The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-08

Copyright 1912 by Frank G. Carpenter)
 Guatemala City. "AL1< about high prices in the
 United States, They are nothing \ compared to high prices in Guate- mala. l have been here with my stem ographer for the past few weeks, and my a1 craze expenses have been about $500 per day Last week cost me over 5000, and my regular board at the principal hotel is slS6 per day. l had a carriage this afternon for three hours at $l5 an hour. and every time l take a mule ride over the country the charge for the ami nal is $25 per day. Everything is in the same ratio. It costs 50 cents to post letter and 15 cents for a postal card. l tried to buy an English saddle in a har- ness store this morning, and the price for it was $500. l could not afford it, and went to the stationery store across the way, where l was charged a dollar for a lead pencil and $5 for the note book in which I am writing.
 The Land of the Six-Cent Dollar
 Indeed, the prices are terrible. But they are not so bad when you find that they are paid only in the currency of the country. The Guatemala dollar has been steadily going down, and it Is now worth just about cents of our money. You can get seventeen eighteen Guatema- Ian dollars for an American dollar, and in order to figure out the real cost you must divide by seventeen. All the bills are paid in paper, and the money is worth so little that it is a trouble to carry it. Five one-dollar bills would give you a large pillowcase full, and as l am writing all my pockets are buging out with dollars. l drew $40 on my letter of credit at the bank today, and for this the cashier handed me 5000 of these Guatemalan simoleons. Some of it was in ne-hundred-dolar bills, but the most of 1t was in petty tens and. twenties and fve-dollar notes, such as one gives for a fee.
 While l stood at the bank window a man came up to make a deposit, He had d bundle under his arm which looked like package of laundry He laid it on the counter and took off the strings, and the dirty bills, by gust of wind, were blown over the floor. They were finally gathered together and it took over twenty minutes to count them. What the amount was I do not know. but it was probably under SlO00 in gold
 Indeed, the currency here reminds me of that of our southern Confectionery at the close of the war. the value of which was well shown in a story told on Gen eral Gordon. As the general was riding along one day he saw a man with very fine horse and said:
 That's a good animal, my man. 1 will give you 5000 for him."
 oh was the reply, with sheer. you will, Why, just paid sSOoo to have him curried."
 Crazy for Gold
 As a result of this poor currency the people are crazy for gold. In the business sections there are money changers in every block, and every one wants to change his paper for gold. The proprietor of my hotel grabs at each gold coin, and one of the priests l met today in the cathedral asked me to exchange gold for six-cent dollars. It is the same at the American club. I was offered S1S0o there for a s10 gold piece, and I am told that there have been times when one could buy s25 in Guatemala for sl American. The value of gold changes every day and a special demand for it sends the currency kitins.
 At the same time the wages on the es- tates are paid in currency, and the In dians receive only a few cents of our money per day. Some think this is good business They say that the planters get work for Guatemalan dollars. while their exports are paid for in gold. If the Indian gets s a day he is in reality receiving puly IS cents, and he is more often paid