COSTA KIOA. 



211 



crease was 609,247 as compared with the pre- 

 vious year. 



Telegraphs. During the year 1886-'87 the 

 national telegraph employed 27 offices, and 7 

 of them had been opener! during the year. The 

 income was $22,96-2, against $17,603 in 1885- 

 '86, an increase of $5,359. Messages dispatched 

 to the interior during the fiscal year 1886-'87, 

 69,885; sent abroad, 4,191. New lines laid 

 during the year, 20,324 metres. The telephone 

 service of the capital was improved in July, 



1886, by building a central station, and uniting 

 all the telephones in one system. In July, 



1887, the Minister of Public Works of Costa 

 Rica completed with Sefior Cuenca Cruz, of 

 Paris, a contract respecting cable communica- 

 tion. Under it Sefior Cruz is granted permis- 

 sion to lay one or more submarine cables from 

 Costa Rica to the West Indies and Venezuela, 

 and to New York. Permission is also granted 

 to run the cables to any points in Central or 

 South America. The contractor binds himself 

 to connect these cables with the Canary cable 

 system in course of construction. Costa Rica 

 guarantees the contractor receipts amounting 

 to 35,000 francs a year. The first cable must 

 be laid within two years. 



Railroads. The Costa Rica Railroad Com- 

 pany has been formed in London to finish and 

 operate the Central and Atlantic sections of 

 the Government railway under a leass, with a 

 share capital of 3,055,000, 1,255,000 of 

 which are set aside for finishing the railroad, 

 the first 355,000 shares being placed on the 

 London market and sold on June 24, 1886, at 

 92'10. The republic is a shareholder in the 

 company to the extent of 600,000, and is also 

 entitled to dividends in the net earnings, af- 

 ter the interest of 6 per cent, shall have been 

 paid on the 1,255,000 named. The Pacific 

 section of the railroad, which has remained 

 under the Government's own management, 

 showed net earnings of $19,793 in 1885-'86, 

 and of $17,226 in 1886-'87. But this Govern- 

 ment railway is in good running order, well 

 equipped, and the workshops furnished with 

 the best of machinery. 



Steamer Lines. During the summer of 1887 

 M. C. Keith completed arrangements for plac- 

 ing on the line from Port Limon to the United 

 States eight steamers a month to convey plant- 

 ains, such steamers to leave on Wednesday 

 and Saturday of each week, the line to go into 

 operation with the year 1888. The Govern- 

 ment has extended to the end of 1887 the time 

 which Don Rafael Montufar has to perfect ar- 

 rangements for the establishment of a line of 

 steamers between Port Limon and New Orleans 

 or New York. 



Chinese Immigration. On Jan. 27, 1887, the 

 Minister of the Interior issued a circular di- 

 rected to the captains of the ports of Punta- 

 renas and Limon, saying that the Government 

 will not, under any pretext whatever, allow 

 the landing of individuals belonging to the 

 Mongolian race arriving from China, whether 



they come on their own account or under con- 

 tract with others. 



New Industries. The Government procured 

 from abroad 25 cwt. of superior cotton-seed, 

 for free distribution among planters, in order 

 to encourage this branch of agriculture, and 

 also 10,000 "ramie" plants. 



Rosewood. Until the spricg of 1887, no Cos- 

 ta Rican rosewood had been exponed from 

 the Pacific coast. But this trade has now been 

 established. 



The manufacture of salt has been undertaken 

 at Puntarenas a new enterprise. 



Goods admitted Duty Free. In July, 1887, the 

 Congress of Costa Rica continued for another 

 year the law exempting from duty the follow- 

 ing articles imported into Costa Rica through 

 Port Limon : Linseed-oil, turpentine, plows, 

 harrows, pitch, carts, wheelbarrows, nails, stills, 

 hammers, chopping-knives, wooden houses in 

 pieces, doors, windows, putty, spades, pitch- 

 forks, rakes, pickaxes, paints, slates, cart- 

 spokes and felloes, salt, seed of all descrip- 

 tions, screws, glassware, bits, sacks, galvanized 

 iron, and zinc in sheets. The right to import 

 Indian corn, beans, and rice duty free into Li- 

 mon was also extended for one year. 



Commerce. The imports into Costa Rica 

 during the fiscal year 1886-'87 amounted to 

 $4,562,727, as against $3,428,696 in 1885-'86; 

 an increase of $1,134,031, from which $718,346 

 railroad material is to be deducted, leaving the 

 increase $415,685. The exports were valued 

 at $3,296,508 during the calender year 1885, 

 but in 1886 they did not exceed $3,225,807, 

 the decrease being $70.701. The various prod- 

 ucts shipped during 1886 were represented by 

 the following amounts : Coffee, $2,259,262 ; 

 bananas, $476,775; hides, $95,754; gold-dust, 

 $27,340 ; cabinet and dye woods, $39,239 ; oth- 

 er products, $120,787. The amount of coin 

 shipped was $246,650, against $229,351 in 

 1885. The American trade was as follows: 



The expansion of trade was due to the rise 

 in coffee. 



Education. There were on Jan. 1, 1887, 138 

 primary public schools, attended by 14,478 

 pupils, who were taught by 278 teachers, the 

 Government paying toward the expense in- 

 volved in teachers' salaries the sum of $103,598. 

 Early in 1887 a decree was issued that, at the 

 expense of the public treasury, eight young 

 men and two girls, Cosa Ricans by birth, be 

 sent either to Europe or the United States, af- 

 ter examination as to capacity ; the former to 

 study either mining, civil or mechanical engi- 

 neering, or arts and manufactures, or the mili- 

 tary or natural sciences, the latter artistic or 

 any other suitable female pursuits, the monthly 

 outlay for each pupil not to exceed $50, with 

 free passage. 



