Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-12
Some Things You Want to Know
Turbulent Central Amerioa-Deb t Ridden Honduras.

OF all the countries Of the new world
Honduras finds itself the deepest IN debt
per capita and the least able to meet its
Indebtedness. In fact, France and Portu-
gal are the only two nations on the globe
which show a greater per capita indebted
ness than Honduras. Apparently this little
country owes more than a hundred million
dollars. three-fourths Of which is interest
that has accumulated since 1873. 1t hap
pened in this way. When the Central
American republic fell to pieces In 1927
each of the constituent states assumed its
proportion of the general Indebtedness.
Honduras never paid its portion, and in
1867 went into the market to borrow money
to build a ranscontinental railroad. Be
fore the new loan could be floated arrange
ments had to be made to satisfy the old
Indebtedness. The upshot of the matter
was that Honduras fell into the hands Of
shylocks, who loaned II money and took
everything 1t had as security. Twice more
Honduras borrowed money, also for the
purpose of completing al interoceanic rail-
way, but nearly all of 1t went into private
pockets instead of going into the building
Of a railway.
At last Honduras threw up its hands.
declaring that 1t had gotten no benefit
from the loans and that Il would not
satisfy the bonds. The British Parliament
was appealed to for al Investigation and
soon found the whole matter so tanned with
fraud that Il could only throw it out of
court, so to speak. Since then many efforts
have been made to effect a settlement, but
no mutually satisfactory basis has been
found, although the bonds once sold for
6 per cent of their face value, with no
allowance for accumulated interest.
II Honduras were to pay this whole debt
with the accumulated interest 1t would
amount to $40 per capita. Our own debt.
upon such a per capita basis, would amount
TO more than twelve billion dollars. Heavily
handicapped by its practical, II not actual,
reputation Of this debt. Honduras finds
itself in still worse straits from the fact
that its export trade is of less value than
its imports. Among the countries Of the
new world only Haiti and Columbia have
a smaller per capita export trade than Hon
duras.
In the matter of internal Improvement
Honduras is the most backward of all the
Central American states, although none Of
them possess greater natural resources. Its
forests contain vast areas of precious woods
that are all but Untouched, and its rich
mines are lying lule LOT lack OF Capltal 10
develop them. Americans have lately been
taking a deep interest in the possibilities
of this land of virgin resources, but a
thousand opportunities still await develop
ment where one has been improved. While
there has been complaint among tn Hon
duraneans over the exaggerated reports of
their political disturbances that are circu-
lated in the United States, they heartily
welcome our capitalists. AS a matter of
fact, there are few places in the world not
willing to profit by the wonder-working
power of Yankee brains, capital and grit.
A remarkable plant that grows in Hon
duras is the plantain, which is not unlike
the banana. One authority estimates that
an acre of plantain produces a quantity of
food equal to 1873 acres OF wheat or forty
four acres of potatoes. Flour is made from
green p~lantains, and both the ripe and
green ones are good to eat in their natural
state. The sap makes a fine indelible Ink.
1t is estimated that the average bunch of
plantains will weigh. seventy pounds and
that an acre of them will produce more
than 150 tons of edible food In a single sea-
son. Banana growing is said to yield a
profit of $50 per acre for the first year
and $50 for the following ten years. Hon
duras seems to offer splendid opportunities
LOI Nv d6IlCulluTlSl DSNuust lS ldWS eA-
empt him from liability to military service.
The first ice cream factory ever built IN
Central America was erected at San Pedro
Sula by a Mr.. Troy, a native of Georgia.
Shortly after It started there was a down
pour Of rain in the very height of the dry
season, a thing almost unheard of. The
natives thought the ice cream factory had
changed the climate of the country, sc
they Immediately sent petitions to the pres
ident Of the republic, asking him to revoke
the ice cream concession. Troy had with
him a wild Irishman who had been
stranded, and this fellow conceived the idea
of peddling Ice cream on the streets. He
was soon making from $40 to SIS a day
from his ingenuity and industry.
TIL Bay islands belonging to Honduras
are said to be the nearest known ap-
proach to a lazy mans paradise. Cocoa.
nut growing constitutes practically the
only industry and according to an en-,
thusiast, all one has to do is to burn off a
piece of ground, plant the nuts twenty feet
apart and wait five years for results. After
that he is fixed for life. with AN incoms