Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-01-31
| NTEXICANS HIT
BY SCARCITY IN
SMALL CHANGE
MINIS Unable to Meet Demands
for Silver Money Due
to Unrest.
CHANGERS MAKE PROFIT
By DIR. j. A. WATTS,
Newspaper Enterprise Association Cor
respondent.

|
respondent.
SAN ANTONIO, Jan. 31.-Money, taxi
cabs, flowers. fruits, dirt and trade en-
bargoes-tnese are certain to attract the
attention of travellers from the United
States in Mexico.
Mexico is now on wholly metallic
! basis, so far as money is concerned
This condition has been forced through
long series of worthless issues Of paper
money by various revolutionary factions
prior to the Inauguration of Carranza
I as president
There is an abundance of native gold
and silver out of which to coin money.
All coins above ten-centavo pieces are
Of silver or gold Inability of minis ia
meet the demand has created a shortage
Of change This shortage has been taken
advantage Of by money changers all over
the republic.
! 1t is almost impossible to buy mer-
chandise in large or small quantities
unless you are able to make your own
change. From to per cent is com
monty charged by money changers foI
converting 10 or 20 peso pieces into silver
of small denominations.
WITHDRAWAL OF PESO
LARGELY TO BLAME.
This shortage was made more acute
about two years ago through the with
drawal from circulation of the old Mex
lean silver peso. This was caused by the
advance in the price of silver which
made the peso worth approximately 81
! per cent more than it's face value as
billion. The new Mexican silver coins do
not contain as high a percentage OF
silver as these old peso pieces.
It is hard to conceive of a cigar store
refusing to sell one cigars because one
has not the exact change, but that ID
the case all over Mexico. One also en-
counters difficulty in buying food while
travelling, for the reason that food mer'
chants at the stations are unable tC
make change readily. Often a meal may
cost 50 because of this scarcity Of
| change.
We in the states might learn something
from the well regulated saxicab sys
TEN of Mexico City. l arrived in tht
capital at 3 a. m. Ny baggage was car
rled to a taxicab by licensed and mum
bered cargadore. These cargadores in
sist upon showing travellers their mum
bers, in compliance with the law, anC
1t is wise for any stranger travelling IL
Mexico to note the number carefully
Most Of the cargadores, however, can b.
relied upon TO handle your baggage with
care and perfect safety.
I POLICEMAN KEEPS
TAB on TAM TRIP.
Once your baggage is deposited in z
taxicab a policeman is on hand TO note
the cbaufeur's license, the number Of
passengers and destination. The police
man gives the passenger a slip with these
facts recorded, which should be retained
In ba loo fe ha ~
Taxicab rates are plainly posted in
the ears
Along the route to Mexico City
found the towns dirty, but the flower
and fruit stands sumptuously stocked
Prices for fruit and flowers are so ri.
diculously low In comparison with prices
/ in tho states that one Is tempted to lay
in a ridiculously oyersupply. One car
buy q bouquet Of roses as big around ai
bushel basket for 30 cents, American
money.
I found considerable dissatisfaction
throughout Mexico with the embargo
against Mexican citrous fruit. Large
quantities OF oranges, lines and lemons
are raised in Mexico The quality Of this
fruit is excellent. The excuse for the
embargo Is that the germ Of a blight that
Is fatal TO citrous fruits might be brought
into the United States II markets were
opened to the MeXicans. ] am teld, how
ever, on reliable authority, that this
danger is more imaginary than real
found strong sentiment everywhere for
the lifting OF the embargo and a similar
embargo against cotton.
MEXICANs DISLIKE
EXPORT TO EUROPE.
Mexicans do not relish exporting their
fruit and cotton to European markets
Their European trade, while lucrative
entails waiting on an average or eight
months for their money. II Mexican fruit
and cotton were exported to the United
States, most of the pay for them would
flow back to Mexico in the form of
American goods OF all descriptions, and
the whole transaction would only take
from thirty to ninety days, as against
the eight months period now consumed
for European exchange.
Given a chance for quick exchange OF
goods in United States markets, and an
adequate supply Of money that would
eliminate the exorbitant charges made
by money changers, business would I'M
Edoubtedly be on a tremendous boom in
Mexico in very short time. A further
stimulus to prosperity in Mexico may be
found in q Mexican embargo on the ex-
port of silver to the orient.
The demand Of the orient for silver
money is constant and the largest in the
world The temptation to ship Mexican
silver to China, for example, has been
so great that the government has found
difficulty at times in getting all the
silver bullion 1t needed for its minis.