Evening star., 1916-12-23
South and Central American Affairs
NOTES OF PROGRESS
IN LATIN AMERICA

Fne customs revenues at the eight
maritime custonhouses of Peru-fai-
ia. f ~ Paca srnayo. Salaverty. Callao,
Pisco. a. ndo and lo--during sep
tember. ln.G. amounted to S5no.oa7. in
comparison NTH s:76.o62 during the
same period in 1919. increase OF
S223 o.. These figures do not take into
account the export tax on minerals ana
agricultural products collected at these
ports
The Mercantile oversee Corporation.
which is a subsidiary of the Mercan-
tile Eank of the Americas of New YORK
cl'N Y. has recently oIeEed a branch IN
Guayaquil. Ecuador. for the purpose OF
doing a general trading business. The
new brancd will he glad 10 keep on hie
the ca alogues and price lists of Amefi-
can II anufactu g s desiring TO enter
that market. and will Furnish them
with commercial informant relating
to the country.
| Col. Sampaio Ferraz. Commissioned by
the directorate of the Lloyd Brazileiro
steamship Company. is visiting the
principal ports of northern i'raZli 10
! determine which are the most appro-
J. pirate for thc Installation OF presses
and machines for treating cotton. he
! is accomuauied by engineers. who VIII
work out ne compete DIh.'S .of W.
i instalia ton. After d Col. F-rraZ VA
| proceed TO the United Stntes To acquire
the proper machinery. thu surc'ist OF
which has been authorized by the Lloyd
/ Braz leiro.
! The Northern Railway Company. COS
! ta kica. in the near future \ i'll So OF
fuel all its locomotives 1T Nii
! be brought to For; Ii on IN tdh 8
! steamers from the oil fields OF MeElco'
! ND fin Isl. ri .,N "A
! corporation.
| Two :,5-ooo-Larrel tanks have bee 2,
constructed at Fort l.iinon TO be use"
for storage of the fuel. Tie oil is 10 e
| pumped from the steamers 70 eSs
| tanks through a fEe'vs-inch pipe me.
! Other tanks ranei ing in size from l,o''
/ to 5000 barrels. are III 'rocess oi go i
! struction at Zert. Siauirrcs, Gu"cimo.
| Pera'ta. Juan Ninas, CartaSo an" 9ah
| Jose.
A sample of the iibey of plan known
/ as 'sa udade" has been 10 varied l
! the United states from Rio de .lanelro.
| Brazil. b. Consul General Gottschaik'
! with the statement that It i = ! 10
! grow in abundance in the Vici 7ltv o.
Maranhao, and that it is probab IN l
! il cou'd be furn! hel in export u
quantities.
! At the United States bureau of p'F n
| indust:y v. in the Depart nent OF AZ u
! ture. il is stated that this fiber * eNl :
/ IDENTIFY from Il f'ldnL VI tHe III ~ w
| family and is very similar to akund.
which is produced in India f1onl { To-
! trottis procera. known there by the
| name 'madar. This fber is not quote.
in the fber market Of n" u I'd
| states but it is quoted in the LoHdo >
! iiber markets in the same 60 u WI
| kapok recent quotation gives the
! price of akund IT %'2d to 4d q &c
! TO cents). with kapok at lod to I'D
/ per pound.
] The bureau states that mrrk,t 70"
I this fiber could be o'.taine ! witt up
holsterers and mattress makers.
| The fiber mentioned may be. in"pect "a
| at the bureau OF foreign ard domestic
| commerce or it's district otfjtiir'S.
| The 1917 Porto Rican su-ar seaso1
I ha sta~-ed. with every indie tlon tn I
| this will he the ggeSt sugar Sc SO
| the island has eve" had. The onHy Of
| ficia. estimate Of t'e proba bic pro
| duction Of sugar for the sefson is tna'
of J. Ruiz Soler. secretary OF fha sugar
! Growers Association. who has tate7
, that the crop will make SO 500 hort
tons of sugar This is considerable
| increase over the 1915 e.; mnais I. com
pleted several months ago. for which
| he insuiar government figured pro-
| duction of 4S3 $50 short tons. Individ
| ual estimates of suga" g"owers in co e
| touch with crop conditions p'a"'. the
t proba BILE production fo- 1917 a hi%h as
| $50 900, or even 500 900 tens. depeu III 3
| largely on weather condit ons.
4
| Generally speaking. III" ssason :
| been one of unprecedented 'ainr. win
"A CONSEQUENT lack of sunshine aud hot
! days This has reta d"a the d"veloo
| meet cf the sue"r ire. but to iu (
; what extent it will fleet sug pr Il c.
| tiou is net known.
| During the year 1915. Guatemala inn
/ ported boots shoes and leather TO the
value of S94 GO of which sS1,lS9 worth
We're brought from the United States.
| $2,lta worth rom Germany, s..041
worth from England, and the rest from
Spain. France. Netherlands. thiaa and
/ Japan.
| /; costs from 81 10 sS to purchase a
good pair OF American made shoes in
! Qua tefnaa. The lfcieut cnal-e lrcul SEA.
York or New Orleans TO Puerto Barrios
! is So United States gold per 100 POUNDS.
: The customs duty on leatheF. not sneci-
! fed is Il y cents United States gold and
/ I !. cents Guatenaian crrrencE ner kilo
of % pounds. An import tax of sl.5o
I United States gold and $50 Guatemalan
! currency, per liilo is assessed an shoes.
The high price OF imported shoes has
stimulated native industry, and. a re-
suit there is a modern factory now
operating in Qua tenlala City. The plant
has capacity of 800 pairs of shoes per
per day Another shoe manufacturing g
plant i'll Guatemala City is partly
! equipped with machinery, but cannot be
. described as modern. There are forty
other establishments for maxim. shoes
, in Guatemala City, and the total OUTPUT
: for the city is about 500 pairs Per day.