The Washington times., 1914-07-22
CANAL WILL ENRICH
CENTRAL AMERICA
Porto Rico and Cuba Show How
Wealth Of Tropics Can Be
Developed.

Caribbean countries will be wonder
fully benefited by the opening OF the
Panama Canal. according TO William J.
Showalter. the magazine writN, who.
In q communication TO the National
Geographic Society, today describes the
advantages which will accrue with the
opening of the waterway and the won
derful development which has beeen
wrought In Porto Rico and Cuba since
tho advent of American methods In
these islands.
at would require six saivadors to
make one Honduras. and yet Salvador
three times as much foreign commerce
az Honduras, he says- "Costn Rica
is less than half as big as Nicaragua.
and yet Il has three times as much
foreign commerce as Nicarasra. And
compared with Porto Rico, they In turn
seem to be slow IN their development
Porto Rico ID so small that seven is
LANDS like II would be required to cover
an area equal to that Of Costa Riea,
as great az that OF the Banana EN-
pire.' Porto Rico 70 less than half as
large as-Safvador, yet II has foreign
trade seven times as great.
Porto Rico Prosperous.
Little Porto Rico is so small that it
could be buried in a single Central
American lake: Il would take fifty
seven islands of its size TO equal Central
America In area. and yet Porto Rico
produces more foreign trade than all
Central America together. The reason?
Because Porto Rico has an ideal govern
nlent. The trade Of the island has
nearly uuintupled since Uncle Sam TOOK
possession there. The number Of child
rem enrolled In the schools has increased
skiold The wages Of the laborfns
class have multiplied threefold.
Porto Rico's prosperity IL seen In the
SUGAR fields. where four tons Of sugar
are produced where one was a dozen
years aEo. and where the Porto Rican
people receive 8 for exported sugar
years before. Coffee production mas
ouadrupled since the beginning Of the
century The production Of oranges
Coffee production has quadruplsd
production Of oranges has Increased
seven-fold in ten years, pineapples
twenty-fold in four years and grape
fruit twenty-five-fold In three years.
Similar comparisons are made between
area one-hfth as great. it's foreign
commerce Is three times that of the
six One might go on with these
comparisions indefinitely. the lesson OF
them "A being that prosperity cannot
exist where good government does
not" continues the writer. r
Wealth Undeveloped.
with vast deposits Of minerals. un-
told Thousands of acres of the finest
tropical fruit and vegetable lands In
the world, and vast areas Of magnin-
cent grazing and coffee lands. Hon.
-duras : Is at our very doors. 1t is 100
miles nearer to. Chicago than that city
is to San Francisco; 1t is closer to
Washington than Denver Is; 1t Ia
farther from New Orleans to Chicago
than 1t is from Puerto Barrios to New
York. A stable government for Hon
duras, and 1t must become q kingdom
of plenty. instead Of a principally of
poverty. Nicaragua is In the same con-
dition as Honduras.
1T II not unreasonable to assume
that II the people of middle America
ment conditions after the completion
of the Panama canal they can do
what Cuba has done in the thirteen
years since the first American inter-
vention: Since that time the number
of people able to read and write has
Increased 149 per cent. The mortality
rate has been cut down from 1888 per
thousand to 1888. The balance Of
trade has risen from a deficit Of
100000 a year TO surplus Of
$50 900. 900.
Future for Central America.
Assuming that Central America
can be brought up to Cuba's standard
today, its foreign trade would amount
to a full billion dollars a year. in
stead Of the beggarly Isl, 1000 il is
today. 1t would have 10 oon miles OF
railroad. where 1t has less tnan LOCO
miles today. 1t would have 5000
miles Of macadam roads. as compa red
with fcw hundred. 1t would have \
population of 1900, 600. as compared
with $500 00e today.
This. and more, will certainly come
to Central America IL good govern
ment there comes apace with a COM
pleted Panama canal"