chandise of any kind without previous permission of the collector of the customhouse and captain of the port, with exception of mineral coal, which may remain on the place designated for that purpose. ART. 30. No captain shall admit on board of his vessel sailors enlisted in the service of other vessels and who have received their pay in advance. ART. 31. Captains of foreign vessels are not allowed to discharge men of their crew except for justified reason and always subject to the consent of the captain of the port. ART. 32. The difficulties which may arise on board of the vessels lying in this port from collection of wages, illtreatment, or other causes, shall be adjusted before the captain of the port, to whom the interested party shall apply at any hour day or night, according to the gravity of the case. ART. 33. All officials of the wharves, revenue officers, or inspectors in the service of the National Government shall strictly enforce the orders of the captain of the port as expressed in these regulations. ART. 34. The failure to comply with any of the instructions to which this regulation alludes, and which does not call for any other proceeding, shall render offenders liable to fines of from 100 to 200 bolivars or to arrest and imprisonment in the public jail in accordance with the law, according to the judgment of the captain of the port. ART. 35. The fines alluded to in the preceding article shall be paid to the treasury of the custom-house by order of the collector of said office. ART. 36. Captains, owners, or consignees of national and foreign vessels which anchor in this port, as also masters of canoes, lighters, boats, and craft of all descriptions, are obliged to provide themselves with a printed copy of these regulations, so that they may not allege ignorance of the duties imposed upon them. The cost of the regulations shall be 2 bolivars each copy, which shall be applied to the printing of same. ART. 37. Against all the decisions of the captain of the port which refer to the fines mentioned in article 34 of these regulations, an appeal can be made to the Ministry of War and Marine. ART. 38. The harbor regulations enacted by this office under date of March 31, 1875, are hereby annulled, and the present ones shall enter into force from the date of proclamation. NOTE.-Special attention of the captains of vessels which enter into this port is called to the three buoys placed to protect the submarine cable existing between this port and that of La Guayra; they are placed in a parallel line with the coast to the south, at an approximate distance of 400 meters from the point called "La Garita," in the direction towards the Island of Goaiguaza. These buoys are painted red and are of ellipsoid form, crowned by a visible point, formed with the letters C. F. IMPORTS OF PARAGUAY. I give below a list of the chief imports of this country in 1898. These articles are the only ones worth the attention of our exporters, as the others are imported in quantities too insignificant to justify inquiry. The 1898 report not being published, the following list of imports. was copied by me from the custom-house books. Cotton goods, printed and white for dresses, undershirts, oxford drill, laces, satinets, and other similar things..... ..kilograms... Ladies' cotton goods, called cambrics, batiste, muslin, crape, and other similar goods..... .kilograms... Unbleached linen and fine cotton goods......... ..do...... Linen azogado or guarani.......... ...do...... Beaver hats and hats of hare and rabbits and of wool, down to ordinary, dozen Fine hats of the above materials. .....dozen... 739 11,085.00 Mercery. Lace of cotton, wool, or mixed, imitation valenciana or crochet..kilograms... Perfumery. Agua de colonia, in bottles of 10 centimeters each........ Fine extracts, in bottles of 5 centimeters................................... Ordinary scented soap...... Powder in general for the face........ ............dozen... NOTE. Great quantities of Florida water formerly came from the United States, but now it comes principally from Germany, which falsifies the article. NOTE.-Many come in with revolvers on their persons, which escape duty. NOTE. All of the above articles came in last year free-i. e., all under the head without tax or duty." I am told that the importations are much larger than officially given, because of smuggling. It will be seen that cotton goods have the largest sale, amounting to nearly $1,000,000 gold. I would advise our exporters to send representatives with samples, and to sell goods at reduced prices for the purpose of introduction. It is not necessary to praise or describe them as American goods, but put them on their own merits. Give a responsible house the exclusive agency and grant the customary six months' credit. JOHN N. RUFFIN, ASUNCION, May 1, 1899. Consul. SUGAR IN PARAGUAY. Vice-Consul Harrison, of Asuncion, writes, under date of May 17, 1899: Sugar cane is being cultivated in Paraguay to a larger extent than ever before, and is proving profitable. Each cane is about 2 inches in diameter and 6 to 8 feet high. One ton of sugar cane will give 35 to 40 gallons of juice, and each gallon of juice 1% pounds of sugar. The cane grown here is of a good class and makes fine sugar and rum. There is only one sugar mill in the whole country, and this can not supply the demand. The importation of sugar into the country is very large, most of it coming from France. The sugar made in the country is selling at a very high price, and with American mills and skilled labor the quality could be improved to great advantage. Common labor is cheap, but skilled workmen are not procurable in the country. The following is an estimate of the cost of a sugar plantation in Paraguay-capital, $138,000: 3 leagues of agricultural land at $800................ 20 horses at $10............ 60 bullocks at $II....................... 4 bullock carts at $20.......... $2,400 200 660 80 5 miles of plantation railway, 2 engines, and 50 trucks..... 22, 000 Machinery, plants, tools, etc........ 26, 860 I steam launch and 2 barges... Distilling apparatus........ I steamer wharf and deposits....... 3,600 I, 500 15,000 Mill and plantation will produce per annum 40,000 arroba of sugar at $1.10.. 44,000 6,000 demijohns of alcohol at $3.. Gross income...... Working expenses: Sugar mill Steamer, launch, and barges.... 18,000 62, 000 $14,000 5,000 3, 800 22, 800 39, 200 Interest on capital invested first year ($20,240 for three years at 10 per cent per annum), interest on capital invested second year ($96,960 for two years at 10 per cent per annum), and interest on capital invested third year ($20,800 for one year at 10 per cent per annum)... Net profit........ Consul Ruffin adds: 27,544 II, 656 The sugar mill has been subsidized by the Government through the Agricultural Bank to the amount of $260,000 paper. It is situated on Tebicuary River and the Paraguayan Central Railway, thus affording easy transportation. The factory is lighted by electricity. The capital invested amounts to $1,306,500. The report of the sugar factory claims that $100,000 (gold) worth of sugar is imported each year into the country. The company is in need of funds to conduct the business, their capital seeming to have been spent in the erection and equipment of the buildings. A sugar enterprise would be profitable in Paraguay, because it would be almost without competition; and, should the supply be greater than the demand, the juice can be utilized in making caña, the national drink of the country. |