La Junta tribune., 1913-01-04
-
HaI

acacs. about six or sew, II
- miles southwark 0f Pnira
It has some 10000 people and f.
noted for the manufacture OF Pa q,
anna hats 1t II here where this
Industry furnishes most. and whore
more Panama hats are made Than
at any other place In the world,
There Is considerable farming done
In the vicinity. agd these. bats are
not only made by the people Of the
city. but arc made largely BY the
Indians. who III small patches in
the vicinity.
The hats are made by raH, wo.
men. boys and girls in their homes.
Sunday is the great marke, day
for the hats wen, to Caiacaos
on Sunday to see the Indians at
work and making their sales. Sew
eral thousands came from their
homes In the country and in the
city.
Tae market was fun and the
streets crowded In the principal
part OF the town ranamas OF all
grades. and bats made OF an tn.
fcrior palm leaf and Of other straw
like material. were offered for sale.
at all kinds OF prices The genuine
Panama can be bought of these In
dians at from 80 cents to $40 each
| saw one. a boys hat. sold for 90
cents. Peruvian money. or 10 cents
American money \ good Panama
nat can be bought for s. or 81. and
by watching ones opportunity. fpr
less than thls-somctim,s as low as
81
The palm leaf from which the
Panama hat Is made does not grow
here It grows In Ecuador. and Is
shipped In bales from that country
To Cataoaos.
II Is subjected io process be
forr 1t comes into the Indians hands
by which the leaf ls shredded into
Htravs or nlamonts blraehsd and
prepared 10 be- woven into hats
Each stem has a great number %
fiIaments forming a brush 0f long
straight stmws The threads nf the
brush ar. about the size " small
brown straw bat. upon close obs"r-
yation. while vas watching an In.
dian woman grading the brushes 7
discovered her. by very dept mnnip
ulltlou of the thumb aud finger un.
RON Hhat appeared very delicate
film tbps showing the beautiful and
plinbIs texture ~ tho nIament The
material rs graded very carefully and
this grading. vl'h tho shill gf tla
worker. determines The quality and
value ot the hat
There IS notion abroad rt'
those finest hats are made under $40.
Ter huf Earned this was not true
II is true. huNeyrr that the straw
must be- kept vet or damp when max
inE the hat. and that the finest bats
are generally made late in the even
ing and early ln the morning. whom
the air ls moist. AZ the material De-
then not brittle. but tough and Pm.
able
II requires from one 10 four or
five days 20 make the ordinary Pan.
anna hat To max. the y-ry finest
hat often requires ten DAYS OF NOR"
Thus you observe The makiue ~ "a
Panama Is most tedious and
very slow work The pay earned
and received by these Indians when
compared with the time and labor
rnquir,d. il mere pit,ianc". prob-
ably not exceeding, on an av.rage.
moro tnan twenty cents Peruvian
money
Thcr" f. nothing cheaper In ihis
country than human muscle. than
man. unless Il should be the
burrn Tho burro Is mans ser.
want faithful ready and constant
servant The hurro does all the Ia
bor Of transportation save what IA.
man does himself
II carries his frcish, Of every
sort and carries him too. and gen
orally at tho same time Their" il
not Wagon. carriage. buggy. cart
nor harness OF any Kind. In all this
country. save probably half dozen
great. clumsy. heavy two wheeled
carts In Paita and little tram ear,
Of which | have seen very few. and
eyen theSo ar. often pushed nv
men.
Man. himself. IL a b.ss, OF burden.
women carry great loads on their
heads. as Is done In Jamaica and
other places by N. negroes
A child bu, four and five years