San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-04-20
/. j. s. SHIPPERS
SUFFER LOSSES
bYREV0LUT|0N
Honduran Merchants Un-
able to Pay for Goods
Bought.
FILE 100000 SUIT
Seek to Collect Damages
From Honduran Gov
eminent.
Ry j. c. R0YLE

Copyright by The San Antonio Light.
Washington, ID. C., April 19.-In-
surance companies who operate in
some Central and South American
countries are going to have to carry
riot and revolution clauses in their
policies in future if American mer-
chants and exporters have their way.
New Orleans shippers have filed claims
with the United States Department of
State aggregating 100000 against the
government of Honduras which grew
out of the recent revolutionary move
ment there.
TIE shippers claim these losses were
sustained on merchandise shipments
and uncollectable accounts against
Honduran merchants whose stocks
were destroyed during the recent in
surrection. Fire insurance companies
are reported to have refused to pay
damages on these stocks except where
policies contained riot clauses and the
American merchants are facing heavy
losses unless the Honduran govern
ment can be induced to make them
good. Honduran merchants now have
a large quantity of goods on order in
this country but shipments have been
held I'D owing TO unsettled conditions.
Acquire Guatemala Road.
The formal acquisition of the Guate-
mala railway recently by interests
allied with the United Fruit Company
was not unexpected and is taken in
business circles related TO Central
American trade merely to mark an
other step toward further control of
Central American lines By the huge
fruit concern. The interests headed
by Minor &. Keith practically have
controlled all the railroads in Guate-
mala and Salvador fo- ten years with
the exception of a small branch out of
Acajutla, which was built by the Sal
vadorean government, but on plans
outlined by the Keith engineers.
These roads reach the plantations
of the United Fruit Company and
constitute the distributing system for
their crops. Concessions 'of recent
years have given these interests the
right to extend the lines TO Nicaragua
and the latest step may be regarded
as :lerely a further progress toward
the time when the International Rail
ways of Central American will extend
up and down the Pacific coast to
Panama. This development is in line
with the recent move made by the
United Fruit Company in inaugural
ing a new steamer service from the
west coast of Central America to Cal
ifornia and North Pacific coast ports.
Blame Mexican Revolt.
The commercial possibilities OF the
Central American countries are better
understood than ever before and the
demand for their products has never
been so great since the first refrigera-
tor ship was put into commission. The
importance of this trade is such that
it affects nearly every American manu-
featured product and has its bearing in
communities throughout this country
where the very names Of the Central
American republics are almost I'M
known
Financiers and steamship men re-
Gently arrived from Cuba blame the
recent Mexican revolutionary activities
for unsettling labor conditions in the
Pearl of the Antilles. In speaking of
Cuban conditions, Frank G. Munson,
president of the Munson Steamship
line said:
1.-The only economic uncertainty is
in labor conditions. Cuba's great ad-
vantage Of abundant labor working
under stabilized conditions is some
what threatened by agitation. caused
to some extent by defeated Mexican
rebels who have found refuge in
Cuba"