, 1913-02-19

chet work so much developed on the island
can be purchased, a Sugar Section, a little
Coney Island and SO OIL.
What is your connection with the exhibit
tionS
I furnish the lighting both for the interior
and the exterior of the Exhibition.
What is that worth?
The lighting you meanH About 10000 dol
lars. But, besides that I have myself an ex-
hibition of electric materials, lights, heating
apparatus, motors, dynamos and everything
that belongs to the business.
Is it to be under the Danish or the Anle-
rican flag?
Under both flags. The Dannebrog will
wave by the side of the Star Spangled Ban
ner over Porsth Electric Company's Section.
Are there many Danes in Porto Rico?
Not so many as there ought to be, for the
Danes have good prospects over there under
the palms. They have q good name. First
and foremost are the brothers SwitZer, who
manage one of the largest sugar estates in
the island, and sometimes we see the two
cavalierly gentlemen riding in to the Plaza
de Principal in San Juan to hear the Sunday
afternoon concert. Then there is the mana
ger of one of the islands largest ice business
es MIR Cristy. Again, there is the great Danish
photographer Christofersen And Jorgensen,
Petersen and Lindqvist, all three working in
my branch business. But there are besides ma
ny Danish West Indians over there and they
love to speak the Danish language. There
are no warmer patriots than our coloured
countrymeu from the West Indian Islands.
Has the American Government taken an
interest in the Exhibition
Yes much, besides having given tho 3an0
free as a permanent exhibition ground, they
have guaranteed the exhibition 50,0UD dol
lars.
What is the object of that2
The object is, III view of the early opening
of the Panama Canal, to encourage Euro
peans to come to Porto Rico at the same time
new docks are being built and the harbour
being deepened, which is only u half hun
dred miles from st. Thomas. 1t can become
a tremendous rival to our Danish West Indian
harbour, if the people at home do not in
time work with energy and with capital.
Do you really think that San Juan can be
a rival of us Danes
Undoubtedly. It is true that the harbour
is not so good as that of st. Thomas, but
the Americans are fall of energy to make
the most possible of the situation of the
island. I will among other things mention
that the great Strengthening firm from Chi
CdSOI CWIlO ~ OO13 ~ PkCoOub hAO u y
ing great freezing store-houses with the
object of supplying fresh meat not alone to
the island, but also for the provisioning Of
ships Oh the way to Panama. Aud they
have their nets out to make San Juan the
central point for South America, by a cou-
templated agitation through the South
American towns by a travelling exhibition and
an agitation through the Press.
Has Porto Rico progressed under the
Americans ?
If it has? Yes, enormously. The exports
since the time of the Spaniards, according
to an official Report from Washington, have
increased by 400 per cent. A striking tes-
timony.
Have the Americans done anything in
sanitary mattersP
Yes, that you can believed The last time
/ was there, when in July last year / visited
San Juan, the American Government burned
down at least a thousand huts in the sub
urbs of Miramare and Santurce for the pnF-
pose of eradicating the bubonic plagre,
which at that time ravaged the town, but
now it is completely eradicated Rats were
killed in millions. Every house was fenced
in with steel wire and the rats were shot i'll
masses.
What had the rats to do with the pl ague ?
1t was the feas coming from the rats