be
/ descendants of the natives found in
that section by the Spaniards."