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

- two parts, that which is the
A scene of the operations of the
X ~ United Frnit company, and
that which is not The first is
becoming Americanized; in the sec
ond, European nations now have the
advantage in trade.
In the banana country the fruit com
| pany is everywhere and as a common
carrier it has a powerful influence in
the coffee country. 1t has developed
the Atlantic coast of Costa RIGA and
probably has done more than any 9TH
er single agent for the prosperity and
commercial development of this small
republic Costa Rica is by far the
most prosperous of all the Central
American republics, and has not had
successful revolution in more than
80 years, the correspondent of the
New York Sun, writing from San Jose,
says. Americans living here and Cos
| ia Ricans are convinced that the abb
sence of revolutions and the prosper
| ity of the country are in the nature of
cause and effect
The bananas and coffee sent out of
Costa Rica represent practically the
entire export trade Of this country.
The value of the banana expectations
average about $4,O00,O00 a year, and
the coffee little more than half as
much. The fruit company either grows
or buys and transports and sells all
] the bananas and carries all the coffee
produced In Costa RIGA. In doing
these things 1t has developed great
number of side lines OF activity, which
make it the great power 1t is in Costa
Rica. These other activities include
/ railroads, stores, telegraph and tele-
phone systems, light and power plants.
hospital, schools and various forms of
agriculture and stock raising. In adj
| dition 1t has its fleet of ships, car
rying both passengers and freight
Bananas Cost 40 Cents a Bunch.
| The company owns over 100000
acres of banana lands on the Atlantic
geaboard of Costa RIGA. On these
lands it produces about AZ per cent. of
all the bananas grown In the repub-
lie. 1t buys all the bananas that ma
tive growers can produce. The an
nual shipment is about 100000
lunches, bought by the fruit company
at a fixed price of 80 cents a bunch.
For handling the bananas the company
allows 10 cents a bunch, and the de-
clared export value of bunch OF bar
nanas is fixed at 40 cents.
The outlet for both the coffee and
the bananas is Port Limon, on the
Caribbean. When Secretary Knox
and his party arrived there recently
there were three steamers in port
awaiting cargoes of bananas.
To tap the banana districts the main
line of the railroad, leased and oper-
ated by the United Fruit company UNI
der the name of the Costa Rican
Northern railroad, extends from Port
Limon to San Jose, the capital, 103
miles distant and 5000 feet above the
sea- From the main line extend num-
Der of branches and from these
branches other spurs and tramways,
the whole forming system of veins
and arteries for the transportation of
bananas. Every effort is made to get
the banana from the tree to the ship
as soon as possible and with the min
irnum OF handling.
The main line is common carrier
of both passengers and freight. Dis
elimination by the fruit company is
impossible under the terms of its
/ lease. At Port Limon the company
| has built number of steel piers from
which the ships are loaded with ba-
nanas and coffee by special machin-
/ cry. The company has large Offices at
| Port Limon, and has in addition
wireless station, hospital, quarters
for its employees. light and power
plants and wholesale and retail stores.
The Costa Rican government has CO.
operated with the fruit company,
has put in many public improvements
and keeps the city clean. The govern
ment receives direct, as well as an
indirect, revenue from the fruit COM
pany through an export tax of cent
gold upon each bunch OF bananas sent
out of Costa Rica
The big banana growing districts
practically end in the foothills of the
mountain range which divides Costa
RIGA. and where bananas stop coffee
begins. The hills and mountains for
more than so miles along the railroad
from Port Limon to San Jose are Gov
cred with coffee plantations, many of
them thousands of acres in extent.
These are practically all owned by the
Costa Ricans. many of them wealthy.
Costa Rican coffee is considered by
many to be the finest in the world.