El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-07-29


1t is possible to live at a good hotel
for 50 a day? If not, where does the
hotel get it's profit? But it is a fact
that the prices at which Americans buy
food look low to a Spaniard
Lack of Farm Development.
SPANS variations in climate are such
that 1T should produce nearly every ia
bic necessity and many of the luxuries
in plentiful supply. But backwardness
of agricultural development, indifferent
transportation facilities, grinding in
ternal taxation, high import duties and
awkward land tenure problems combine
to prevent the highest possibilities of
the soil from being realized. While the
Spanfards are not a race of hungry
men and women. like the Inhabitants
Of the Indian peninsula, they are Ill
fed and as a mass get little out of life
beyond mere sustenance.
Great relief might come from suita-
bic irrigation to take the best advan-
tage of an unequal rainfall. but the
misgovernment of Spain has been such
that little has becn done in this di-
rection Gai"c1an landlords hold their
property urier a system that origina-
ted in the middle ages and is un-
land fo1 long term. The tenant lets
aro his sub-tenants again partition and
sublet The result is that the actual
cultivator has a large burden to bear
and the soil supports a number OF
idlers. The total ground rent is brought
to such figure that the small farmer
the man at the bottom Of the ladder, Is
impoverished This condition is drfv-
ing so many Galicians to South Amer
lea that it is predicted the province
will become depopulated.
Transportation Poor.
Transportation facilities fairly match
the backwardness Of agriculture In
the greater part of Spain The high
roads are for the most part hardly
worthy of the name. save in the vicin-
tiles of the larger cities. The railroads
are a revelation of the out of date to
the traveller who is familiar with
America, Germany, England or France.
Moth eaten trains de luxe" and sec
ond and third class carriages that are
hardly better than American freight
cars provide the patron with sorry
choice Fats trains are expensive and
not very fast Slow ones are less ex-
pensive and very slow There is one
compensation for the passenger on the
slow train, and it is not negligible II
one is not in a hurry The engines
move so slowly that no smoke or Gin
ders find their way back to the car
riages.
AS Indifferent as the railroads are
their poor quality and low speed are
not as bad as the Inadequate mileage
and outrageous freight tariffs There
is. for example, no railroad connect
ing Valencia, the second port OF SPAN,
with Madrid There are only 1900 miles
of railroad in all Spain 1t is actually
nossibIe to ship, freight from port
on the coast of Spain to England anu
hack to another Spanish port for less
money than it can be shipped from one
Spanish port to another oy ran. ms
affects the price and availability OF
80 IN striking manner While or
anpes and grapes abound at low prices
iA Andalusia, they are rare and hlgn
nriced in Madrid They can be oought
more reasonably in London or Edlh-
hnrph after having made journey Dy
sea and passed through several hanoS-
Vegetables are, Of course, aliecleu lno
sanoa way The facilities for market
to careals raised in the interior are
co moor that the Argentine Repuohc
can compete with Spain IN 1ur
wheat to its own coast cities Maui IL,
situated In the geographical center y.
Snain would. If Spain were properly
5nU
orv+h,np to eat it could wish 10 Duy'
D. as Madrid is not on water. the cit
Tens of the capital pay IS cents ana
sometimes 81 a pound for fresh lisn'
onIv a few of them, of course can
afford 1t.
Overwhelming Taxation.
.adad to these natural causes OF
~. bieh cost of living. there is over
whelming taxation Customs are hlsh'
ond as Spain is not yet great manu-
foc+uring country. this affects the cost
~ living more than 1T might olher"lss
do Taxes on trades, professions anu
business, and the consume the
90 nonopolies and other forms OF tax
-. n,ake the burden crushing one
The results are quite startling To INC
listener He finds timed butter sell
-. .+ 5o cents a pound. Breakfast pa
con &c so cents. Mutton is only Ut
lie less expensive Beef scars around
IN and 60 cents pound All canneu
Goods sell at ruinous prices, especiaAs
preserves. +ha
The industrial. tax is known as the
industrial IL Is an
arm through which the government
rea ches out and lays almost eVeryohe
bv the heels. Hotels, shops panNs,
brokers. newspapers. publishers, ao
In fact persons In dililOSI Ga
are taxed in this manner III so.ie
eases tho tax takes the form OF a sup
mated fee. In others 1t is measured
nv the amount of business done. as IN
The case Of a contractor; or by the size
of the city, as in the case OF a Dankel.
RI moor man goes fishing and catches
a good string he must pay the con-
sumo" before he may hawk them from
5onr TO door to turn few honest pen
MES His calling is not taxed Tor tne
Industrial" but his eaten
8 taxed under the other law. which
mounts to the same thing. The con-
;umo' is the equivalent of the octrol
N some other European countries.
There is no business too pinfully smaii
n be muIcted by the consume rms
s strictly a local tax and is levied IN
in every town and village
Vie noultrv raiser who takes his chick
ans TO one town and pays the con-
;uno- must dispose of them there or
paw II again in the next market ne
risitS.
The Egg Trust.
There is no egg trust" operating a
Mighty organized system OF market
control through cold storage. But eggs
ell for 40 cents a dozen. They pre-
sent one advantage over the average
Egg of commerce in America They
ire fresh Tobacco is government
monopoly as it was in the Philippines
yhen Spain held the islands and Fill