GUATEMALA. 



38? 



. bat tended to develop the general 



.'!' i In- republic. Among 



plans which In- had formed, after u 



>\ tho topography of the region to 



I. was liiii oi deepening the en- 



. to tin- i;i hulce, without which tlu- 



must always remain 



shut out from communication with the intcri- 



. hilc tin- removal of the obstruction would 

 :illo\v !.-i!-_'o vessels to pass in, and make the 



'i of l/!i!ial n hotter port thun any now 



'iig in Central America. It would like- 

 ivmler the largo river Polochique ser- 



ible as a way of communication as far as 



ian; agriculture in Vera Paz would be- 

 come an important industry ; land would in- 

 crease in value; Livingstone would bo con- 

 I into an excellent seaport; and new at- 



ions would be offered for a numerous im- 

 mUrration. 



lint why the introduction of foreigners 

 should be indispensable to the material de- 

 velopment of a country with an average of 

 thirty individuals to the square mile, may 

 justly be regarded with wonder, while Chili, 

 the most flourishing agricultural state in 

 America, after the United States, has not 

 quite nine inhabitants per square mile, and 

 fewer natural advantages than Guatemala. 

 The evil in the latter republic is ilot owing to 

 a lack of hands, but to the improper direction 

 of those which exist. The Indians, who con- 

 stitute rather more than one-half of the popu- 

 lation, there take the place of beasts of burden ; 

 and the only instruments they are accustomed 

 to handle, or of which they are even aware, are 

 the knife, the pick, the machete, and the axe ; 

 whereas, with suitable implements and ma- 

 chines, they would be enabled to till the 

 ground at once more thoroughly and to greater 

 extent ; the yield of the varied products which 

 find a genial soil in Guatemala would be in- 

 creased one hundred-fold ; and with adequate 

 roads and other facilities for transporting those 

 products to the coasts, the republic would soon 

 have little to envy the most prosperous of the 

 Spanish-American republics in the matter of 

 exports. 



It has been suggested that, even after the 

 adoption of the modern labor-saving appli- 

 ances for husbandry, the apportionment by fam- 

 ilies of the land allotted to the Indians would 

 stimulate the latter to still greater activity ; but 

 if such a system were inaugurated, it would bo 

 easy to furnish each family with the necessary 

 seeds, and render cultivation compulsory. 



The President of the Republic is General 

 Rufino Barrios ; the president of the cabinet 

 is J. M. Samayoa, Minister of War and of 

 Public Works ; the Minister of Finance is F. 

 Alburez; of Foreign Affairs, Ramon Rosa; 

 and of the Interior, Justice, Public Instruction, 

 and Public Worship, M. A. Soto. 



The army has been reduced to the number 

 of men sufficient for the garrisons of the prin- 

 cipal towns; and the militia force organized 



in such a manner that, at abort notice, General 

 HarrioB can have under arms a force of 10,000 

 men. 



Thanks to several new sources of income 

 called into existence by the Government, tho 

 public treasury has improved in a remarkable 

 manner, as may be seen from tho following 

 statement of the finances for tho year 1878: 



REVENUE. 



On hand from 1872 $13.000 



Import duties 969.578 



Smrir-tax 611,8011 



City contribution*! 29.7K* 



Stiipir-plan ration tnx 48,414 



Other receipts ordinary 600,609 



Receipts extraordinary 464,096 



Total $2,615,677 



EXPENDITURES. 



Armv $1,857,843 



Civil administration 244,214 



Pensions 800,270 



Public instruction 95,663 



Public works 96,812 



Public worship 4,291 



Foreign affairs 6,488 



Subsidies 16,688 



Expenditures extraordinary 80,608 



Premium on exports 1,517 



Municipal subsidies 85,841 



Hospitals 18,715 



Sociedad Econ6nUca 8,207 



Mint 297,158 



Post-Office 1,887 



Stamp-dnty 864 



Gunpowder, saltpetre, etc 1,429 



Disbursements 7,818 



Public debt 858,478 



Reimbursements In advance 101,585 



" of deposits 41,868 



Sundries 88,910 



Total $2,603,538 



Here, then, is t a surplus of $12,139, against 

 $13,000 in 1872, with an increased expenditure 

 in the branch of public instruction, and an 

 unusually large payment on account of the 

 public debt. 



According to published statistics, the Gov- 

 ernment revenue for the month of December, 

 1873, was $329,374.78, and the expenditure 

 $317,215.93, leaving a surplus of $12,152.85. 

 The revenue for May, 1874, amounted to 

 $131,100. 



The public debt on July 81, 1874, was $4,119,784 92 

 On AugustSl 4,092,987 10 



Decrease of debt . . . .' $26,797 82 



The deuda contertida (home debt), which 

 was at 50 per cent, two years ago, had reached 

 85 per cent., and the capitalists of the country 

 were making it their principal object of in- 

 vestments. 



The sale of spirits, in the first three months 

 of 1874, produced the following amounts: In 

 January, $58,508.43; February, $54,001.56; 

 March, $60,252.68 making a total of $122,- 

 762.67. 



It was decided by the Government that, in- 

 stead of the Agricultural llypothecary Bank 

 to be created by decree of August 27, 1878, a 

 National Bank of emission and discount should 

 be established, with a capital of $2,000,000. 

 The board of directors of the new bank is com- 

 posed of the wealthiest and most distinguished 





