El Imparcial. (San Juan, P.R.) 1918-197?, 1919-01-27
THE HIGH COST
OF LIVING

31as#8 that to regard eXag
gerated our statement that right the city Of San
Juan there plenty of idle land which thousands
of cattle could be raised vegetable food could be pro-
duced not only enough to supply the population OF San
Juan with good many of the articles have to import
at present but to ship away to other markets. either
the natural condition. fresh, prepared in cans or in
some other way.
The fact that due to our social baclwarness to
utter ignorance although living comparatively crowded,
hundred and twenty five inhabitants so to
the square kilometer haven't the slightest idea
of what intensire culture means. 1t some one would
tell about it, it is understood and practced IN some
countries of Europe, simply won't believe it. People
who have Travelled in France, Belgium, Holand Ger
many, etc., and have how crops raised there,
under glass roofs during the onte te those who have
seen how the little Channel Islands Of Jersey Guernes
say etc. send out to England every day ships loaded with
produce those people who have idea of what scie
tic agriculture is and how it should be carried in
Porto Rco they certainly will not find preposterous what
have said when they know that within radius OF ten
miles from the City Hall of San Juan there be found
mile after mile of land of empty space, waiting for cul
tivation.
If the reader takes trip to Bavamon (and this won't
cost him but thirty cents both ways from San Juan City,
he will either side of the hglroad large expanse
of empty land not exactly dry land but something which
can be easily turned into the richest soil All you have
to do is to build earth bank rampant across the
mouth of those marshes, at the point where they COM
mncate with the sea- and then pump the The
building of that dirt wall will cost little money, yes;
but the value of the land produced would certainly repay
many times the individual company undertaking the
WORK just now Cnefe is PROJECT uaQef SIuay by the
Dutch government to build wall like that the
mouth of the Zuider Zee, and reclaim very large
of land in fact you know considerable part of the
territory of Holland has been mate that way Our propo
stion, however is much simpler and hope that it will
be put into practice by enterprsng citizens
inasmuch government has not given it the consider
alton it should.
The land obtained after draining the Cataio marshes
should be rich in nitrogen the best land for raising
almost any kind of tropical products, and many of the
temperate But forget about the natural richness
of the so if is poor human industry, brought about
by sheer necessity make any land rich In the city
Of Paris and it's neghborhood in nearly all the land
tracts there is clause stipuatng that when the lessee
out he will have the right to take away the veget
able SOIL to meter in depth; that land, manure, fer
tilted sol belongs to the lessee and be always takes it
along when he moves out.
No, don't tell us that don't know what talk
ing about when assert that the high cost of living in
Porto Rico, the scarcity of all kinds of foodsuffs from
milk and meat down to lettuce and tomatoes is entirely
due to Indifference; and Indifferent simply
hncaI1