Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1912-05-10

England takes the entire product each
year and pays a higher price for It
than the United States pays for Bra
lillian coffee. Costa Rican coffee is
strong and black as served here in San
Jose, and to the writer it seems fan
superior to the average coffee provid
ed In American homes and hotels. ii
is better without milk
1t cannot be doubted that If Amer
leans were more familiar with the at
fractions of Costa RIGA more would
visit the country. The climate of San
Jose Is considered ideal. The city Ii
5000 feet above the sea and the cool
air Of this altitude is relief aftei
the heat and sultriness of the Carib
bean ports. Today the air is as clear
cool and bracing as a September day
in the North Atlantic states. We are
told that 1t never gets any cooler,
though sometimes warmer, so that
there Is no necessity for artificial
heating in the houses. The city is pic.
turesque and interesting and surround.
ed on all sides by mountains, the tops
of which have been lost in the clouds
since the arrival of the Knox party.
Scenery Is Beautiful.
The trip from San Jose to Port Linn.
on is the more attractive because of
the beauty of the scenery after the
first hour of the ride. The railroad
follows the line of torrential noun
tain river from Port Limon to Car
tago, Id miles below San Jose. Though
there are many railroads in the United
States through mountains Of greater
altitude than those of Costa Rica,
none of them have the tropical vegeta-
ton which distinguishes this country.
Mountains which In the states would
be bare, bleak and desolate are here
covered to their very peaks with the
Iuxuriant growth that is found at
Port Limon. The mountains are al
ways green the year around.
Dry goods and a great number of
household articles are bought from
Europe. 1t Is frequently declared by
Americans in Costa RIGA that If firms
in the United States would study the
Costa Rican market as carefully as the
European merchants do and make the
same efforts to please their customers
they would have no difficulty in gain
ing greater proportion of the trade
of Costa Riea The same applies to
the trade situation in all Central
American countries, according to opin-
ions expressed here.
For example. tons of concrete is be-
ing used in Costa Rica In all sorts of
construction. 1t is said that American
firms would get all this business II
they would pack the cement in iron
cans ra-her than In barrels, the metal
containers being necessary because of
the dampness on the coast, which
spoils about half of each barrel of ce-
ment that Is not used as soon as re-
ceived. Another criticism of Amer
leans in Central America is that they
are too anxious to get rich in one
day.
AS it is, the United States receives
more than half of the total exports
of Costa Rica and sells Costa RIGA
nearly half of her total imports. The
general view is that the sales of Amer
lean made goods in Costa Rica viii
continue to increase. It is stated by
Americans here that as the opportuni
ties afforded in Costa Rica for agri-
cultural development on a large scale
become better known In the states
more American capital will enter the
country. The opening of the Panama
canal will also help toward this end