The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1914-07-27
Beneficent Effect
of Panama Canal


Tito probable benehciens effect Of
the Panama canal on the countries oi
the Caribbean is told by VIM. J.
Showalter In a communication to the
National Geographic society. at Wash.
ington, d. c. lie describes the Won
derfui changes thai have heen
wrought In Porto Rico and Cuba since
the advent OF the United states gov
eminent IN those islands.
1T would require six S%alvadors to
make one Honduras. and yet saliva
dor has three times az much popuia-
tion and three times as much foreigH
commerce as Honduras he says.
Costa Rica Is less than half as big az
Nicaragua. and yet Il has three times
az much foreign m as Me
aragua Aud yet. when salvador and
Costa Rlca are compared with Porte
Rico. they In turn seem 20 be slow In
their development. Porto Rico Is So
small that seven islands like Il would
he Required to cover an area equal
10 that 81 Costa Rica. get u has a for
eien trade Eve times az great as that
OF the Banana empire. Porto RICO
II less than hall ~ large as Salvador.
yet It has a foreign trade seven times
as great.
Little Porto Rico II 80 small that
Il could be buried in a single Central
American lake: Il would take 81 is
lands of It's size TO equal Ceatral
America In area. yet Porto Rico pro-
duces moro foreign rad than all
Central America together. The rea-
SOM Recause Porto Rico has an
iSeal government. The trade OF the
island has nearly quintupled since
Uncle sam took possession there. The
number 81 children enrolled In the
school has increased skiold. The
wages of the laboring class has null
tipiied threefOld. Porto Rico's pros
peflty ls scen In the SUGAR iields.
where four tons of sugar are pro-
duced where one was a dozen years
$50, ANA Where the Porto Riean peo-
pie receive So for exported sugar
where hey received 81 only a dozen
years before. Coffee production has
ouadrupled Bince the beginning OF The
century The production OF oranges
has increased %sevenfoid In ten yesrs'
~plneapples tWenty-fold In four years
and grape fruit twenty-hve-fold In
three years"
Similar comparisons are made be-
tween Cuba and the six republics
with an area one-nfth as great, ito
furelan is three times that
cf the six. one might go on with
! these Comparisons indefinitely, the
lesson OF them all beng that PROSPER
lily cannot exist where good govern
ment does a0t." continues the writer
with vast deposits Of minerals
untold thousands OF acres OF the nm
est tropical fruit and vegetable lands
An the world. and a areas OF mag
nincent grading and coffee lands
Hondnras 4 At our very doors. II Il
700 miles nearer 90 chicago nan th"s
city Is from san Francisco; u Is closer
"a washington than Denver u; u u
farther froaa New Orleans 20 chi
cage thar Il Is from Puerto bsrfios
10 New York. A stable government
for Honduras. and Il must become a
kingdom OF plenty Instead Of a pfin-
clpality Of pogertyi Nicaragua II IN
ahe same condition ~ Honduras.
III il not Unreasonable 10 assume
that n the people ~ Middle Amefi'"
can secure fair and roper Severn
ment condiu0na after the completion
of the Panama canal. they can %
n hat Cuba has done IN the 10 years
! since the nret American intervention
since that time the number Of peo'
Pie able 10 read and write has In