El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-05-08

, the area Of Its plazas and parks The
/ old city was crowded together without
breathing spaces The new has as
large lungs as any municipality in
Europe and everything has been done to
add 10 the health Of the people As
result the death rate has decreased At
the time Of my last visit il was SO TO
the thousand. It is now only -, being
lower than the death rate Of New York
and among the lowest OF the great
cities Of the world
The city has already about one hun
dred parks, prOmenades and plaZas, and
it is making arrangements for more
Some Of the finest Of the new parks
have been made by cutting out build
ings, and there is one in front Of the
houses Of congress that was formerly
devoted to vineyards Palermo park
is one Of the fine parks Of the world,
and the automobile throng which goes
through its principal roads upon sun
days compares with that Of the Prater
on the edge OF Vienna
Is n Great world Port.
Buenos Aires does more shipping
business than any town on our hemi-
sphere outside Of New York, and IL now
ranks eighth among the great ports
OF the world. Its foreign trade is
rapidly climbing to a thousand million
dollars a year, and It is already ahead
Of Bremen, Calcutta. Singapore, Genoa
and Sydney, and is surpassed only by
New OLks LOlQOls IlaulUA AaAHEA-
pool, Antwerp. Marseille and Havre-
Between $4,000 and 10000 vessels an
nually call at or depart from Buenos
Aires, and thousands Of these are from
over the oceans. coming from every
port Of the world There are alto
gether something like 10000 cOasting
boats.
Millions Spent on Docks.
The city lies on the right bank OF the Rio
de Ia Plata river about 200 miles from the
over 30 miles wide and the great mass OF
silt which It carries down 10 the ocean has
necessitated the building Of docks and the
deepening Of the channel at a cost OF many
millions OF dollars
The port has the finest OF loading and
landing facilities It has single grain elera-
tors with capacity Of million bushels Of
grain in the bulk, and granaries which viii
hold twice that much in sacks II has
eco, and along the Riachuelo river are mann
moth meal factories. where thousands o.
cattle and sheep are frozen each day and
shipped to the markets Of the United states
and Europe
The harbOr machinery IS moved by cleo
tricity and its electric lights enable the work
10 go on all night The lighting OF the
city is excellent For years It relied upon
lamps Of mares grease set upon posts in
the streets. Today there are more than
5000 electric globes and about $1,000 whose
fuel Is gas. The chief avenues have great
Brush lights. artistically hung. and in places
the posts run through the center OF the
fast-fIying automobiles understand that
most Of the electricity IS furnished by a
German company that pays dividends OF .
percent It has more than 100, 600 horse
power, generated by turbines
Has Mayor and Council.
The city is governed by council and
mayor It has a city hall. facing the Plaza
de Mayo. where the surroundings are just
about the same as those Of the city halls OF
New York and Chicago. During a visit TO
the municipal buildings I found people OF
every class hanging around, and saw no end
Of contractors and iobbe-s and men with all
sorts OF axes 10 grind
The mayor Of Buenos Aires IS appointed
by the president Of the Argentine Republic.
and his term OF office Is three years. The
council IS elected by such taxpayers as pay
500 OF more per annum. and the only quail
ncation for councilman is the payment OF
city taxes to the amount OF $500 per year.
There are p councilmen. each elected for a
term Of four years. They receive no nav
and the position Is one Of honor alone. The
council makes all the tax laws and il
passes upon all appropriations for city ex-
penses-
The Cfty's Revenues.
The chief revenue Of Buenos Aires comes
from taxes and licenses. These are more
INJURIOUS and more heavy than those OF the
United States even now at the time OF our
war tax. Everything has TO be stamped. and
business documents must be written upon
stamped paper.
Every business pays a license. that OF the
banks running all the way Up TO $50. 600 a
year Each profession pays a tax Archi-
tects ana surveyors have licenses which cost
$50 each. dentists pay $50 per anuum and
photographers SIS and upward. Pawubrok-
ers pay $500 and upward. and an wholesale 3
and retail business houses are assessed from
S15 TO $500. There are also internal rev
euue taxes, import and export taxes. and in
TACT. taxes upon everything and for everv-
thing under the sun.