Evening star., 1916-10-30

Friends both in the diplomatic corps
and in residential circles are today well
coming back to Washington DR.. Belisario
Porras, until October 1 president of the
republic of Panama, and now minister
of that country to the United States. Be
fore his presidential term DIR. Porras. who
landed in New York Friday last and who
has been spending a few days in that
city, served his country in the same ca
pacity here. He succeeds Eusebio
Morales, who will return to Panama as
member Of the cabinet in the present ad-
ministration.
DR.. Porras is enthusiastic over the
improvements in Panama, noted on his
return there. as well as those which he,
as president, took prominent part In
perfecting, although he refers to the
latter very modestly: and is confident
that these improvements will both con-
tinue and increase, to the consequent
betterment of his republic in almost
every way. He also says that he no.
tfces improvements in Washington
since his former residence here, and
thinks that in beauty it is pre-eminent
among capitals and in cleanliness is
comparable only to the Canal Zone.
Gives Credit to United States.
q
minister discussed the improvement as
to sanitary and economic conditions
not only in the Canal Zone itself. which
is the only part of the country that
the average American tourist sees. but
in the provinces as we'll, and gives
the greatest of credit to the United
States.
at is cleaner and more healthy than
New York" he declared. You solved
the sanitation problem and blazed the
way for us. During my term the re-
public equipped Aquadulce, Lastablas
and Guarare with modern water sys-
tens and sanitation.
we have much to do yet to modernize
the country, but, now that we know how,
we can and will do it."
The great problem in Panama, accord
ing to Dr. Porras, Is to provide facilities
to reach the high. cool and fertile table
lands of the interior from the seashore.
Eternal spring. he says. accurately de-
scribes their climate. and the develop
portation OF their products with fast
steamers will be of the greatest pos
sible benefit to the country.
Railroad Reaches Fertile Lands.
1.-The district that is now receiving
special attention is the province Of
Chiriqui, which means in the Indian
tongue valley Of the moon,'" said DR..
Porras today. THE government has
built from the port of Pedregal on the
Pacific a railroad which forks into
three branches and penetrates into its
the terminal of one branch, with an
altitude of some 5000 feet Is in the
midst of one of the most fruitful locali-
ties in the world. The black soil there
Il
it can produce all the temperate zone
and emi-tropical plants. including al
falfa. peaches, strawberries, etc. 1t is
but a village, but is growing and i'm
proving extraordinarily.
"Potrerillos, terminus of the second
branch, with an altitude of nearly
5000 feet, is in the midst of meadow
land like that of England. Already sew
eral Americans and Englishmen have
coffee plantations nearby. Father Col
Inns, the priest Of Dollega, a town six
or seven milas from Potrerillos, enlist
ed my cooperation when president in
the plan of making it into a city, and
already plans to that end have been
prepared.
Conception Most Fertile.
Conception. the end of the third
all 1t is l.sOO feet high and is in the
midst OF ldIu lIldl eltHeT SlOpcS gently
or runs at different easy levels, like
terraces.
1.-The few cars that first ran to this
point have already had to be augment
ed both for passengers and for freight
Tobacco, corn, beans, all sorts of fruits,
rice and sugar cane are available crops
for this portion of the province. AL
ready a group cf Americans from Idaho
Rave a tract there of some 10000 acres
In addition to these possible crops, the
land is already rich in cedar and ma
horany timber, of which there is GER
tainly 100000 feet. In clearing the
land for crops this timber must be-
saved and exported
There has recently been completed a
rnacadamized wagon road from Boquete
across the mountains to Almirante, a new
town on the Gulf of Mexico side of the
country. which has beautiful bay. SO
that through traffic is now possible, ex-
nlained Dr. Porras as it connects with
10b miles of new railroad which, with all
accessories, including necessary machine
shors. was built by his administration in
the space T two years During his term
of office DIR. Porras, who is a distine-
uished legal authorit, and former mo-
fessor of law, further Accomplished the
complete codification of the civil. penal
commercial admiralty, mining, judicial
and fiscal laws Of Panama