El Imparcial. (San Juan, P.R.) 1918-197?, 1919-01-21
EDITORIAL VIEWS
OVER-POPULATION
OR CNDER-EDUCATION?


.2sH OVER-POPULATION has heard many times
d III a----------- Rico with hun
as dred and twenty five
inhabitants the square kilometer, is populated
AS rule, hear say many things, accept them as
representing actually the facts, and the facts are some
thing different That statement about Porto RlcOs pO
pulation which hear often should be investigated
TO see ifit is true not.
f 1t is fact for instance that living in San Juan is
expensive that the outsider who looks at things superb
ciay is prone believe in that imaginary congestion.
Very poor living quarters and still poorer foodsufs
sold at tremendous prices will readily convince any one
that have reached in social development that
healthy stage where either shall have to emgrate or
degenerate.
# Milk real milk what they call Certified "A' Grade'
of milk, is sold i'm New York City by any OF the standard
daries like Bordens Sheffield at twelve cents per
quart; in San Juan, something that is called milk, but
Whchis nothing else than milk with perhaps twenty-five
per of added to it, is not all sold at the Of
fetal figure which pure milk should be sod fourteen
cents but at from sixteen to twenty cents per liter We
won't kick if the liquid real milk but we have said
already that it is only seveny-fve per cent such.
Nh Meat, also according to the authorities regulations
should be sold the following prices for San Juan City
itself Soup meat IA part bones) 13 cents pound; with
out bones, 1912 cents; BEST 22:M cents In Santurce
the prices should be cent less and in Puerta de Tie
cents less But thing is what the regulations
say and another thing is what the facts The real
thing is that you actually not less than five cents
per pound when you go for the article and in
ference to the graduation into three qualities nonsense
you can't get meat you want, matter what you of
Il
you, at theprice he says or else don't eat meat.
But what about the police? Can't we compel milk
and butchers to comply with the Law?' We humbly
declare that do not know; simply state the facts
and let anybody find by himself herself if they
y not as we state them.
What happens with the milk and the meat happens
with every article of consumption in Porto Rico. We
having for everything from house rent to lettuce and
tomatoes the highest prices paid anywhere in the world
and getting in exchange the poorest quality that can be
imagined If at least you got real wheat bread perfect
w hakpd yyhp nav twelve
SO bad but is about the quality that complain
Things done in crude and sold at soaring prices
All that however does not mean at all that the country
is oyerpopuated In fact believe that this tropical
land where the ground be made to yield it's products
all the year Found could easily support twice the popul
ton has at present two hundred and fifty inhab
ants the square kilometer; Saxony Belgium and other
countries having winters support much greater
relative population than Porto Rico, and civilized
population, mind you.
In San Juan to go no further, although fight for
the little and poor milk get could easily have milk
for every man, and child and besides ship some
away. When you take the trolley going out, notice
after you pass Puera de TERRA those meaows, which
properly cultivated could hold thousands of cattle The
best cattle countries in Prussia Holland and Denmark
where the Hostein type of originally FROM
better than those fields that going to waste within
the city limits of San Juan; and you should in the
ferry-boat to Cata1o and take the train to Baya
mon YOU would see on both sides thousands and thous
ands of acres of land which properly drained rich
they in all elements constituting plantfood, could
be made to produce many times what is needed to feed
hungry San Juan and export considerably besides.
Those things can be observed by any but it won't
sdo us any good to them do not know to make
nse of the opportunity No business should be pro-
table than modern dairy big vegetable garden, in
San Juan The market is right at hand and the prices
obained for milk and trucking products simply fabu
us; but simply can't go into these kinds of business
because don't know them were not brought up to
nbg real useful workers. Remembering the song of the
negro poet e the aohite rule the land could sing Let
the foreigner rule the land, and He rs RULING IT.