MEXICO. 



569 



on the division of the road from the city of Mexico 

 north have been up to date $200,000, exclusive of 

 company material. The amount of subsidy due the 

 company on the line already constructed is about 

 $5,500,000, and certificates are now being delivered as 

 fast as they can be executed. The cash collected on sub- 

 sidy to date is 97,500. This collection was principally 

 made at Vera Cruz, no reports having been received 

 from more distant custom-houses. Basing our estimate 

 upon the amount of duties paid into the several cus- 

 tom-houses of the republic in the year 1881, the com- 

 pany expects to collect in cash the sum of $800,000 

 during the present vear. The board have resolved to 

 construct the main line as fast as possible, and hope 

 to complete the same during the year 1883; and, to 

 justify them in making contracts for materials in sea- 

 son, so that the work shall not be interrupted, they 

 have decided to raise the sum ot 0,032,500, and they 

 now otter to subscribers, under circular No. 1, or their 

 assigns, the first right to subscribe for that amount, 

 each subscriber under said circular being entitled to 

 subscribe for the same number of blocks which he 

 now holds under circular No. 1. After payment of 

 the first ten per cent no further calls will be made 

 until the subscription under circular No. 2 is ex- 

 hausted, which will probably be about September 1, 

 1882. 



The total 'length of railway lines in operation 

 throughout the country in 1881 has been given 

 at 1,865 kilometres (1,166 miles), including 166 

 kilometres of tramways or horse-car lines. The 

 aggregate passenger traffic for 1880 has been 

 reported at $8,196,161 ; the aggregate tonnage 

 of freight at 272,809,729; and the excess of 

 receipts over expenditures at $4,670,208. 



Among other important subjects referred to 

 by President Gonzalez in his message on the 

 occasion of the opening of Congress, April 1, 

 1881, were the following: 



GENTLEMEN DEPUTIES AND SENATORS : To-day we 

 inaugurate the second term of your sessions, which I 

 am happy to say commences under the most favorable 

 circumstances and amid the most flattering prospects. 

 There is no portion of our national domain whose in- 

 habitants are not at this time in the enjoyment of 

 peace ; and if, as there seems to be every reason to 

 hope, the trood sense of the Mexican people shall con- 

 tinue to develop and strengthen in this direction, at 

 no distant day perhaps we, the people of the New 

 World, changing characters and ceasing to be actors, 

 may become the tranquil spectators of the social and 

 political convulsions of Europe. 



The Minister of the Intenor, with the view of en- 

 larging and regulating our facilities of intercourse, 

 both external and internal, holds under advisement 

 various proposals of contracts with steamship com- 

 panies, having already concluded a contract with par- 

 ties in Tabasco for regular lines of communication 

 between the gulf ports and in the interest of the 

 coasting-trade. 



I do not doubt that you will hear with especial 

 interest the report of the Department of Public Works, 

 as the subject of internal improvements and their 

 decisive influence on the future prosperity of the coun- 

 try is now the absorbing idea of the Mexican people 

 as well as of its rulers. On the 10th of March last tho 

 submarine cable was completed connecting the ports 

 of Vera Cruz and Tampico with Brownsville, Ti'\:is, 

 thus putting our republic in direct telegraphic com- 

 munication with the rest of the civilized world. 

 Within the present month a telexraphic line between 

 Sinavla and Guadalune dc los Reyes will be finished, 

 and that uniting Culiacan with Alamos commenced. 

 A branch line from Cuencamio to Villa Lcrdo in 

 Durango is finished, and the line from Caxacti to Te- 

 huantepec prolonged to luchatan to unite with that 



from the State of Chiapas, which has already reached 

 Truxcla Guttierez. Contracts have been made for the 

 construction of a line from Tacotalpa to San Christo- 

 bal, which will unite Tabasco and Chiapas ; and the 

 necessary materials have already been ordered from 

 abroad to construct a line which is to unite Yucatan 

 and Campeachy with Tabasco, and, eventually, with 

 Vera Cruz. Several important lines will also be com- 

 menced very shortly in the frontier States of the 

 north. The Morelos Railroad Company has now con- 

 structed about sixty-three miles of track, which will 

 be extended to Cuahtla in a short time. The Govern- 

 ment has accepted two and a half miles of the branch 

 which is to unite this road with that from Mexico 

 city to Vera Cruz. The State government of Guer- 

 rero has transferred to a company the concession of a 

 railroad from Acapulco to this capital, and in the 

 month of May next the work will be commenced in 

 Acapulco. The different lines which are to unite 

 Vera Cruz and Jalapa, Jalapa and San Andre's, Pue- 

 bla and San Marcos, are also in course of construc- 

 tion. The Vera Cruz and Alvarado Company have 

 also completed seven and a half miles of track. The 

 line from M^rida to Progrcso in Yucatan is about 

 being finished ; of the line from Me'rida to Peto, the 

 Government has accepted about nine miles ; and work 

 has been begun on the other line which is to connect 

 that capital with Calkini. The railroad of Hidalgo 

 has in operation about seventeen miles, and that lead- 

 ing from Puebla to Izricar has a branch extending to 

 Cholula. Work is actively progressing on the line 

 from Puebla to San Martin Texmelucan, as well as on 

 the projected line from Matamoras to Monterey. The 

 Central Railroad Company has laid its track nearly to 

 Tula, widened the track from Celaya to Irapuato, and 

 is pushing the work of reconnoitring and surveying 

 on the lines from San Luis Potosi to Tampico, and 

 from C'hilmalma to Paso del Norte. The Mexican 

 Constructwn Company is making its embankments 

 from this city to Toluca, and has commenced the con- 

 struction of the line of Patzcuaro, Morelia, and Sala- 

 manca, as likewise that from Zacatecas to San Luis 

 Potosi all of which privileges it has obtained by 

 transfer. The same company has exhibited its plans 

 i(jr over thirty miles of the route from Manzanillo to 

 the interior, and has actually commenced reconnoi- 

 tring the route from Nuevo Laredo to Monterey. 

 Twelve and a half miles of completed track^ con- 

 structed bv the Sonora Company, and beginning at 

 Guaymas, nave been accepted ; and, according to offi- 

 cial information now in possession of the Executive, 

 the road will have reached Hermosillo before the rainy 

 season commences. The Tehuantcpec Company, 

 taking advantage of the dry season, has pushed its 

 work with energy, drawing their laborers from the 

 " Ticrra Templada," and pushing their reconnoitring 

 parties southward across the isthmus for the pur- 

 pose of ascertaining^ the most convenient terminus on 

 the Pacific. The Executive submits to the enlight- 

 ened consideration of Congress the contract which 

 lie has entered into with Mr. James B. Eads for the 

 construction of a ship -railway across the Isthmus 

 of Tehuantepec. It is with peculiar (satisfaction that 

 I feel justified in announcing to Congress the favor- 

 able condition of the public Treasury, and the fact 

 that it is evidently and progressively improving. 

 From oflicial data wo are assured that during the 

 first six months of the present fiscal year the Fed- 

 eral income, when compared witli six months of the 

 preceding vear, exhibits an increase of more than 

 $400,000. "It may bo safely presumed that the second 

 half year will show a proportionate increase, and in 

 this case the total public income will reach $21,000,- 

 000* per annum, while in former years, with the ex- 

 ception of the last, it fluctuated between $17,000,000 

 and 19,000,000. The state of the Treasury, it is to bo 

 hoped, may Ixs still further improved by the labors of 

 the various commissions which have been appointed 

 for the purpose of suggesting a plan rf assessment in 

 * Compare statement on pago 067. 



