The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-10-11
By FRANK e. CARPENTER.
. To Il

~ woes. The people have been liv-
ing beyond their means. Many OF them
are loaded with debt. and the foreign
obligations of the nation now amount
ITO more than 5000 for every family in
The republic The internal debt is over
$36ooO,o0 900, and tho Chilean dollar is
so per cent below par. Business Is not
good. and at the same time the cost
of living has jumped out OF sight.
sReef, which has always been cheap.
has risen until some cuts now sell for
80 cents and more a pound, and oreao'
milk, vegetables and fruits are higher
,lthan they have ever been In the past.
,iIousc rents arc rising. Here In SAM
ftiago ordinary dwellings are bringing
from $50 to $500 a month. and nearly
every one Is denouncing the greed Oh
Ibis landlord.
lin what we would call two-family
houses The buildings are low on ac-
cbunt Of the earthquakes, and many
i of thom have only two floors. The hrst-
story apartments bring the most
money, as from such apartments one
can get out the quicker. There are
:. no big fiat buildings here. The high
. est houses have only four or fve
, stories, and skyscrapcrs are yet to be
built.
! The very poor live In what are called
cites These are little tenements OF
one story, built in blocks. Each tene-
ment has two rooms. one at the front
and the other at the back. The only
window is at the front. There are
no heating nor bathing arrangements.
and the water has to be carried in
: from outside. Such an apartment Will
rent for from IS to 81 per month. and
IL It is in a good location II may bring
SIS or SEQ. Many such buildings are
, owned by the church. and others by
rich Chilenos. who get most of their
incomes from their rents. The capt.
talists like these small houses. be-
: cause the rent Is always paid In adj
vance, and the interest on the invest
ement is high. The church is one OF
.sthe great real estate owners Of San
sstiago It has all kinds Of property.
from tenements to palaces and from
,@individual stores to great business
: blocks. large part OF the property
J. on the Plaza des Armas, In the very
heart of Santiago. belongs to It. and
lit owns buildings of all kinds scat
tered here and thore through the city.
Z, The prices Of labor In Chile are ris--
ing, but they are still far below those
ssof the United States. The average sal
airy Of clerk In store is equal to
from $40 to $50 Of our money. Book
keepers get about $50 a month. steno-
sgraphers $40 or $50. and II they are
foreigners they may receive as high as
$500. In this case. they must be able
Ito speak and write Spanish. and also
s.readins their notes.
: In this connection, would say that
there Is no chance here for young
americans without money who have no
Especial experience or skill of one kind
Cor another. II they are mechanical or
mining engineers, or experts In farm
ding or fruit raising, there may be some
Openings: but for pure brains and pure
muscle the country has an ample sup
gjply of it's own, and that at wages
(which would not be tempting to tho
American.
- AS 1t Is now, the native labor supply
of Chile Is being largely increased by
<the employment Of women. They are
making their way into the government
Offices. They clerk In the post Offices
they act as cashiers in the mercantile
establishments, and they sell goods In
the large department stores that have
recently been established in Santiago
In the latter places female Clerks are
paid salaries Of $50 a month with a
commission OH their sales. which In
some cases runs the salary to as high
: ms 800 per month. The chief objection
loses caste among her friends by taxi
ing them. Women have been 50 Sc
Guided In Chile that the people have
rot yet become accustomed to their
lighting the battle of life for them
selves. Nice girls never go out alone In
those OF the better classes are Seldom
seen on the street without some older
woman Ia with them. When a young
girl goes to school she is usually &C
ecmpanied by servant or her father
or mother and some one is sent to bring
her back home. The positions of secre-
dtary and cashier rank higher than those
of clerks. but most classes of the peo-
pie look askance at the girl who works
for living.
doubt whether the young business
woman is as safe in Chile as she is in
our country. The fact that she works
out at all subjects her to the danger
of liberties on the part Of the other sex.
The white slave trade exists to an even
greater extent than In the United States,
And am told that there is large class
of girls who are by no means as good
.Rs they should be. The social evil is
licensed In the cities. and everything is
supposed to be under rigid inspec-
ton. The Spanish custom OF prevent
Ing the boys and girls from having any.
thing to do with one another on the
social level OF purity and virtue drives
the young men to the demi-monde for
tueir social companions. and II defeats
The end II hopes to gain.
Moreover. IL young man calls upon
young woman a half-dozen times, and
spends the evening with her in tho
have serious intentions of marriage
and the father. uncle or aunt straight
way demands how soon he expects to
propose. If he then says that he does
not want TO get married. he Is told that
ghis further visits are not desired The
~bear act, which means the standing out
-on the streets in front Of your sweet
hearts house and casting sheep's-eyes
4at her as she looks down from the bal
eony, is fast going out of use. although
IT is still the custom In some other OF
the Latin American countries, and
notably in Mexico and Central America
Nevertheless, In the aristocratic classes
"a family would have to be in financial
straits before 1t would think Of allow
ing Its daughter to clerk in store. For
this reason the female clerks are come
times sneered at as "rotos" by the
pthers of their sex who prefer to starve
sat home.
= In order to understand social condi-