Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-13

Canal commission grants leave Of absence
to its employees to go there for their annual
vacations. one OF the most desirable
vicinitiee is known as the Plateau OF
Carriage, which the early ~Spaniards called
Paradise. There are a number of hot
springs in the vicinity that are famous
for the healing qualities Of their water.
An English sanitary expert pronounced this
locality as being intended by nature for
one OF the great sanitariums Of the world.
Living is so cheap that one can board a
whole month for SIS, including a horse to
ride.
The Costa Rice ms are the most progress
sive agriculturists In Central America.
They have formed a National Society Of
Agriculture, whose purpose is to encourage
better methods Of crop and stock raising.
The society is studying the question Of the
most profitable crops. is bringing new ones
into the country and is experimenting with
farm machinery to determine what is
needed In harvesting and cultivating. II IL
also looking after the Importation Of
blooded horses, cattle and other stock with
a view to building up the stock raising in.
dustry. AS the rank and file OF the people
are more intelligent than those of neigh
boring countries. as well as more indus
trious, they are quicker to grasp the ad-
vsntages Of these things. The result lie
that they have doubled their exports in
twelve years.
Banana growing is the principal industry
Of the republic, and the United Fruit COM
Iany almost entirely controls this business.
The output Of bananas has trebled since
1890, and Costa Rica alone sends out more
than 1000, 900 punches a year. Most Of the
- ~ 49, M-N =
strong propaganda is being carried on
abroad for the purpose Of popularizing the
barans in European countries While the
United States buys several thousand ship
loads of bananas a year, France demands
only ten ship loads. and Germany con-
sumes less than a hundred cargoes: Eng
land has acquired the ANA eating habit
to a greater extent than any of the Euro
pean countries, but even Its annual trade is
satisfied with 1000, 900 punches, a quantity
which would be exhausted In a few weeks
in the United States.
Costa RIGA levies a tax Of 1 cent q
bunch on all the bananas leaving its terri.
tory. The United Fruit company had ths
privilege OF exporting all its bananas free
OF duty, but when the Costa. Rican govern,
ment wanted to levy a tax the great cor,
p~oration cheerfully agreed to pay 1t, know
ing full we'll that 1t could easily get tn,
duty back at this end Of the line. Durlnl
a recent hearing before the United State
sorate committee on interstate
the methods OF the United Fruit compan!
were severely a%rraigned. 1t was state
that bananas, once a luxury, were now
necessity sold at every corner grocery II
the land. The representative of the Unitet
Fruit company quickly replied that thi
was the best justification of his company
, methodist had taken the banana from
the list of luxuries, formerly enjoyed onl,
by the well-to-do, and had placed 1t withii
, the reach of the poor man by making 1t
, cheap and wholesome, addition to his foo
, supply.
/, 1t was about forty years ago that III
2 first bananas were brought from Contra
0 America to the United States. The pionee
a bar ana importer was Charles Frank.
y German waiter on a steamer plying be
4 tween Panama and New, York. He oh
q tanned permission from the captain to tax
a few punches of bananas to Manhattan
: where he sold them at good prices. TIL
o pioneer met with many reverses, but h
@ persevered, and in the end retired with
h fortune. a.
Captain L. d. Baker Of Cape Cod, Gale,
i the millionaire banana king, founded tn
e Boston Fruit company. He went sout
}. with a schooner loaded with notions, an
a returned with a cargo OF tropical produce
r His success was such that he purchase
large estates and turned them into banan
$ plantations. The Boston Fruit compan
( was the parent of the United Fruit CON
pany. one Of the great enterprises of OH
e time. This great corporation now own
: or operates hundreds Of square miles O
8 territory and controls a fleet of fruit car
: rying steamers which visit every port tina
t has tropical fruit to sell. ."
: ny FREDERIC ]. HAsKrN.
e Tomorrow; turbulent Central Amerio
e -Densely Populated Salvador"