Los Angeles herald., 1910-01-12
Turbulent Ccmtra America
COSTA RIGA
Bv Frederic j. HaSkin -

| have an accessible post of recupera-
ton in the vicinity, and the canal
commission grants leave of absence to
its employees to go there for their an
nual vacations. One of the most de-
sirable Vicinities is known as the pla-
teau of Cartago, which the early
Spaniards called Paradise. There are
a number of hot springs in the vicinity
that are famous for the lealing quail
ties of their water. An English san
itary 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 Ricans are the most pro-
gressive agriculturists in Central
America. They have formed a Ma
tional Society of Agriculture, whose
purpose is to encourage better meth
DDS 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 expert
menting with farm machinery to de-
termine what is needed in harvesting
and cultivati-.g. 1t is also looking
after the Importation of blooded
horses, cattle and other stock with a
view to building up the stock raising
industry AS the rank and file of the
people are more intelligent than those
of neighboring countries, as well as
more Industrious they are quicker to
grasp the advantages of these things.
The result is that they have doubled
their exports in twelve years.
Banana growing is the principal in
dustry of the republic, and the United
Fruit company almost entirely con-
trolls this business. The output of
bananas has trebled since 1890, and
Costa Rica alone sends out more than
100000 punches a year. Most of the
crop comes to the United States, but
a strong propaganda is being carried
on abroad for the purpose of popular
izing the banana in European coun-
tries. While the United States buys
several thousand shiploads of bananas
a year, France demands only ten ship
loads, and Germany consumes less
than a hundred cargoes. England has
acquired the banana eating habit to
a greater extent than any of the
European countries, but even it's an
nual trade is satisfied with 100000
bunches-a quantity which would be
exhausted in a few weeks in the
United States.
Costa Rica levies tax of one cent
a bunch on all the bananas leaving its
territory. The United Fruit company
had the privilege of exporting all its
bananas free of duty, but when the
Costa RiCan government wanted to
levy a tax the great corporation cheer
fully agreed to pay it, knowing full
well that it could easily get the duty
back at this end of the line. During
recent hearing before the United
States senate committee on interstate
commerce the methods of the United
Fruit company were severely ar
raigned. It was stated that bananas,
once a luxury, were now necessity,
sold at every corner grocery in the
land. The representative of the United
Fruit company quickly replied that
this was the best justification Of his
company's methodist had taken the
banana from the list of luXuries, for
merly enjoyed only by the well-to~do,
and had placed it within the reach of
the poor man by making it cheap
and wholesome addition to his food
supply.
It was about forty years ago that
the first bananas were brought from
Central America to the United States.
The pioneer banana importer was
Charles Frank, a German waiter on a
steamer plying between Panama and
New York. He obtained permission
from the captain to take rev
punches of bananas to Manhattan,
where he sold them at good prices.
This pioneer met with many reverses,
but he persevered and in the end re-
tird with a fortune.
Captain l.. D. Baker of Cape Cod,
called the millionaire banana king,
founded the Boston Fruit company.
He went south with a schooner loaded
with notions and returned with
cargo of tropical produce. His sue
cess was such that he purchased large
estates and turned them into banana
plantations. The Boston Fruit COM
pany was the parent of the United
Fruit company, one of the great en-
terprises of our time. This great cor
poration now owns or operates hun
dreds of square miles of territory and
controls a fleet of fruit-carrying
steamers which visit every port that
has tropical fruit to sell.
Tomorrow - Turbulent Central America:
VUT-DenseIy Formulated Salvador.