The Alaska citizen., 1913-06-02

CordlnS 10 the figures given hy Sir Edmund Walker. president of the i Canadian Bank of Commerce., al an annual meeting of that bank. regard ing its Mexican branch. American possessions are equal 10 one thousand millions. of which 35 per cent are in i railways. 45 per cent in mines and the balance in other industries Sir investments at s70O.000.o 900 and the French. German. Belgian. Dutch and Spanish at less than half that.
 l have met other men here who say that the American estimate is too low and that the property owned by cit. iZens Of the United States is nearer a billion and half than one billion. In speaking of Consul Letcher's fig ures. Mir. C. R. Hudson. the vice president Of the National railways of Mexico. thinks the railway estimate should be cut down as q greater proportion of the stocks and bonds of Mexican railways are held in Europe. He says the impression as to their American ownership comes largely from the fact that they were placed there by New York bankers and therefore credited as American investments. He also thinks that the estimate as to American ranches and farms is too low. It should be some. thing like $10.000.0C0 rather than little more than s4000.000, and also that the item of mine ownership is a little too high. There is no doubt Sowever. but that American holdings in Mexico are enormous. and that they will continue 10 increase so rapidly as to make it imperative that the present state of brigandage and revolution must be done away with
 As to just how many foreigner: there are now living in the Mexican republic. the number has materially
 
 several years ago. It then number ed in the neighborhood of 100000, of which it is estimated there were from 30. 1000 to 10000 Americans. about 9. 900 Spaniards and perhaps about 5000 each of British and Germans This might now be cut down to one half the above figures. There are at present here something like 10000 Guatemalans, zoe Italians. 300n French and perhaps an equal nuT Der of Cubans.
 The Spaniards. who rank second In number 10 the Americans, control the grocery and grain trade of the republic. They are also largely pro fessional men. and they act as clerks and bookkeepers and farmers. The French have the wholesale and retail dry goods stores. and they own most of the cotton mills, having in that industry alone something like s2o,- 100000. They have put more than 5000. 900 in tobacco factories The Germans control the hardware stores and they have many plantations
 The English have some large mines big investments in timber and farms a large part of the oil business and many tramways and electric light T,ln Thnrn m calnS agents in Mexico. representing Eng fish importing houses.
 The mighty investments give some idea of what the Americans are do ing south of the Rio Grande rive". great number of those who have investments are on the ground to take care of them. There are hun dreds of American miners and scores of American civil, electrical and min ing engineers. There are American farmers with American foremen and American coffee planters and man, fruit raisers. There are large nun- Der of Americans engaged in the oil
 business, not only in the properties belonging to the citizens of the Emit ed States. but as overseers, well drill CTS and laborers in prospecting the oil territory and caring for the pc, troleum. Every large city has it's American colony and you can find an American boarding house. usually run by an American woman. in ev. cry important town. There are a number of such at the capital. and they are usually better than the ho- tels, with much lower prices.
 The big railroads are largely man aged by Americans. although of late years the engineers, conductors and brakemen have been replaced by na. | tives. There are many American pre- fessional men and especially doctors and dentists. I am told there are two American physicians at the cap ital who have practices worth s2O. 900 a year, and I know of numerous dentists from the United States who are putting peas of silver amalgam into the mouths of Mexicans and taking pumpkins of gold out of their pockets
 AS far back as ten years ago he | United States consul-general to Mex