Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-23
CARIBBEAN POLITICS.
XIX-CONTENTED COSTA RIGA
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

| about conditions Of widespread prosper
ity. where in some of the other coun-
tries labor gets as low as cents a day,
IN Costa Rica the lowest wage paid is
aaoout 90 cents day, while on the At
iantic side OF its great divide, among the
| banana plantations, the standard wage
Is q dollar a day. In very few of the
other countries outside the banana belt
is the standard wage more than % cents
DAY. Although the price of things to
eat and wear is somewhat higher in
Costa RIGA than in some OF the other re-
pubiics. the average laborer still can buy
ABOUT twice as many of the comforts OF
lie Tor days wage as the average la
oorer in most of the other Central Amer
lean countries.
The republic of Costa RIGA is the real
nome OF the banana industry, for out OF
It's fertile valleys goes one-half of the
entire banana supply OF the world Near
ly 100000 punches a year are ex-
ported. Yet with all this tremendous
crop OF bananas 1t Is sometimes difficult
to obtain them for eating purposes on
the plantations where they are grown
Frequently visitors to plantations have
expressed a desire for few to eat on
their native SOIL In one instance the
iarder of the superintendent of a dis
trtct turning out thousands of punches
week was ransacked, a neighbor's pan
! try was called upon and an inquiry made
at the offices Of the company, and still
not a single ripe banana, was found
The ripe banana on It's native soil is food
Tor the gods. and one who has tasted it
does not wonder at its scientific name
musa sapientium. which, was given It be-
cause of the story that the ancient sages
reposed in the shade Of the banana tree
and refreshed themselves with the fruit
thereof.
Costa RIGA is endeavorfng to utilize the
waste OF the banana business by making
several by-products. One OF these is
which have less than seven "hands"-
that Is, In which there are less than
seven rows of bananas-are regarded as
unht for shipment, and ordinarily are a
mana flour, however, and a strong effort
is being made to create foreign de-
mand. Unripe' bananas are cut and dried
and then ground and sifted, yielding about
Hour In its natural yellow color it must
De made In aluminium or silver vessels,
iron turning 1t black. Small quantities
are now being exported to England An
thn sh prooect Is banana cloth. made from
the nber OF the tree. while banana sugar,
conee and vinegar bear witness to the
versatility Of the banana.
y
Costa Rica does not believe in the bur-
dening OF the people with a heavy mill
tary estab-
Costa RIGA Military lishment AS
No Burden to Peo~ ,n.'.na'ea De-
standing army is made up of less than a
thousand soldiers, and these barely suf-
flee to police the country It's navy con-
sists of motor launch on the Atlantic
side and a tugboat on the Pacific side
And yet for years the small army and
this miniature navy have sufficed every
purpose for which they are maintained
The navy works in the fields of COM
merce at Port Limon and Punta Arenas
whenever 1t Is not needed for police duty.
Public improvements are everywhere to
be found in Costa RIGA. The government
owns what 1t calls the national liquor
factory" where the liquor and alcohol
Of the country are produced. The factory
also makes and sells cigars and ciga-
rettes. government laboratory is main
tanned for the analysis Of all foodstuffs,
chemicals, etc. There is department of
fomento, which has general jurisdiction
over all railroads and particular jurisdic-
ment. At San Jose the government owns
a theater. which Is one OF the finest in
the world.
On the whole. Costa RIGA affords a very
hopeful sign for the future Of Central
America. With the same sort OF people
to begin with, 1t has faced the problem
Of working out its own salvation in a
way that has enabled 1t to secure q gov
eminent that seems to be stable. or
course, no one can say that all Of the
good things Its officials say about 1t are
true. There Is great room for improve
ment in the matter of education and Of
respect for the rights of the masses. But
and lasting kind, progress enough to
warrant the confidence that Costa RIGA
is year by year lettering the condition of
eminent. That there are evils and abuses
existing in the government must be ad-
mitted, but that these are infinitely less
serious than exist in some OF her neigh |
bors is obvious to any student who visits
them all.