Evening star., 1938-11-13

successfully to a Latin American peo-
pie. Puerto Rico is making contribution
which is certain to become increasingly
significant as time passes.
It is only natural that the good neigh
bors will judge the United States to a
considerable extent by its relationships
with its Latin American island, and un-
doubtedly the smoothness Of those rela-
tions will be observed carefully.
There are other ways, in addition, by
! which Puerto Rico, with the aid of the
! Federal Government is contributing to
the good neighbor policy. For one
thing, the various public institutions on
the island are attracting wide attention
| from Central and South American coun-
tries. Hardly week passes that there
is not a delegation or representative
from one of the neighboring republics in
Puerto Rico, sent there to study the
islands school system, its public health
| activities, or some other example of
| Puerto Rican progressiveness.
| Having advanced beyond most of its
neighbors in these fields, and offering q
striking example of the way modern,
progressive, educational and sanitary
programs can be put into effect in the
tropics 1t is only natural that other coun-
tries welcome the opportunity to study
these developments at first hand, operat-
ing under conditic Is almost identical
with those existing within their own
borders and to considerable extent ad-
ministered by people who speak their
own language.
The University of Puerto Rico, jointly
supported by the insular government
and by Federal funds, enrolls many stu
dents from the South. They can study
a wide range of subjects there under
almost ideal conditions, so far as climate
language and local customs are con-
cerned, receiving their instruction to q
considerable extent under Spanish
speaking professors holding degrees from
mainland universities. These students
not only have an opportunity to study in
a combined Spanish and American at
mosphere. but they also gain a first
hand knowledge and appreciation of the
great economic and social development
which has taken place there. On the
other hand. the university also furnishes
an almost ideal opportunity for students
from the States to study Spanish culture
and Latin American customs.
Contributes to Research.
Puerto Rico is also making highly i'm
r;L l.. EolJ -
medical research, through Its School Of
Tropical Medicine and in other ways.
With the aid of Columbia University,
the school is attacking problems of tropi-
cal health and diseases, nutrition and
other research projects. The results of
this work, conducted in one of the
largest and best equipped tropical re-
search institutions anywhere in the
world, are made available to all coun-
tries having similar problems. And of
| equal Importance, so far as tropical dis
eases are concerned, the findings are
available to the medical profession in
the States, where the danger of tropical
diseases gaining foothold is becoming
more likely as result of greatly
increased travel between the North and
South
American scientists working on the
island, together with Puerto Rican scien-
lists who for the most part have re-
ceived their scientific and medical train
ing in the States, have made commend
able strides in learning how to cope with
the various tropical diseases and are
adding each year to the valuable store
of knowledge in that field.
The island also is contributing gen.
erously in the field of agricultural re-
search and hopes before long to expand
its activities through the establishment
there of a school of tropical agriculture
and forestry. At the present time, how
ever, even with limited funds, Puerto
Rico's insular and Federal experiment.
stations are making excellent headway
in the development of ideas applicable
to neighboring countries as we'll as to
the island itself.
Here again the United States stands
to profit, through the potential growing
in Puerto Rico of various agricultural
products, such as quinine, vanilla and
sea island cotton, which this country now
must import from foreign sources. These
products, especially quinine, might be-
come unavailable in time of war, under
present conditions, but the States would
be assured of a supply when the island
goes into large-scale production.
Meeting Point of Trade.
Puerto Rico also plans a large, per-
manent exhibition of merchandise, in
Guiding goods manufactured in the
States for sale to Central and South
American merchants, as we'll as Latin
American merchandise designed for sale
to the States, where buyers and sellers
from North and South may meet con-
veniently and fill their requirements.
Located as it is, between the two huge
markets, the island seems ideally fitted
for such an enterprise, and the project
should aid greatly in expanding COM
merce between the two regions, devel-
opment which is so greatly desired by
President Roosevelt.
Aside from its tremendous annual pur-
chases of American-made goods, total
ing around $90,000,0O0 year, Puerto
Rico also offers another important ad-
vantage to businessmen on the mainland
who wish to develop Central and South
American outlets. Being typically of
Latin America in every way and yet
having adopted the English language on