El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-01-24

other vegetables and fruits Of the tenn
pe ATE zone are brought to Panama
from the states. President POrras tells
me that the highlands of ChiriQu Will
raise the finest of tomatoes and pota-
toes, and that a great trucking bust
ness might be developed which would
supply the canal traffic as well as have
lands.
The San Bias indians are semi saw
age and until now they would have
nothing to do with the whites. Presi-
dent Porras has in some way acquired
tnelr friendship, and they are con-
1erring with the Panama government
as TO its plans for the development Of
Ihelr country. These plans include
town to be built on a beautiful bay
near the mouth of the Aguada creek
on the Gulf of San Bias
Best COeOanuts on the Merket.
As to the Panama cocosnuts, it is
claimed that they are the best on the
market having more oil than the nuts
Of other parts of the world. The 18th
mus of Panama is outside the hurri-
cane belt and the trees are not in
danger of being blown down, as in
some of the West India Islands,
A cocoanut grove will fruit about
i've years after the sprouts are planted.
and 1t is estimated that a grove Of
10000 trees can be brought into bear
ing for about So per tree. When ma
ture the trees should each net the
owner something like a dollar per
year.
During my chat with president Por-
ras 1 asked him to tell me about the
new land laws which his government
has Instituted since he took hold of
the administration. He thereupon
called in the secretary of public works,
or fOmento, senior Ramon F. >Acevedo
and we chatted together as to the rad
1C1l nnqnp which
They affect the whole land situation
and promise to rapidly develop the
Panama republic.
In order to understand them one
must realize that Panama is different
from any of the other South American
countries. It belonged to Colombia,
and all the lands Of the isthmus were
once the property of the Spanish king,
the people holding them from him by
lease, as it were.
Government Owns Most OF Land.
The titles to most of the lands have
remained in the hands of the govern
ment, and so at present tho republic
country, with the government having
the right to allOt the lands as congress 4
DEGREES President ParrOs and his Of
ficlals have given great deal of study
to this question and it is from that
the present scheme which is now just
to be put into operation has come.
These new land laws provide that
instead of selling the land as in the
past, with the provision that the pur-
chaser shall cultivate the lands for
five years before he be given a title
thereto, the lands shall be sold out
hight in tracts not to exceed 5000
hectares, or 1880 acres, and that the
title shall go upon the payment there |
for.
In the past the land has been sold
IN 7orrra 4-no or nd
possible for the small landowner to
buy, for the reason that he could not
afford to cultivate for five years before
getting the title. BY the new laws he
cannot buy more than 5000 hectares
Of land until he has all of his first
tract under cultivation or in use
Land Is Sold CheapIy.
The prices at which this government !
land is to be sold are from $3.50 to $3.50 I
per hectare, of two and One-half acres, /
or at from so cents to $3.50 per acre, /
according to the character and locality |
Of the land. Think OF getting 1880 |