Evening star., 1914-01-25
~

piled to Europe and perhaps ultimately
to the United States Will be consumed
at home.
The population of San Paulo is SO large
ly Italian that il is becoming question
whether II will not predominant over ma
tive Brazilian in n few years. IN fiio thn
foreign element is Portuguese. II a popu-
lation so closely related to the Braztliaii
Portuguese can be called foreign: eis
in San Paulo the Portuguese are few as
compared with the Italians.
San Paulo. being an interior city os
rapid growth. did not have TO reconstruct
itself. as did the port cities. Santos $
the port of san Paulo. Its reconstruction
has been one OF the marvels of public
improvements in Brazil. AS the greatest
coffee port in the world II was bound 10
provide adequate shipping facilities. but
the extent to which santos is being beau
titled by means of new avenues and sim
liar improvements places il among tRs
residential cities OF Bra5a.
Up in the north at Bahia. black Bs-
hia." II is called. because of the large
numbers of the African race, Col. Roose-
Welt was astonished to note the manner
III which the public improvements were
going forward. Col. Roosevelt saw Ba
hia for the first time and his impressions
We're naturally vivid. But his astonish-
ment was nothing to that of those who
and insanitary city. with a jumble o.
buildings on the water front and an IN
slightly hill section.
At Pernambuco the harbor works are
also advancing and an American COM
pany is electrifying the horse car line
Pernambuco has its ancient university
and has been known as one OF The M"
old sleepy centers of Brazilian cultur,
which took no thought of trade or or
modern improvements. But Pernamhucu
has awakened from its sleep.
AT Rio Grande. in the south. the hai-
Dor improvements. under the jetty sys-
tem are progressing. with the certainty
of creating an accessible port there.
y
Para. at the mouth of the Amazon has
completed its port works so far as the
plan contemplated their use during the
next few years.
This story of Brazilian public improve
ments is not an entirely new one, huc
it has to be retold in writing OF TIE
country in the year 1911 These improve
ments have been somewhat or a dram
on the public treasury, and II IS Claimed
that they have generated spirit OF eN
trayagance and are the main cause oil the
commercial and financial crises through
which Brazil is now passing The consol-
ing reflection for the Brazilians Is that
commercial crises are temporary while
great national improvements are pefiiia-
nent
It may be questioned, however
whether these public improvements
have very much to do with the present
crisis, which Is an economic one. ihe
price of rubber dropped so rapidly that
the rubber industry in the Ama1oi,
region became almost paralyZed anu
is still in very depressed condition
This affects not only northern BraHli'
but the whole country. by lowering the
purchasing power which formerly re-
suited from the high prices obtained
1t will take two or three years untit
the industry can be put on a FOOTING
to meet the competition OF the culti-
waited rubber of the Malay straits, buE
its superiority over the cultivated prod
uct in the end will enable Para rubber
to regain its supremacy. In the mean
ime both the federal and the state
governments are taking systematic
measures for conserving the rubber re-
sources and for gathering and market
ing the product economic sys-
tenn, instead of the loose way which
has heretofore prevailed.
Cacao or chocolate beans, which are
among the chief resources of northern
Brazil. maintain steadier prices than
:. rubber. and the Brazi ian cacao is not
apt to be seriously affected by conf
petition from other parts Of the world.
: Coffee has brought a good deal OF
but not as much as in some previous
years. and that is another reason why
the purchasing power of the country
, has diminished and why the total ex-
ports Of Brazilian products fail to show
such favorable balance Of trade as
, formerly. The possibilities of coffee
production in the state of San Paulo
are rather startling when IL is known
that it was just easy to grow and
export through the port of Santos l6.-
: 100000 bags one year as 100000 in
another year This is what actually
happened. But the 100000 bags
brought substantially as much to the
producer as the 100000 bags, which.
it Is claimed. We're produced at a loss.
Overproduction of coffee in San Paulo is
something like the production of corn in
. Kansas years ago when the farmers
found it cheaper to burn corn than to
market it. At least that is the way the
San Paulo people put the subject in de-
Tending the valoriZation plan of main
: tanning coffee prices in the worlds mar
kets.
There is some anxiety as to the main
tenance of coffee prices in the tniteI
States since the Department of Justice
under President Wilson appears to bc
following the action of Attorney General
Wickersham under President Taft In the
effort to prevent the valorZation plan
raising the price to American consumers.
The United States is Brazil's best market
for coffee and there is earnest desire ou
the part of the Brazilian coffee producers
that this market shall not be intcrfered
with or denied them
+
II is not likely that the coffee question
will disturb the very friendly political i,-
lations that now prevail between Br;lz
and the United States or viii affect t'-
trade relations. Because of the lowered
price of rubber and coffee. the dlsparit
between Brazil's imports from the United
States and her exports to the tnilr1
States last year was somewhat lcssencu.
although the United States continues
very much larger buyer of Brazilian prod
ucts than seller of her own products to
Brazil. There has been. however. sono
United States.
Before the tariff law was passed about
99.6 per cent of Brazilian produ0fs wefo
imported into the United Statea.jkree OF
duty. The new tariff will run itsup 70 ~
per cent. Brazil gives the United States
preference of 80 per cent on -four. which
enables the American milers To just
about hold their market in northern
Brazil, and 20 per cent on cement. reiriz-
orators. typewrters and few other art
cles The brazilian tariff is the highc-t
and most complicated of that OF civilized
countries.
AT intervals commission is designated
by the congress, which undertakes 10 re-
cast and modify II. Though this Is 4
congressional commission. in the past rs
Ia bav m fl,.t tt.tl.