Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1923-09-19

toric times and its fiber was used in
local plantation and village industries.
But there was no outside market of
considerable magnitude for the fiber
until the increasing use of harvesting
machinery in the United States created
demand for large quantities of bind
er Irvine.
Once Feudal STATE.
Before what may be called ''the
henequen era" in Yucatan a traveller
in the country might have imagined
with few concessions to race and
climate-that he was in the heart Of
Europe's ol3 feudalism. Some of the
principal land owners had truly baro-
NAL estates through which one could
travel for days. On the most extensive
estates were scattered half dozen or
more great stone castle-like haciendas
in the care of major domos. In these
sumptuous dwellings members Of the
owners family might not spend a
night year, for they lived for the
most part in state in the capital, Meri-
da, or spent their time travelling in Eu-
rope or the United States. In those
days cattle raising was the chief in
dustry in Yucatan and prosperity
never reached below the few members
Of the propertied class.
Climate and physical conditions gave
Yucatan it's feudalism. The surface of
the country consists of only the thin
nest of soil, and underneath is porous
limestone. The climate is dry and hot
half the year, but there is reasonable
amount of rainfall during the other six
months. Yucatan is one Of the few
areas in which there is an appreciate
rainfall. but no streams or even stream
beds. AS fast as the rain falls during
the rainy season it seeps through the
thin soil and soaks into the limestone.
The lack of surface water, and the
fact that hardly any food crops can be
grown on much of Yucatan's poor soil,
made 1t practically impossible for the
poems to exist except under the wings
Of the great landholders.
The latter constructed capacious
reservoirs at their haciendas, in which
enough water was stored during the
rainy season to supply all their retain
ers through the six months dry period.
The situation was helped out, too, by
the cenotes, the unique water holes of
Yucatan, apparently formed by fall
ing in of the roofs of subterranean
lakes. In most cases these queer
natural reservoirs were owned by the
landed proprietors.
Laborers Now in Control.
Toward the close of the Nineteenth
century henequen production shout
dered out cattle production from the
place of first Importance, and before
many years the fiber dominated the life
Of the country. The old feudal system
remained largely unchanged, however,
and the landowners became extremely
wealthy. But some Of the prosperity
inevitably filtered down to growing
middle class, and even to the planta-
ton laborers, and soon Yucatan gave
indications of a political turbulence
unknown In the older feudal days.
When the World war came prosper
ity reached its peak in Yucatan, with
henequen fiber selling for as much as
10 cents pound. The few landowners
were no longer able to dominate the
state government and the laborers and
their friends, who gained control, re-
shaped the entire scheme of things.
Wages of workers were fixed by legis-
lation at 1925 to $24 Tin United States
money! for each eight hours. After the
armistice the plice of henequen fell
sharply. and by 1921 1t had fallen to
cents, and in 1922 it reached its lowest
point, 31s cents. The wage laws re-
manned unchanged and many Of the
plantations, carefully tended for years,
were abandoned to wild growth. The
country then experienced what was
probably its greatest economic crisis.
Henequen production was greatly re-
duced and conditions have improved
somewhat with the fiber now at IA
cents a pound.
Yucatan is the thumb, which, with
the finger of Florida, almost encloses
the Gulf of Mexico. It is for the most
part fiat plain, its highest hills being
measured in only hundreds of feet. 1t
is one of the first lands TO which the
world-faring gulf stream gives its
warmth.