The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-18
FOOD |S VERY HIGH
 IN NICARAGUA Americans Who Live There Must Pay Enormous Prices ZELAYA IS CAUSE OF IT Man Who Owns Cattle Must Take Them to the Government Slaugh-
 ter Pens to Be Killed and
 Pay For Privilege.
ZELAYA IS CAUSE OF 1T

Bluefields Nicaragua, December 16.- (via New Orleans, December 17.)-The matter of the integrity of the concessions granted to Americans by Zelaya seems likely to come to focus through the advent here of the Hiram, a steamer owned by the Nicaraguan Fruit com pany, recently organized at New Orleans for the purpose of entering the Near aguan fruit trade. It has permit from Estrada allowing this. The Bluefields Fruit company under its concession from Zelaya has the exclusive right to navi- gate the Escondido river. One of the first actions of the provisional govern ment was to license the new company to trade along this stream The Hiram is booked to go up the river in few days and 1t is probable that the local agent Of the Blueflelds company will lodge formal protest with the Amer ican consul, Thomas P. Moffat, against the violation of the original concession.
 zelaya owes in part bis present poait- ical difficulties to concessions. Before the revolution everything in the country except retail shops was run under the monopollstio system of concessions. Rights of navigation, dynamite (neces- sary to mining operation), liquor, to- bacco, cocoanut shipping, mahogany, op- eration of public utilities, meat, rubber, pearl fshing-all were farmed out to interests which in turn paid a royal revenue into Zelaya's private coffers A man could not kill his own beef with out paying sb to the man with the meat l concession. Before the instruction this man was Estrada, the present revo1u- 1 tionary leader Then the owner of a to take it to the government slaughter house, where be paid twice the proper | charge.
 In the matter of pigs zelaya seems to | have overlooked something, for pork was not included in the meat concession. Hence the visitor at Bluefields finds the streets overrun with small swine. built somewhat on the order of the razorback 1 variety Private yards also have. thbir 1 full quota. Of course the citizen had to do his pig killing at the government yards 1 but an imposition comparatively so small escaped notice. The people cannot afford l to hocp chiIhehS, 1>o ehc Pfoi1Ato~N ~~~%~e ~~' of rain prevent them from laying. Ven erable fowls are imported from New Or leans for those who can afford to eat i them. Eggs come from the same port | and are served once week at the hotel l as a Sunday luxury.
 Another source of the unrest preceding the uprising was the tariff. This ran as high as 300 Ter cent on food and clothing. Estradas first official act as provisional president was to remove the import duty on beans. rice. peas and flour, for the want of which the people were | suffering. The meat concessions which he had previously sold also went over- board.
 Prices of the products named are now only slightly above normal and consti- t,,ta great boon to the people. Amer ! icans of whom there are 150 here, who cannot live as do the peons, pay doupie the prices paid in the United States rol everything for which they do not use IT common with the natives. Import duties on this side of the country are payaoi' only on a silver basis. on the orhel coast paper money is ac'epteo. wnel a merchant at Bluefields pays doilar te
 the customs he pays just ten times mor'
 than a trader at Corinto, who pays hi'
 dollar in paper. This rank discrlminatiol
 accounts for the preponderatins strengti of the revolution here as compared wlti
 other sections, where 1t Is believed t'
 have been crushed with ease.