Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-03-15

on Eca.d Steamer Mo,tie. March 3,
1912: TIE steamer dropped anchor at
San Juan. Porto RICO. Sunday morn
ing March 9, on schedule time, and
our too hris. stay during that daY vas
fully occupied in sight seeing. No pre-
announced trip had been prepared for
this place by the tourist department
OF II" cruise. so each one chose for
himself or herself how the time should
be sport. Souie chose the trolley car
ride 10 the oaJlljng resort and to Rio
I7iedros about an hours distance from
the city. and parties were formed for
auto trips in the country az far as
they dared 60 in View ofrpossible acct
Cent 20 an auto. knowing that when
the hour for sailing arrived they must
be on board. The whole appearance OF
the city Of San Juan and the Island
pleased the excursion:sts almost uni
veTsally. better than Havana and what
va saw Of Cuba. The city has clean.
well kept streets and the buildings
are generally in much better condition
than in Havana. In short. there are
marks there. Of governmental oversight
ard SUPERVISION that impress one. The
laSIe MOTTO anu N~IislDdl' Oohi
mate the city, and the harhor is very
pretty one.
There is military road constructed
largely by convicts by the Spanish
government during it's control OF the
island, extending from San Juan to
Ponce DC Leon, distance of eighty
four miles. AT auto ride along this
road for two hours and two hours for
p:r,o Of NfeSf
incidents Of the trip. The cultivated
fields of tobacco and coffee extended
up the sides of the hills on each side
show that the soil is very productive
and fertile and generally we'll cult
waited. Tropical vegetation and fruits
consisting of cocoanut and palm trees,
sugar cane, pineapples and grape fruit,
grow in great abundance. Grape fruit
of diameter of five or six inches such
as ! had one-half this morning, sell for
cents each.
| / made the acquaintance of very
| intelligent young man, a native Porto
Rican, who gave me much valuable in
! formation Of what our government is
! doing for the island and its inhabi-
! tants. He is a graduate OF the normal
college at Rio Piedros, having entered
| the school from the ninth grade and
taken his degree in four years. He is
| now in the service Of the government.
being in the employ Of the anti-tuber-
culcsis league, organized to exterm!-
nate that plague. He told me that the
| American teachers in his school were
paid from 800 to 1925 per month for
nine months. The principal, or highest
! instructor. is paid $3.50. Free schools
| have been provided for each municipal
district in the island, and education is
com p,llsory. F. G. Dexter is commits
| sioner under the authority OF Cover
nor George c. Cotton. It appears that
! the children are quite eager to learn
and as the instruction is generally CIV
en- in English it will soon be the Ian
guage most generally used. took some
pains to enquire as I could, not only
/ of the young men, but 1T the City Club
which was thrown open to us, as to
whether or not the government ad-
ninistration was generally satisfactory
and in every instance was answered
that IL was. There seems 10 ,e !:::1e
If any complaint, and the fact. shows
| that good common sense methods are
probably being used to At the terri
torial government here, to the needs
Of these, short In stature, brown skin,