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University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


THE  REPUBLIC  OF  PANAMA 


ITS  ECONOMIC,  FINANCIAL  COMMERCIAL 


AND 


NATIONAL  RESOURCES,  AND  GENERAL  INFORMATION 


SABAS   A.    VILLEGAS 


PANAMA 

IMPRENTA    NACIONAL 

1917 


* OBa 


1=151*3 

v.  -• 


BY  WAY  OF  PREFACE 

Panama,  April  3rd,  1917. 

DR.  HOKACIO  F.  ALFARO, 

President  of  the  Panama  Association  of  Commerce, 

Dear  Mr.  President : 

Permit  me  to  enclose  the  originals  of  a  booklet  which  I  have 
prepared  under  the  auspices  of  the  National  Government  and  with 
the  aid  of  your  important  Association,  in  which  I  have  been  able 
to  unite  the  most  useful  data  referring  to  the  Republic,  in  order 
that  they  may  become  known  abroad  and  by  this  means  aid  in  the 
attraction  of  capital  and  the  development  of  our  national  resources. 

The  greater  part  of  this  data  has  been  obtained  from  official 
sources  and  the  rest  by  means  of  careful  investigation  and  personal 
study. 

Confiding  in  the  interest  which  you  show  in  all  matters  of  a  use- 
ful nature  and  taking  into  account  your  profound  knowledge  of 
the  necessities  of  the  Republic  in  its  different  branches,  I  shall 
be  obliged  if  you  will  give  this  work  your  attention,  and  let  me 
have  your  opinion  of  it,  at  the  same  time  authorizing  me  to 
make  what  use  of  it  may  be  deemed  convenient. 

Excusing  myself  for  troubling  you,  I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Yours  faithfully, 

SABAS  A.  VILLEGAS. 


•7K- 


Panama,  April  4th,  1917. 

MR.  SABAS  A.  VILLEGAS, 

City. 
Dear  Sir: 

With  your  kind  letter  of  yesterday  I  have  received  the  originals 
of  the  booklet  which  you  intend  of  publishing  regarding  this  Republic 
and  I  think  that  the  work  referred  to  is  very  useful  on  account  of 
the  information  and  interesting  data  which  it  contains,  both  for  the 
capitalists,  professional  men,  bankers,  industrial  agents,  merchants, 
agriculturist  etc.,  from  abroad  who  wish  to  establish  or  extend 
their  relations  in  Panama  and  also  for  those  already  established  in 
this  country. 

The  Summary,  in  which  appears  a  number  of  important  and  vari- 
ed matters,  reveals  at  a  glance  that  the  work  is  fully  complete  and 
adequate  for  the  end  in  view  and  in  my  opinion  you  have  corres- 
ponded in  a  satisfactory  manner  to  the  aid  which  has  been  given 
you  both  by  the  National  Government  and  the  Panama  Associa- 
tion of  Commerce. 

In  the  offices  of  the  Association  which  I  have  the  honor  to  repre- 
sent, requests  are  constantly  being  received  for  information  which 
up  to  the  present  it  has  been  difficult  to  answer  owing  to  the  lack 
of  data  referring  to  the  Republic  of  Panama,  so  that  by  means 
of  your  work  these  requests  can  be  attended  to  with  ease  in  the 
.future  for  the  benefit  of  the  general  interests. 

For  this  reason  I  consider  that  the  work  in  question  will  fill  an 
urgent  necessity  and  will  be  convenient  to  distribute  it  in  an  e- 
ficient  manner  in  order  to  make  Panama  well  known  abroad. 


6 

The  Republic  of  Panama  deserves  a  good  work  of  propaganda 
in  order  to  bring  about  the  attraction  of  capital  and  certainly  by 
being  able  to  obtain  worthy  information  without  difficulty  re- 
garding the  valuable  natural  resources  of  the  country  and  its  great 
commercial  possiblities,  a  favorable  development  should  take  place 
in  its  commerce,  indutries  and  agriculture  which  are  still  in  an 
incipient  state. 

In  congratulating  you  for  your  meritorious  labor  I  am  sure  that 
it  will  stimulate  analogous  ones  whose  results  it  will  be  impossible 
to  hide. 

With  all  consideration,  I  am; 

Yours  very  truly, 

H.  F.  ALFARO, 

President  of  the  Panama  Association  of  Commerce. 


TO  THE  READERS 

In  preparing  this  booklet  it  has  not  been  attempted  to  perform 
a  literary  work.  The  idea  which  has  been  followed  has  been  simply 
to  please  a  number  of  foreigners,  capitalists  and  manufacturers  for 
the  most  part  who  very  often  seek  information  regarding  Panama. 

This  is  not  an  original  production,  and  even  less,  but  a  simple 
compilation  of  data  in  which  the  greatest  care  has  been  taken  and 
which  have  come  from  both  official  and  private  sources.  It  is  a 
workin  which  great  assistance  has  been  given  by  the  kind  coopera- 
tion of  Mr.  Juan  Navarro,  the  Secretary  of  the  Panama  Associa- 
tion of  Commerce,  and  of  Mr.  Aizpuru  Aizpuru,  Director  General 
of  Statistics  who  has  also  furnished  me  very  important  statistical 
information  which  will  shortly  appear,  still  more  complete,  in  a 
booklet  he  has  in  preparation,  and  of  Mr.  Carlos  Berguido,  Regis- 
trer  General  of  Property  Taxes  and  other  high  public  employees  to 
whom  I  am  profoundly  grateful  for  their  kindnesses. 

The  historical  review  is  an  extract  from  the  history  of  Panama 
by  Mr.  Enrique  J.  Arce  and  Mr.  Juan  B.  Sosa  and  in  the  general 
information  there  are  many  details  taken  from  the  Geography  of 
Dr.  Ramon  M.  Valdes  and  from  various  meritorious  pamphlets, 
amongst  them  being  the  "La  Agricultura  en  Panama"  of  which 
the  author  is  Dr.  H.  D.  Lupi. 

THE  AUTHOR. 


PANAMA 

The  Republic  of  Panama  occupies  the  center  of  the  American 
continent.  It  is  a  thin  strip  of  land  which  unites  Central  America, 
of  which  it  forms  part,  with  South  America.  Prominent  geologists 
are  of  the  opinion  that  the  Isthmus  which  is  at  present  cut  by  the 
Panama  Canal,  was  formed  by  an  earthly  cataclysm  and  that  the 
two  Amercias  formerly  formed  two  separate  continents. 

Panama  extends  from  6°  50'  to  9°41'  of  North  Latitude,  and  from 
77°  15'  45"  West  to  the  limit  line  with  Colombia  in  South  America 
to  83°  32'  of  Western  Longitude  on  the  Costa  Rican  frontier.  Its 
gratest  extension  is  435  miles;  its  widest  part  measures  114  miles 
and  the  narrowest  between  the  Gulf  of  San  Bias  and  the  mouth  of 
the  river  Bayano,  30  miles.  From  the  city  of  Panama  to  the  city 
of  Colon  it  is  42  miles  in  a  straight  line,  and  following  the  course  of 
the  Canal  from  Balboaon  the  Pacific  to  Cristobal  on  the  Caribbean 
sea,  the  distance  is  48  miles.  The  configuration  of  the  Isthmus  is 
extremely  interesting.  Through  it  pass  the  chain  of  the  Andes 
whose  numerous  foothills  fall  away  some  near  the  Atlantic  and 
others  near  the  shores  of  the  Pacific.  Nevertheless.  Panama  is  not 
so  mountainous  as  would  seem  at  first  sight.  The  lowest  part  of 
the  famous  chain  of  the  Andes  is  in  Panamanian  territory  and  by 
means  of  the  great  engineering  work  done  by  the  United  States, 
through  this  point  which  is  situated  at  the  Culebra  Cut,  daily  pass 
the  great  transatlantic  steamers  which  carry  the  traffic  of  the  world 
and  today  it  only  remains  40  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  And 
although  it  may  appear  extreme,  at  a  short  distance  away  in  the 
Province  of  Chiriqui  there  are  mountains  which  are  7,200  feet  in 
height.  From  the  chain  of  the  Andes  there  are  480  rivers  which 
flow  into  Panamanian  territory  of  which  300  go  to  the  Pacific  and 
the  rest  to  the  Atlantic.  The  flowing  rivers  number  197  as  the  rest  of 
them  dry  up  considerably  in  the  summer.  Not  only  in  the  moun- 


10 

tains  but  also  near  the  Pacific  there  are  a  large  number  of  plateaus, 
many  of  great  size. 

Panama  has  88,500  square  kilometers  of  territory  of  which 
62,700  are  mountainous,  18,500  meadows,  and  the  islands  which 
have  an  area  of  7,500  kilometers.  Of  this  total  it  is  necessary  to 
deduct  1,269  square  kilometers  which  are  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  Canal  Zone  authorities  which  depend  on  the  government  of  the 
United  States.  Of  the  territory  previously  mentioned  27,800  ki- 
lometers are  inhabited  ,1050 cultivated,  870 uncultivated,  but  taken 
up  into  private  property  and  the  rest  are  national  lands  for  distri- 
bution, according  to  the  laws  and  decrees  which  we  publish  in 
another  section  of  this  work. 

The  climate  of  Panama  is  extremely  variable.  Although  moist 
it  is  generally  healthy,  on  the  coasts  and  lower  ranges  it  is  warm  but 
due  to  the  nearness  of  the  sea,  agreable  breezes,  which  are  most 
refreshing,  always  blow.  The  temperature  in  these  parts  varies 
during  the  year  from  between  78.80  and  82.40  Fahrenheit,  and 
on  some  occasions  to  87.80  Fahrenheit.  But  on  the  other  hand  as 
one  goes  higher  the  heat  decreases.  In  the  elevated  lands  the 
Fahrenheit  registrers  64.40  degrees.  The  heat  is  greatest  in  the 
nine  months  of  rain,  from  the  end  of  April  until  the  middle  of  Ja- 
nuary, as  in  the  three  months  of  the  dry  season  it  diminishes  owing 
to  the  winds.  The  rainy  season,  although  very  prolonged,  is  not 
as  rigorous  as  in  other  countries  and  on  many  occassions  10  and  12 
days  will  pass  without  a  single  drop  of  rain. 

HISTORICAL  DATA 

After  Christopher  Columbus  had  made  his  three  first  voyages  to 
the  New  World,  and  the  Bahamas,  the  Antilles,  the  Venezuelan 
Cost,  the  Brazilian  Coast  and  North  America  had  all  been  dis- 
covered, Rodrigo  Gal  van  de  Bastidas  with  two  caravels  left  Cadiz 
on  October  1501  with  the  idea  of  making  new  discoveries.  He 
passed  along  the  coast  of  Venezuela,  past  the  whole  length  of  Co- 
lombia until  he  reached  the  gulf  of  Uraba  and  partly  visited  the 
Panamanian  Atlantic  coast. 

While  Bastidas  was  making  this  voyage,  Columbus  was  making 
preparations  in  Spain  to  begin  his  fourth  and  last  voyage  in  the 


11 

search  of  a  route  to  India.  In  May  1502  he  left  Cadiz  with  four 
caravels  manned  by  140  men,  accompanied  by  his  brother  Bartho- 
lome  and  his  son  Fernando,  who  was  then  only  13  years  old.  He 
arrived  off  the  coast  of  the  Isthmus,  and  his  little  fleet  anchored  in 
the  bay  which  is  now  called  Almirante,  in  honor  of  its  discoverer, 
and  the  explorers  went  onwards  to  the  Chiriqui  lagoon  where,  as  in 
Almirante,  by  means  of  exchange  and  bartering  they  obtained  gold 
trinkets  which  the  Indians  used  as  ornaments,  and  by  this  means 
learning  of  a  neighboring  region  named  Veraguas,  which  was  rich 
in  the  precious  metal.  Columbus  made  for  that  place  about  the 
middle  of  the  month  of  October. 

Obsessed  with  the  idea  of  finding  a  route  to  India,  he  continued 
his  voyage  to  the  East  and  on  October  2nd.  arrived  in  a  beautiful 
bay  where  he  found  a  town  or  small  village  with  corn  crops,  fruit 
trees  and  plantations  to  which,  on  account  of  its  beauty,  he  gave  the 
name  of  Porto  Bello.  The  Spaniards  stayed  in  this  port  for  several 
days  and  became  friendly  with  the  Indians.  After  going  a  little 
farther  to  wards  the  East,  Columbus  decided  to  return  to  look  for  the 
famous  gold  mines  of  Veraguas.  After  a  painful  voyage,  he  arrived 
at  the  mouth  of  the  River  Belen  and  was  very  well  received  by  the 
chief  Quiban,  the  headman  of  the  Indians  of  this  region.  After 
celebrating  an  alliance  with  him,  Columbus  decided  to  construct 
on  a  hill  in  that  place  a  number  of  huts  to  warehouse  his  supplies 
and  later  decided  to  establish  a  colony  there,  the  better  to  assure 
the  possession  of  the  district. 

To  this  place  he  gave  the  name  of  Santa  Maria  de  Belen.  The 
Indians  on  hearing  of  the  proposals  of  the  Spaniards  declared  war 
on  them  and  were  so  hostile  that  at  the  end  of  April  1503  Columbus 
and  his  companions  decided  to  abandon  the  coasts  of  Veraguas. 

On  account  of  the  war  with  Naples,  the  Spanish  government 
could  give  no  attention  to  the  newly  discovered  countries  for  several 
years  afterwards,  but  in  1508,  peace  being  favorably  restored,  King- 
Ferdinand  VII  who  had  not  forgotten  the  rich  fame  of  the  Vera- 
guas country  which  Columbus  had  reported,  commissioned  Diego 
de  Nicuesa  to  conquer  it  and  on  June  9th  of  that  year  signed  an 
order  regarding  the  colonization  and  giving  the  territory  the  name 
of  Castilla  de  Oro. 

Nicuesa  made  his  preparations  for  his  voyage  of  conquest  in  San- 


12 

to  Domingo  at  the  same  time  that  Alonso  de  Ojeda  made  arrange- 
ments for  another  voyage  to  conquer  New  Andalucia,  the  name 
which  the  king  had  given  to  the  territories  neighboring  on  to  the 
Isthmus  with  the  boundaries  of  the  Atrato  river.  Nicuesa  with  300 
men  left  Santo  Domingo  at  the  end  of  November  1509  and  coasted 
the  entire  shores  of  the  Isthmus  as  far  as  the  archipelago  of  Bocas 
del  Toro,  thence  returning  to  Porto  Bello  whence,  owing  to  the 
hostility  of  the  Indians  he  removed  to  a  very  fertile  spot  which  he 
called  Nombre  de  Dios  and  to  which  Columbus  had  given  the  name 
of  Bastimentos.  Here  theSpaniards  constructed  stockades  to  defend 
themselves  from  the  Indians  who  were  not  slow  in  destroying  the 
crops  and  plantations  of  the  colony,  leaving  the  members  of  the 
expedition  without  provisions  and  obliged  to  sustain  themselves 
with  animals  and  grass,  so  that  very  soon  of  the  300  men  of  Nicuesa 
only  100  men,  including  sick  and  wounded,  remained. 

The  explorers  under  Ojeda  had  founded  the  town  of  San  Sebas- 
tian on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  gulf  of  Uraba  and  after  receiving 
reinforcements  from  Santo  Domingo  which  were  brought  by  Martin 
Fernandez  de  Enciso,  with  whom  came  Balboa,  transferred  them- 
selves to  the  other  side  of  the  gulf  into  Panamanian  territory.  After 
defeating  the  tribe  of  Cimaco  which  gave  them  battle,  they  took 
possession  of  a  village  to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  Santa  Maria 
la  Antigua  del  Darien,  which  they  sacked  and  from  which  they  took 
much  golden  booty.  Balboa  on  seeing  the  popularity  with  which 
he  was  held  by  the  revolutionaries,  denied  the  authority  of  Enciso 
and  proclaimed  himself  Alcalde  in  order  to  place  himself  at  the 
order  of  Nicuesa.  On  the  latter's  arrival  at  the  port,  however,  his 
disembarkation  was  prohibited  as  it  was  known  that  he  proposed 
to  take  possession  of  all  the  booty  and  to  take  a  number  of  repri- 
sals. Accompanied  by  seventeen  of  his  faithful  men  in  a  miserable 
ship  which  was  badly  equipped,  Nicuesa  put  to  sea  on  March  1st, 
1511,  and  was  never  heard  of  again. 

Balboa  now  conceived  the  idea  of  making  himself  chief  of  the  co- 
lony and  confiscated  the  property  of  Enciso  whom  he  obliged  to  re- 
turn to  Santo  Domingo  and  himself  started  to  explore  the  neighbor- 
ing districts.  He  invaded  the  dominions  of  the  chief  Careta  whom 
he  dominated  and  forced  to  become  his  ally  and  afterwards  went  into 
the  territory  of  the  chief  Ponca  who  ran  away,  and  into  that  of  Co- 


13 

magre  who  peacefully  received  the  Spaniards.  Panquiaco,  the  son 
of  Comagre  was  indignent  at  seeing  the  explorers  disputing  over 
the  gold  which  they  had  found,  and  revealed  to  them  that  to  the 
south  there  was  a  kingdom  extremely  rich  where  the  people  ate 
and  drank  with  golden  vessels,  adding  that  to  go  there  it  was  neces- 
sary to  vanquish  many  tribes  and  that  it  would  not  be  possible  to 
make  the  trip  with  less  than  1000  men.  In  view  of  the  facts, 
Balboa  sent  commissioners  to  Spain  to  tell  of  what  was  happening 
and  asking  for  grand  aid  in  the  discovery  of  the  other  sea,  but 
after  getting  tired  of  waiting  in  Santa  Maria  and  knowing  that 
Enciso  had  arrived  and  been  successful  in  disparging  him  before 
the  court  he  resolved  to  proceed  immediately  and  on  September 
1st,  1513,  he  left  with  190  men  and  a  number  of  bloodhounds  which 
caused  a  panic  amongst  the  indians. 

The  Spaniards  were  aided  by  a  number  of  their  friends  from  Ca- 
reta,  being  about  1000  altogether  and  started  on  September  6th. 
After  overcoming  every  imaginable  class  of  difficulties  and  forcing 
their  way  through  land  which  belonged  to  Indians  whom  they  had 
to  subdue,  the  expedition  ascended  the  last  hill  of  the  Chucunaque 
range  and  Balboa  who  had  advanced  ahead  of  his  companions  was 
the  first  to  see  the  far  horizon  formed  by  the  new  ocean.  The  Spa- 
niards were  greatly  enthusiastic  and  raised  pyramids  of  stones  and 
engraved  crosses  and  names  on  the  trees. 

The  descent  was  commenced  and  after  the  chief  Chaipes  had  been 
defeated  and  forced  to  lend  his  aid  to  the  party,  the  explorers  divid- 
ed themselves  into  three  parties  to  discover  the  road  to  the  sea  which 
they  reached  three  days  afterwards,  the  party  being  ccmmanded  by 
Alonso  Martin,  who  finding  a  canoe  on  the  spot,  embarked  in  it  in 
order  to  have  the  glory  of  having  been  the  first  European  to  navi- 
gate the  Pacific.  He  immediately  returned  to  find  Balboa  who 
after  taking  a  drink  of  the  salt  water,  in  full  armor  entered  the 
water  up  to  his  knees  and  took  possesion  of  the  ocean  in  the  names 
of  the  Monarchs  of  Castille  and  baptized  the  gulf  with  the  name 
of  San  Miguel. 

After  becoming  aware  of  the  richness  of  the  surrounding  country 
Balboa  made  another  voyage  to  the  sea  coast  and  the  chief  Tumaco 
after  beign  defeated  gave  him  gold  and  pearls  and  told  him  that 
these  were  produced  in  abundance  on  the  neighborhing  islands  to 


14 

/ 

which  it  was  impossible  to  go  for  lack  of  adequate  ships.  They 
could  be  seen  from  a  far  off  and  were  given  the  name  of  the  Pearl 
Islands. 

The  explorers  went  back  by  a  different  route  with  great  quanti- 
ties of  booty  in  which  were  more  than  100,000  castdlanos  of  gold, 
which  was  an  ancient  Spanish  coin,  arriving;  at  Santa  Maria  of  Da- 
rien  on  January  19th;  1514. 

A  short  time  afterwards  Pedro  de  Arbolancha  was  sent  to  Spain 
to  present  to  the  King  and  Queen  some  large  quantities  of  gold 
and  to  ask  for  Balboa  to  be  made  the  commander  of  the  property 
of  the  Castilla  de  Oro;  but  he  arrived  late  on  the  peninsula,  as  a 
short  time  before  Pedro  Arias  de  Avila  had  been  mimed  governor 
of  Castilla  de  Oro  and  had  left  with  1500  men  for  Darien  country 
with  instructions  to  proceed  against  Balboa,  whom  Enciso  had 
accused  before  the  Spanish  sovereigns  of  bad  treatment  towards 
himself  and  Nicuesa. 

Pedrarias,  as  the  new  governor  was  called,  arrived  in  Santa  Maria 
at  the  end  of  June  and  was  respectfully  received  by  Balboa  who 
was  however  arrested  and  condemned  to  pay  indemnities  to  Enciso 
and  other  persons.  The  first  Bishop  arrived  with  the  new  governor, 
as  by  this  time  Santa  Maria  has  been  raised  to  the  dignity  of  a 
city  and  episcopal  see.  Several  clergy  also  came  and  not  a  few 
women  also  with  the  wife  of  Pedrarias. 

Santa  Maria  had  at  this  time  200  thatched  roof  houses,  but  its 
fields  did  not  produce  enough  for  the  feeding  of  the  Spaniards 
who  had  arrived  and  they  were  soon  taken  sick  with  different  ail- 
ments which  killed  about  700  of  them.  The  survivors  clamored 
to  be  allowed  to  return  to  Spain  or  to  Santo  Domingo,  but  Pedra- 
rias far  from  agreeing  to  this,  ordered  them  to  form  other  colonies 
amongst  the  friendly  tribes  and  with  this  end  in  view  he  sent 
Juan  de  Ayora  at  the  head  of  400  men  to  found  the  town  of 
Santa  Cruz  on  the  shores  of  the  bay  and  also  the  colony  of  Los 
Andes  in  the  interior.  This  man  and  his  companions  however 
committed  so  many  outrages  that  the  Indians  rose  against 
them,  attacked  Santa  Cruz  and  drove  out  its  inhabitants.  Ayora 
seeing  himself  defeated  ran  away  with  a  few  of  his  soldiers  and 
arrived  in  Spain  carrying  much  rich  booty  with  him. 

As  the  town  of  Los  Andes  was  also  menaced,  reinforcemenst 


15 

were  sent  from  Santa  Maria  under  Captain  Antonio  Tello  de  Guz- 
man who  found  the  place  burnt  and  abandoned.  He  thereupon 
resolved  to  proceed  to  the  South  Sea  and  reached  a  fishing  village 
known  as  Panama,  where  was  to  be  found  the  city  of  the  same 
name. 

A  number  of  expeditions  left  Santa  Maria  in  search  of  treasure, 
some  of  which  advanced  along  the  Pacific  coast  and  explored  it  as 
far  as  the  present  provinces  of  Code,  Los  Santos,  Herrera  and  Vera- 
guas,  continually  battling  with  the  Indians  from  whom  they  took 
every  thing  of  value. 

Pedrarias  transferred  himself  to  the  Southern  Sea  and  after 
visiting  Taboga  Island,  proceeded  to  the  village  of  Panama  where 
he  met  the  lawyer  Espinosa  who  at  the  head  of  another  expedition 
had  left  Darien  and  had  come  by  land.  It  was  decided  to  found  a 
town  at  this  spot,  and  this  was  carried  into  effect  on  August  15, 
1519,  by  Espinosa  who  was  a  shortly  afterwards  commissioned  by 
Pedrarias  to  explore  the  western  coast  of  Panama.  He  then  pro- 
ceeded to  Chiriqui  and  entering  the  interior  of  Veraguas  founded 
the  town  of  Nata  in  1520. 

Pedrarias  had  all  the  inhabitants,  animals  and  foodstuffs  trans- 
ferred from  Santa  Maria  del  Darien  to  Panama  and  by  an  eccle- 
siastical decision  the  episcopal  see  was  also  removed.  Pedrarias 
continued  agovernor  until  1526  and  during  this  period  an  expe- 
dition under  Gil  Gonzalez  de  Avila  left  to  conquer  Nicaragua  and 
another  headed  by  Francisco  Pizarro  and  Diego  de  Almagro  em- 
barked for  Peru.  In  1526,  Pedrarias  with  troops  from  Panama 
and  Nata  went  to  Nicaragua  where  he  defeated  and  shot  Francisco 
Fernandez  de  Cordoba  who  had  proclaimed  an  independent  go- 
vernment. In  the  following  year  Pedrarias  was  declared  Governor 
of  Nicaragua  and  received  from  Spain  the  acknowledgement  of 
recognition  of  the  province  as  independent  of  Panama. 

In  1534  the  King  of  Spain  sent  instructions  to  Pascual  de  Anda- 
goya  to  make  a  study  regarding  the  opening  of  a  canal  which 
should  place  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  oceans  in  communication, 
using  the  river  Chagres  as  far  as  Cruces  and  then  connecting  with 
the  Rio  Grande.  After  the  studies  had  been  made  a  report  was 
rendered  that  it  was  practicable  but  that  it  would  cost  more  money 
than  Spain  could  afford  to  spend, 


16 

In  the  year  1539  the  period  of  conquest  was  terminated.  The 
Spaniards  had  explored  practically  all  the  Panamanian  territory 
and  brought  it  under  the  Governor  General  who  lived  in  Panama 
and  whose  jurisdiction  extended  from  the  Atrato  river  to  beyond 
Bocas  del  Toro  and  Burica.  The  Indians  had  practically  all  been 
subdue  catechized  and  had  taken  on  the  customs  of  the  Spaniards 
dedicating  themselves  to  agricultural  pursuits,  cattle  breeding 
and  rearing  animals  which  had  been  brought  from  Spain. 

On  account  of  the  violences  committed  against  them,  but  few  of 
the  estimated  400,000  original  inhabitants  of  the  Isthmus  reamined. 

During  the  first  years  of  the  conquest  a  number  of  Indians  were 
brought  from  Africa  to  work  in  the  mines,  but  due  to  the  bad  treat 
ment  given  them  they  frequently  revolted  as  well  as  the  natives 
and  gave  much  trouble  to  the  Spaniards  by  supporting  the  corsairs, 
most  of  them  English  and  French  who  at  that  time  were  sailing 
the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  to  pursue  the  Spanish  ships  and  rob  them 
of  their  treasure.  They  also  sometimes  landed  on  the  Isthmus. 
Foremost  amongst  these  pirates  was  Sir  Francis  Drake,  an  English- 
man, who  in  1593  with  100  men  landed  on  the  northern  coast,  at- 
tacked Nombre  de  Dios  and  proceeded  to  the  interior  of  the  coun- 
try. In  1595  Drake  left  Plymouth  with  a  fleet  of  27  ships  and  2500 
men  with  the  intention  of  taking  Spanish  colonies  in  America  and 
putting  them  under  British  rule.  He  captured  Nombre  de  Dios 
and  with  750  men  started  overland  to  the  city  of  Panama  but  was 
defeated  in  the  mountains  of  Capira  and  had  to  abandon  his  pro- 
ject. Attempting  to  return  to  England  he  died  and  was  buried  in 
the  bay  of  Porto  Bello. 

In  consequence  of  the  constant  menaces  of  the  pirates  it  was 
decided  to  fortify  Porto  Bello  and  the  work  of  constructing  the  for- 
tress was  commenced  in  1597  and  these  works,  the  ruins  of  which 
still  remain,  were  finished  in  1602.  In  this  same  year,  however, 
William  Parker  at  the  head  of  200  pirates  took  the  place  by 
surprise  burned  and  destroye  d  part  of  the  city,  capturing  a 
valuable  treasury.  During  the  regime  of  Diego  Fernandez  de  Ve- 
lasco  (1616-1619)  King  Phillip  III  ordered  the  exploration  of  the 
Darien  country  by  the  Gulf  of  San  Miguel  and  the  river  Tuira  to 
see  if  it  was  possible  to  open  up  interoceanic  communication,  but 


17 

this  work  was  stopped  as  it  was  feared  that  it  would  aid  other 
countries  to  take  possession  of  Panama. 

In  June  1668  the  English  pirate  Morgan  attacked  the  fort  of  Por- 
tobelo  which  he  took.  Securing  a  booty  of  $250,000.00  he  left,  but 
in  December  1670  returned  with  a  squadron  and  2500  men  and 
took  the  castle  of  St.  Lorenzo  and  continuing  along  the  Chagres 
as  far  as  Las  Cruces  arrived  in  front  of  Panama  where  1500  Spa- 
niards were  waiting  for  him.  At  Matasnillo  a  violent  combat  took 
place  in  which  the  pirates  were  the  victors.  They  then  attacked 
the  city  of  Panama  and  entered  it  but  it  was  shortjy  afterwards 
destroyed  by  a  fire  which  started  during  the  night.  The  pirates 
remained  in  the  ruins  until  February  24th,  when  they  left  with  194 
muleloads  of  booty  of  gold,  silver  and  precious  stones. 

On  January  1st,  1673,  the  present  city  of  Panama  was  founded. 

On  October  30th,  1698,  a  Scotch  Squadron  arrived  at  the  coast 
of  Darien  with  1200  men  headed  by  William  Patterson,  with  the 
object  of  establishing  a  colony  for  the  exploitation  of  Darien  and 
with  this  end  in  view  a  treaty  was  celebrated  with  the  Indians 
and  the  town  of  New  Edinburgh  was  formed.  Calidonia  was  the 
name  given  to  the  colony  which  extended  from  Portobelo  to  the 
Gulf  of  Uraba,  but  owing  to  the  privations  of  every  kind,  practically 
all  the  colonists  became  sick  and  abandoned  the  Darien  in  June  1699. 
On  the  30th.  of  November  of  the  same  year  another  expedition  arrived 
with  1300  men  and  after  sustaining  a  primitive  campaign  against 
the  Spaniards  who  in  increasing  numbers  came  from  Panama  and 
Cartagena,  surrendered  on  April  24th.  1700,  and  abandoned  the 
colony  with  military  honors. 

The  situation  of  the  Isthmus  became  considerable  worse  on  ac- 
count of  the  attacks  of  the  pirates,  the  uprisings  of  Indians  and 
negroes  and  the  paralization  of  commercial  operations,  as  Spain 
no  longer  communicated  with  her  other  colonies  by  way  of  Panama. 
This  state  of  affairs  lasted  for  some  time,  practically  through  all 
of  the  seventeenth  century  until  the  new  ideas  of  liberty  which  the 
French  revolution  brought.  Owing  to  the  moral  decadence  which 
Spains  suffered,  independent  ideas  surged  up  in  the  colonies 
took  shape  in  1809  when  the  first  cry  of  liberty  was  given  in  Quito. 
During  the  second  fifteen  years  of  the  nineteenth  century  the  re- 
mainder of  the  Spanish  colonies  on  this  continent  rose  in  arms  but 


18 

the  Isthmus  remained  faithful.  The  Spaniards  thereupon  made 
it  a  center  for  the  provisioning  of  troops  who  defended  the  royalists 
cause  in  Venezuela,  Colombia,  Ecuador  and  Peru,  and  organized 
here  expeditions  the  last  of  which  left  on  October  22nd.,  1821,  for 
the  coast  of  Ecuador  under  the  command  of  Captain  General 
Juan  de  la  Cruz  Murgeon,  who  before  leaving  placed  Colonel  Jose 
de  Fabrega,  a  distinguished  Panamaian  ,in  charge.  Fabrega  had 
formerly  been  Governor  of  the  Province  of  Veraguas. 

The  promotion  of  Fabrega  at  the  moment  when  Spain  had  prac- 
tically lost  all  her  colonies  in  America  gave  great  hopes  to  the  Pa- 
namanians who  wished  for  independence  and  the  chiefs  of  the  mov- 
ement started  to  provoke  desertions  amongst  the  Spanish  garrison 
in  the  capital.  On  November  13th;  1821,  liberty  was  proclaimed 
in  Los  Santos  and  a  short  time  afterwards  the  same  was  done  in 
Pese  and  Nata,  which  contributed  to  raise  up  the  patriotic  spirit 
in  the  rest  of  the  country. 

The  plan  of  getting  the  Spanish  soldiers  to  desert  gave  such  good 
results  that  at  the  end  of  November  only  the  troops  necessary  for 
the  custody  of  the  jails  remained  in  the  city  of  Panama,  and  as 
on  the  night  of  the  27th,  60  soldiers  deserted  taking  their  arms 
with  them,  the  government  took  precautions  to  prevent  the  im- 
pending blow,  placing  the  troops  in  strategic  places  around  the 
city.  The  people,  however,  invaded  the  Cathedral  plaza  and  asked 
the  Municipal  body  to  meet  and  to  decide  the  fate  of  the  Isthmus, 
with  the  result  that  a  short  time  afterwards  in  the  Consistory  house, 
the  Governor,  the  Captain  General,  the  Bishop,  the  representa- 
tives of  the  provinces  and  a  number  of  high  military  and  civil 
authorities  met  and  decided  that  Panama  should  be  freed  from  the 
Spanish  dominion  and  joined  with  Colombia.  Fabrega  remained 
in  supreme  command. of  the  country.  This  declaration  of  inde- 
pendence was  favorably  received  throughout  the  Istmus. 

On  account  of  the  voluntary  union  of  Panama  with  Great  Colom- 
bia, the  government  of  that  country  appointed  a  Venezuelan 
named  Jose  Maria  Carreno  to  take  charge  of  the  government, 
as  Colonel  Fabrega  at  his  own  request  was  transferred  to  the 
government  of  Veraguas.  Carreno  on  his  arrival  put  the  Colom- 
bian Constitution  into  effect  and  organized  a  body  o  f700  infantry 


19 

with  which  he  left  for  the  south  to  cooperate  with  the  forces  of 
liberty  fighting  in  Venezuela,  Colombia  and  Peru. 

In  consequence  of  the  state  of  anarchy  which  reigned  in  Colombia 
and  which  held  back  the  progress  of  various  sections  of  the  country, 
the  idea  took  shape  in  the  Isthmus  to  form  a  sovereign  state  which 
should  be  cofederated  with  Venezuela  and  Ecuador,  thus  forming 
part  of  the  Colombian  union,  or  else  to  form  a  sovereing  state 
which  should  be  protected  by  the  European  powers.  On  Septem- 
ber 26th.,  183 lj  a  meeting  of  leading  men  decided  to  make  Panama 
independent  of  Colombia  and  to  call  on  the  liberator  Simon  Bolivar 
in  order  that  he  might  work  for  the  union  of  the  peoples  who  formed 
the  great  Colombia. 

General  Jose  Domingo  Espinar,  the  military  commander  of  the 
Isthmus  assumed  supreme  command  and  the  movement  had  a 
favorable  echo  in  various  sections  of  the  province  of  Panama,  but 
did  not  succeed  in  Veraguas  where  General  Fabrega  was  strongly 
opposed  and  due  to  this  and  the  advice  given  by  Bolivar,  the 
Isthmus  was  reincorporated  into  Colombia  by  decree  of  December 
llth.  of  the  same  year. 

In  1848,  after  the  war  between  the  United  States  and  Mexico, 
the  country  known  as  Upper  California  was  ceded  to  the  United 
States  and  acquired  such  importance  on  account  of  the  discovery 
of  the  valuable  gold  deposits.  The  result  of  this  was  the  establish- 
ment of  several  lines  of  ships  to  carry  the  gold  by  the  Panama 
route  which  brought  many  persons  to  the  Isthmus.  To  cross  the 
Isthmus  the  Chagres  river  was  used  from  the  Atlantic  side  as  far 
as  Gorgona  or  Cruces  and  from  either  of  these  points  on  saddle 
mules  to  Panama  and  vice-versa. 

The  economic  situation  of  the  Isthmus  changed  for  the  better  by 
this  circumstance  and  an  era  of  immense  prosperity  set  in.  In 
May,  1 850,  the  work  on  the  railroad  was  commenced  in  Colon  and 
on  January  27,  1855,  the  last  rail  was  laid  in  Panama  station. 
The  work  cost  nearly  eight  million  dollars. 

The  idea  of  constructing  a  canal  to  unite  the  two  oceans,  cutting 
Panamanian  territory  in  two  parts,  was  first  born  in  the  brains  of 
the  Spaniards  in  the  colonial  days  and  now  came  up  again  in  1880. 
In  the  following  year  the  first  French  engineers  under  the  direction 
of  Ferdinand  de  Lesseps  arrived  in  Panama  and  started  the  pre- 


20 

liminary  surveys  for  the  route.  The  formal  excavation  was  com- 
menced in  1888.  After  the  declaration  of  the  bankruptcy  of  the 
French  company  the  work  was  stopped  in  May  15th.,  1889,  to  be 
renewed  in  a  minor  scale  in  1895. 

The  chiefs  of  the  French  Canal  Company  on  becoming  convinced 
of  their  impotence  to  carry  through  the  work,  started  negotiations 
with  the  Government  of  the  United  States  and  the  Colombian 
government  to  sell  their  rights  to  the  former  and  celebrated  with 
the  North  American  government  the  Herran-Hay  treaty  in  virtue 
of  which  Colombia  authorized  the  French  Company  to  sell  and 
transfer  its  rights  and  properties  to  the  American  government  and 
gave  the  latter  the  exclusive  right  for  the  construction  and  opera- 
tion of  the  Canal  during  100  years  which  might  be  renewed,  ceding 
it  at  the  same  time  a  zone  of  3  miles  on  each  side  of  the  canal. 
excepting  the  cities  of  Panama  and  Colon. 

This  treaty  was  met  with  much  opposition  in  Colombia  and 
especially  in  Congress  before  which  the  two  representatives  of 
Panama,  Mr.  Jose  Domingo  de  Obaldia  and  Dr.  Luis  de  Roux,  ex- 
plained the  danger  which  would  occur  if  the  treaty  was  thromn 
out.  It  was  stated  that  the  people  of  Panama  were  figuring  on 
the  future  construction  of  the  canal  and  were  tired  of  the  revolu- 
tionary movements  which  had  occurred  since  the  freedom  from 
Spain,  and  would  probably  decide  to  separate  themselves  from 
Colombia  to  form  an  independent  republic  and  make  the  cons- 
truction of  the  canal  possible. 

Notwithstanding  these  and  other  opportune  declarations  the 
Herran-Hay  treaty  was  thrown  out  on  August  12th.,  1903. 

A  few  days  afterwards,  Jose  Domingo  de  Obaldia  returned  to 
Panama  to  which  he  had  been  appointed  governor  and  the  prin- 
cipal independent  elements  took  on  new  courage  at  seeing  a  Pa- 
namanian appointed  to  guide  the  destenies  of  the  country.  They 
secretly  commenced  negotiations  to  obtain  an  acknowledgement 
from  the  American  government  that  it  would  recognize  the  inde- 
pendence of  Panama  if  it  were  proclaimed,  promising  to  sign  a  si- 
milar treaty  to  the  Herran-Hay  one  for  the  canal  construction. 
Dr.  Manuel  Amador  Guerrero  who  went  to  the  United  States  with 
this  object  was  successful  in  his  mission  and  returning  to  Panama 
he  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the  committee  for  Independence 


21 

which  was  formed  of  Jose  Agustin  Arango,  Ricardo  and  Tomas 
Arias,  Manuel  Espinosa  B.,  Federico  Boyd,  Carlos  Constantino 
Arosamena  and  Nicanor  A.  de  Obarrio.  These  leaders  at  once  ob- 
tained the  cooperation  of  the  liberal  party  and  of  General  Este- 
ban  Huertas,  chief  of  the  Colombia  battalion  which  was  in  service 
in  Panama. 

On  the  afternoon  of  November  3rd,  the  Panamanian  people 
headed  by  the  liberal  leader  General  Domingo  Diaz  and  others 
met  in  Santa  Ana  plaza  and  marched  to  the  Chiriqui  barracks 
where  by  the  orders  of  General  Huertas,  Generals  Juan  B.  Tobar 
and  Ramon  C.  Amaya  had  been  arrested  just  before.  These  men 
had  arrived  at  the  head  of  the  Tiradores  battalion  from  Colom- 
bi;i  to  replace  General  Huertas,  but  finding  some  difficulty  in 
transporting  the  troops  which  had  accompanied  them,  had  left  the 
soldiers  in  Colon  and  come  to  this  city. 

On  the  night  of  the  same  day  the  council  accepted  the  facts  by 
means  of  an  act  of  Independence,  appointing  Jose  Agustin  Arango, 
Federico  Boyd  and  Tomas  Alias  to  form  a  Governing  Committee 
to  provisionally  rule  the  destinies  of  the  new  republic. 

On  November  18th.,  of  the  same  year  the  Canal  treaty  was  sign- 
ed between  the  United  States  and  the  new  He-public  of  Panama. 

On  January  15th.  1904,  the  National  ( '(invention  met  which  in 
acknowledgement  of  the  valuable  services  rendered  by  Dr.  Ma- 
nuel Amador  Guerrero  to  the  cause  of  independence,  unanimously 
appointed  him  President  of  the  Republic  of  which  office  he  took 
possession  of  February  20th. 

Since  the  first  President,  Dr.  Manuel  Amador  Guerrero,  the  fol- 
lowing have  been  elected  Presidents  or  have  exercised  such  func- 
tions as  Vice-Presidents  as  follows : 

1908-9    Jose  Domingo  de  Obaldia,  elected  President. 

1910  Carlos  A.  Mendoza,  Vice-President  in  charge  of  the 
Executive  Power 

1910-1912  Pablo  Arosemena,  Vice-President  in  charge  of  the 
Executive  Power. 

1912  Rodolfo  Chiari,  Vice-President  in  charge  of  the  Execu- 
tive Power. 

1912-1916  Belisario  Porras,  elected  President. 

1916  Ramon  Valdes,  elected  President. 


THE  PANAMA  CANAL 

Much  might  be  said  about  the  construction  of  the  Panama 
Canal,  a  work  realized  by  the  Govenment  of  the  United  States 
at  a  cost  of  $375,000,000.00  inclusive  of  the  10  millions  which  it 
had  to  pay  to  Panama  for  the  construction  rights  and  the  40  mil- 
lions to  the  French  Company  for  the  sale  of  its  rights  and  properties. 

It  is  calculated  that  the  excavations  made  by  the  French  which 
were  used  by  the  Americans  were  of  a  value  of  $25.389,240.00  and 
that  the  value  of  the  property  sold  by  the  French  was  $42,799,826.00. 

The  Canal  has,  from  deep  water  in  the  Caribbean  to  deep  water 
in  the  Pacific  a  length  of  fifty  miles,  and  from  coast  to  coast  forty 
miles.  Steamers  take  from  10  to  12  hours  to  pass  through  it,  three 
hours  being  spent  in  the  ascent  and  descent  of  the  locks,  three  of 
which  are  situated  in  Gatun,  one  in  Pedro  Miguel  and  two  in  Mira- 
flores.  The  locks  are  twelve  in  number  and  are  constructed  in 
pairs  in  order  to  avoid  delay  from  vessels  traveling  in  opposite 
directions.  The  chamber  of  each  lock  is  1000  feet  long  by  110 
wide.  The  walls  vary  between  50  and  90  feet  in  height.  The  small- 
est width  of  the  Canal  bottom  is  300  feet  at  Culebra  cut  for  a  lenth 
of  nine  miles  and  of  one  mile  in  Gatum  lake.  Its  depth  is  45  feet 
although  in  the  lake  above  mentioned  it  is  85  feet.  The  lake  has 
about  64  aquare  miles  in  area. 

The  Americans  commenced  work  on  May  4th.,  1904,  after  the 
failure  of  the  French  who  had  excavated  80,000,000  tons  of  dirt 
and  rock.  Of  these  they  took  advantage  of  30,000,000  as  their 
plans  were  not  exactly  the  same  as  those  of  the  French.  From 
the  canal  prism  the  Americans  took  out  212,504,000  tons  of  dirt 
and  rock,  thus  making  the  total  for  the  opening  242,000,000  cubic 
yards  of  material  or  the  same  quantity  which  would  be  required 
to  excavate  a  tunnel  of  thirteen  feet  wide  across  the  globe. 

In  the  construction  of  the  locks  and  auxiliary  works  more  than 
5,000,000  cubic  yards  of  concrete  were  required  ,or  enough  mate- 
rial to  construct  a  wall  of  12  feet  high  by  eight  wide  and  266  miles 
long. 


23 

The  Canal  was  opened  toe  ommercial  traffic  on  August  15th. 
1914.  Battleships  of  80,000  tons,  100  feet  long  and  armed  with 
18  inch  guns  could  pass  through  it,  although  vessels  of  this  size 
have  not  been  constructed  up  to  the  present. 

At  the  entrance  to  the  canal  on  the  Atlantic  side  is  situated  the 
Toro  Point  breakwater,  which  is  11,700  feet  long,  15  feet  wide  and 
10  feet  above  sea  level.  Its  cost  was  $5,500,000.00  gold  and 
2,840,000  cubic  yards  of  rock  were  employed.  It  protects  the  port 
and  the  steamers  which  enter  against  the  strong  winds  which  blow 
from  October  to  January.  Another  breakwater  has  been  constructed 
in  Balboa  from  Sosa  hill  to  the  island  of  Naos,  which  is  more 
than  three  miles  long.  Its  height  above  the  sea  at  low  water  varies 
from  20  to  40  feet.'  Its  width  is  50  feet  to  3000  and  in  its  construc- 
tion 18,000,000  tons  of  rock  and  stone  were  employed. 

At  the  Atlantic  entrance  to  the  canal  the  city  of  Cristobal  is 
situated  which  borders  on  Colon,  forming  a  great  contrast  not  only 
in  houses  but  in  the  disposition  of  the  same  and  their  inhabitants. 
Most  of  the  dwellers  in  Cristobal  are  Americans  and  Antillian 
negroes  in  the  Canal  service.  It  has  spacious  docks  of  concrete 
where  the  greater  part  of  the  ships  crossing  the  canal  tie  up  and 
has  also  enormous  coal  depots  for  the  supply  of  the  ships. 

The  terminal  port  of  the  Canal  on  the  Pacific  side  is  very  similar 
to  that  of  Cristobal.  Balboa  has  docks  which  offer  equaL facili- 
ties and  has  also  a  dry  dock  which  is  one  of  the  greatest  in  the 
world.  Its  provision  warehouses  are  admirably  stocked  with 
everything  needed  on  a  ship  making  trips  to  distant  ports.  Its 
mechanical  shops  for  the  repairs  of  every  kind  of  machinery  are 
of  enormous  dimensions  and  well  equipped. 

Balboa  is  a  continuation  of  the  town  of  Ancon  and  offers  great 
attraction  to  the  traveller.  Here  is  the  Administration  building 
well  placed  and  beatiful,  containing  the  office  of  the  Governor  and 
many  of  the  principal  officers  of  the  Canal. 

The  Canal  Zone  is  governed  by  special  laws  and  depends  directly 
on  the  Secretary  of  War  of  the  United  States.  In  case  of  war  the 
authorities  are  under  the  command  of  the  Commanding  General 
of  the  American  troops  stationed  there.  For  its  defense  it  has 
magnificient  fortifications  constructed  at  the  two  ends  of  the  great 
interoceanic  route  and  on  the  neighboring  islands  as  well  as  many 


24 

thousand  soldiers,  infantry,  cavalry  and  artillery,  and  it  is  propo- 
sed to  establish  a  submarine  base. 

Owing  to  the  European  war  is  is  impossible  to  prove  that  the 
Canal  is  a  good  commercial  enterprise  as  a  large  number  of  mer- 
chant ships  of  the  warring  nations  have  been  taken  off  in  order  to 
enter  transports  service  in  European  waters  or  have  been  compell- 
ed to  suspend  navigation. 

The  cost  of  the  working  and  upkeep  of  the  Canal  in  1915  was 
$5,570,771.76  and  191617,142,124.05. 

During  the  four  months  and  a  half  of  1914  that  the  canal  was 
working  357  ships  with  a  total  net  tonnage  of  cargo  of  1,305,278 
pased  through;  during  1915,  1170  steamers  with  3,970,356  net  tons 
and  in  1916, 1253  with  3,933,869  net  tons. 

In  the  four  months  and  a  half  of  1914  the  tolls  from  the  ships 
which  utilized  the  Canal  were  $1,520,082.24;  during  the  year 
of  1915  they  were  $4,268,402.13  and  in  1916  $3,677,695.60. 

Tariffs.  Merchant  ships  carrying  passengers  or  cargo  pay  by 
net  steamer  ton  (every  100  cubic  feet)  of  utilizable  capacity  $1.20. 

Steamers  in  ballast  without  passangers  or  cargo,  for  net  steamers 
ton  (every  100  cubic  feet)  of  utilizable  capacity $0.72 

Naval  vessels,  with  the  exception  of  transports,  colliers,  hospital- 
ships  and  supply-ships,  per  displacement  ton $0.50 

Naval  transports,  colliers,  hospital-ships  and  supply-ships  mea- 
sured according  to  the  methods  used  to  determine  the  tonnage 
of  merchant  vessels,  per  net  ton $1.20 

The  tolls  collected  may  not  exceed  the  equivalent  of  41.25  per 
ton  registry  as  measured  in  the  United  States  ,nor  can  they  be  less 
than  the  equivalent  of  $0.75  per  net  registry  ton. 


25 


COMPARATIVE  DISTANCE  (IN  NAUTICAL  MILES)  IN  THE  WORLD'S  SEA  TRAFIC  AND  DIFERENCE  IN  DISTANCES 
VIA  PANAMA  CANAL  AND  OTHER  PRINCIPAL  ROUTES. 

FROM 


TO 

VIA 

NEW 
YOKK 

NEW 
OKLEAN8 

LIVER- 
POOL 

HAM- 
BURG 

SUEZ 

PANAMA 

Seattle 

DISTANCE 

Magellan 
Panama 

SAVED 

13,953 
6,080 
7,873 

14,369 
5,501 
8,868 

14,320 
8,654 
6,666 

14,701 
9,173 
5,528 

15,397 
10,447 

4,950 

4,063 

San  Francisco 

DISTANCE 

Magellan 
Panama 

SAVED 

13,135 
5,262 
7,873 

13,551 
4,683 
8,868 

13,502 
7,836 
6,666 

13,883 
8,355 
6,528 

14,579 
9,629 

4,960 

3,245 

Honolulu 

DISTANCE 

Magellan 
Panama 

SAVED 

13,312 
6,702 

6,610 

13,728 
6,123 
7,606 

13,679 
9,276 

4,403 

14,060 
9,795 

4,265 

14,756 
11,069 
3,687 

4,685 

Guayaquil 

DISTANCE 

Magellan 
Panama 

SAVED 

10,215 
2,810 
7,405 

10,631 
2,231 
8,400 

10,582 
5,384 
6,198 

10,963 
5,903 
5,060 

11,659 
9,192 
2,467 

793 

Callao 

DISTANCE 

Magellan 
Panama 

SAVED 

9,613 
3,363 
6,260 

10,029 

2,784 
7,246 

9,980 
5,937 

4,043 

10,361 
6,456 

3,905 

11,057 
7,730 

3,327 

1,346 

Valparaiso 

DISTANCE 

Magellan 
Panama 

SAVED 

8,380 
4,623 

3,747 

8,796 
,    4,054 
4,742 

8,747 
7,207 
1,540 

9,128 
7,726 
1,402 

9,824 
9,000 
824 

2,616 

Wellington 

Magellan 

11,344 

11,760 

13,353 

9,694 

Suez 

12,989 

DISTANCE 

Panama    ' 

SAVED 

8,857 
2,493 

8,272 
3,488 

11,425 
1,664 

11,944 
1,409 

9,205 

489 

6,834 

Melbourne 

C.  Good  Hope 

13,162 

14,095 

11,845 

8,186 

Suez 

11,654 

DISTANCE 

Panama 

SAVED 

10,392 
2,770 

9,813 
4,288 

12,966 
1,312 

13,452 
1,607 

10,713 

2,527 

8,342 

Manila 

Suez 

11,589 

12,943 

9,701 

9.892 

6,233 

DISTANCE 

Panama 

SAVED 

11,548 
41 

10,969 

1,974 

14,122 
4,421 

14,608 
4,716 

11,869 
5,636 

9,370 

Hongkong 

DISTANCE 

Suez 
Panama 

SAVED 

11,673 
11,691 
18 

13,031 
11,112 
1,919 

9,785 
13,957 
4,172 

9,976 
14,443 
4,467 

6,317 
11,704 
6,887 

9,173 

Yokohama 

DISTANCE 

Suez 
Panama 

SAVED 

13,566 
9,798 
3,768 

14,924 
9,219 
6,706 

11,678 
12,372 
b94 

11,869 
13,858 
1,989 

8,210 
11,119 
2,909 

7,660 

Panama 

2,017 

1,438 

4,591 

5,110 

6,387 

TOURIST  SECTION 

GASOLINE  LAUNCH  TRIPS 

In  order  to  give  tourists  opportunities  to  know  the  Canal  and 
visit  its  surroundings,  the  Panama  Canal  authorities  have  arrang- 
ed a  series  of  gasoline  launch  trips  at  the  following  prices. 

Launch  for  40  person,  first  hour  $7.50  gold,  following  $5.00. 

Launch  for  10  persons  first  hour  $5.00  gold,  following  $2.50. 

On  the  Atlantic  side  the  following  trips  may  be  taken. 

From  Colon  to  Gatun. 

From  Colon  to  Fort  San  Lorenzo. 

From  Colon  to  Porto  Bello. 

From  Gatun  to  Fort  San  Lorenzo. 

FROM  GATUN  LAKE 

By  the  lake  from  Gatun  to  Gamboa. 

From  Gatun  to  Pedro  Miguel,  by  the  lake  and  Gaillard  cut. 

From  Gamboa  to  Pedro  Miguel,  through  Gaillard  cut. 

FROM  THE  PACIFIC  SIDE 

From  Balboa  to  the  Miraflores  locks. 

From  Balboa  to  Taboga. 

Cruise  in  Panama  Bay. 

To  obtain  these  launches,  tourists  may  arrange  with  the  man- 
agers of  the  Hotel  Washington  in  Colon  or  with  the  Hotel  Tivoli 
in  Panama. 

Launches  go  daily  to  Taboga  leaving  Balboa  at  9  o'clock  and 
from  Panama  at  the  same  time,  returning  in  the  afternoon.  Laun- 


27 

ches  leave  Balboa  at  four  o'clock  and  Panama  at  five  o'clock  on 
Saturday  afternoons;  the  cost  of  the  round  trip  being  $1.50  gold. 

TRIPS  IN  THE  CITY  OF  PANAMA  AND  VICINITY 
TRIP  NUMBER  1.     THE  CITY 

This  may  be  made  in  coach  or  automobile.  The  vehicle  should 
be  hired  by  the  hour.  A  good  place  to  start  from  is  the  Railroad 
station,  following  Central  Avenue  as  far  as  Fifteenth  Street,  turn- 
ing into  North  Avenue  in  which  the  Public  market  will  be  seen. 
This  is  a  very  busy  place  up  to  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Fo- 
lowing  the  same  avenue  and  passing  by  the  President's  mansion 
between  fifth  and  sixth  streets  and  the  Union  Club  on  the  corner 
of  fourth  street,  taking  then  the  third  street  passing  the  ruins  of 
the  Convent  of  San  Francisco,  the  church  of  the  same  name  and 
Bolivar  park.  From  here  one  takes  the  end  of  Avenue  B.  to  pass 
in  front  of  the  National  Theatre;  second  street  to  Central  Avenue. 
In  this  street  is  the  National  Palace  with  the  offices  of  the  De- 
partments of  Government,  Foreign  Relations,  Finances  and  Public 
Works  and  a  special  department  for  the  Legislative  body.  On  the 
corner,  at  the  junction  of  Central  Avenue  and  this  street  are  the 
Baptist  church  and  the  protestant  college  in  the  same  building. 
Following  Central  Avenue  and  passing  the  First  street  the  Bove- 
das  are  reached,  from  which  all  the  bay  can  be  seen  and  the  Is- 
lands of  Taboga,  Taboguilla,  Naos,  Flamenco  and  Culebra  and  the 
entrace  to  the  Canal. 

The  Bovedas  were  constructed  by  the  Spaniards  and  formed  an 
important  part  of  the  defenses  of  the  city.  At  one  end  there  are 
series  of  cells  belonging  to  Chiriqui  prison  in  which  long  term  cri- 
minals are  jailed  and  whose  roof  forms  part  of  the  walk. 

The  tourist  should  go  from  the  Bovedas  to  Second  Street  towards 
Avenue  A,  before  arriving  at  which  he  will  pass  the  French  Lega- 
tion and  University  Club.  Following  the  Avenue  A,  the  church  of 
Santo  Domingo  is  passed  which  is  today  ruined  but  a  magnificent 
and  almost  flat  arch  is  still  reserved,  which  was  constructed  by  the 
Spaniards  in  the  colonial  period  and  still  attracts  much  attention. 
This  church  was  destroyed  in  a  fire  in  1756  and  the  arch  hasweath- 
red  every  storm  and  also  a  number  of  earthquakes  since. 


28 

Following  Third  Street  to  again  take  Central  Avenue,  the  Ameri- 
can Legation  is  passed  on  the  corner  of  Fourth  Street  and  one 
block  farther  is  the  Hotel  Central,  situated  in  front  of  the  Cathe- 
dral park.  On  the  left  the  old  Administration  Building  of  the  Canal 
is  seen  in  which  are  now  installed  the  administration  of  Post  and 
Telegraphs,  the  Secretary  of  Public  Instruction  and  other  import- 
ant offices.  At  the  side  of  this  building  is  the  Municipal  Palace. 
Another  important  building  here  is  the  Cathedral.  On  the  other 
side  of  the  park,  fronting  the  Post  Office  is  the  Episcopal  Palace 
on  the  lower  floors  of  which  the  office  of  the  Panama  Lottery  is 
situated. 

Returning  to  Central  Avenue  and  continuing  towards  the  north 
on  the  corner  of  Eight  Street  is  the  building  which  was  formerly 
the  Hotel  Aspinwall  but  now  is  occupied  as  a  store  of  Messrs  Piza 
Piza  &  Co.  The  sea  at  one  time  reached  to  this  spot.  Between 
Ninth  and  Tenth  Streets  is  the  Church  of  Las  Mercedes,  and  be- 
tween this  and  Eleventh  Street  are  the  Mayor's  office,  the  Gover- 
nor's office,  the  International  Insurance  Company  building  and 
one  block  further  on  is  the  Santa  Ana  park  with  the  church  of  the 
same  name.  On  one  side  of  this  park  is  the  Variedades  Theatre 
and  on  another  is  the  Hotel  Metropole. 

TRIP  NUMBER  2.     IN  COACH.  AUTOMOBILE  OR  STREET  CAR 

From  the  Railroad  station  south  as  far  as  B.  Street  and  then  to 
the  right  until  arriving  at  Balboa  docks,  passing  the  Santo  Tomas 
Hospital,  the  principal  charitable  institution  in  Panama  and  lower 
down  in  front  of  the  cementeries  of  Panama,  amongst  whieh  are 
those  of  the  Chinese  and  the  Jews.  In  making  this  trip  one  passes 
through  the  Chorrillo  where  the  city  of  Panama  borders  on  the 
Canal  Zone  which  is  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  American  au- 
thorities. 

On  returning  from  the  docks  and  arriving  at  the  railroad  line, 
turn  to  the  Prado,  where  the  beautiful  concrete  houses  of  this  model 
town  may  be  seen  and  at  the  end  of  the  Prado  is  the  elegant  Admi- 
tration  Building  where  the  governor  and  the  principal  canal  author- 
ities have  their  offices.  Following  the  picturesque  roads  from 
the  Ancon  hill,  the  Ancon  Hospital  is  passed  entering  the  city  of 


29 

Panama  and  passing  the  Hotel  Tivoli  and  the  Century  Club,  both 
situated  in  front  of  de  Lesseps  park. 

TRIP  NUMBER  3,     ON  AUTOMOBILE  OR  COACH 

Leaving  the  Railroad  station  by  Central  Avenue  as  far  as  J. 
Street  which  is  taken  as  far  as  the  Century  Club  to  enter  Ancon 
from  this  side  which  one  takes  the  road  as  far  as  the  Hospital  gates 
before  passing  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  -the  Ancon  commissary  are 
passed.  One  side  of  the  Hospital  gates  the  Admitting  Office  is  passed 
and  following  the  laboratories  and  the  morgue.  The  private  houses 
of  the  doctors  are  next,  after  which  come  the  different  wards  of 
the  hospital  and  finally  the  nurses  quarters. 

The  grounds  of  the  hospital  are  picturesque  and  the  recently 
constructed  wards  are  of  elegant  arquitecture. 

From  the  hospital  the  trip  is  taken  to  Balboa  heights  where  the 
private  residence  of  the  Governor  of  the  Panama  Canal  is  situated 
together  with  those  of  the  principal  officials  of  the  Canal,  including 
that  of  the  General  commanding  and  officers  of  the  American 
troops  in  charge  of  the  Canal  defenses.  On  returning  one  should 
pass  in  front  of  the  Administration  Building  and  before  arriving 
at  the  Railroad  station  in  Panama  a  turn  should  be  taken  around 
the  National  Institute,  the  principal  educational  establishment  of 
the  Republic,  a  building  which  is  worthy  of  admiration. 

TRIP  NUMBER  4.     THE  BATHING  PAVILLION  AT  BELLA  VISTA 

In  automobile,  coach  or  street  car  by  way  of  Calidonia,  a  well 
travelled  road  which  constitutes  the  prolongation  to  the  Central 
Avenue.  Soon  after  passing  the  bridge  of  Calidonia  one  turns  to 
the  right  to  enter  the  suburb  of  the  Exposition  of  1916,  where  are 
the  Cuban  and  Spanish  pavillions,  the  latter  actually  occupied  by 
the  Legation  of  said  country.  The  edifice  of  the  Panamanian  Red 
Cross,  the  Bolivar  Asylum,  the  Normal  School  for  girls  and  others 
of  no  less  elegance  as  some  of  private  houses  and  the  Panama  Hos- 
pital. 

Leaving  these  grounds  to  proceed  to  Bella  Vista  one  passes  the 
Soldiers  Club  at  the  Casino  and  the  Bull  Ring.  A  few  hundred 


30 

meters  further  on  is  the  suburb  of  Bella  Vista,  the  newest  and 
most  picturesque  in  the  city,  where  there  are  many  beautiful  re- 
sidences of  great  elegance  and  finally  one  arrives  at  the  bathing 
pavillion  which  is  very  much  frequented  on  holidays. 

TRIP  NUMBER  5.     OLD  PANAMA 

By  the  same  road  which  goes  to  Bella  Vista,  one  travels  to  Old 
Panama  where  numerous  persons  go  daily,  practically  always  in 
automobile  to  visit  the  ruins  and  to  take  the  fresh  air.  Las  Saba~ 
nas  are  passed,  where  the  principal  families  of  Panama  have  their 
summer  residences.  Old  Panama  is  7J/2  miles  distant  from  the 
city.  The  stone  bridge  over  which  the  treasures  of  Peru  passed 
for  so  many  years,  still  exists.  The  cathedral  tower  stills  stands 
out  amongst  the  ruins. 

This  trip  may  be  extended  to  Juan  Diaz,  a  small  town  a  few 
miles  away,  and  in  that  case  the  opportunity  should  be  taken  of 
visiting  the  Agricultural  School  two  miles  from  Old  Panama. 
Regarding  Old  Panama  and  its  capture  and  destruction  by  Morgan, 
the  chapter  in  this  pamphlet  on  the  history  of  the  country  gives 
further  details. 

TRIP  NUMBER  6.     IN  AUTOMOBILE  TO  EMPIRE 

In  automobile  it  is  possible  to  go  to  Corozal,  Miraflores  or 
Pedro  Miguel  where  a  stop  should  be  made  to  see  the  locks. 
Thence  proceeding  to  Paraiso,  headquarters  of  the  dredging  divi- 
sion for  the  Canal.  The  automobiles  pass  near  the  Culebra  Cut, 
the  slides  of  which  have  several  times  caused  an  interruption  in 
the  traffic  of  the  steamers.  One  mile  further  on  is  Empire. 

TRIP  NUMBER  7.     TO  THE  ISLAND  OF  TABOGA 

Gasoline  launches  go  daily  to  Taboga,  one  from  Balboa  and 
one  from  Panama,  as  told  in  the  first  part  of  this  chapter. 

Taboga  was  inhabited  by  Indians  when  the  Spaniards  came  to 
the  Isthmus.  It  is  a  small  village  of  narrow  streets  in  ancient 
style,  but  has  good  hotels  which  offer  conveniences  to  the  many 
persons  who  go  there  for  the  sea  bathing. 


31 

TRIP  NUMBER  8,   TO  LA  CHORRERA 

A  gasoline  launch  leaves  practically  every  day  and  makes  the 
trip  in  two  hours  to  the  port,  two  miles  from  the  town  which  is 
practically  joined  to  Empire  by  road.  It  is  much  frequented  by 
the  Canal  troops  who  go  there  to  practice  military  manoeuvres. 

TRIP  NUMBER  9.     TO  THE  PEARL  ISLANDS 

This  can  be  made  in  a  launch  in  four  or  five  hours.  The  islands 
are  situated  about  40  miles  to  the  southeast  of  Panama  and  in 
their  waters  many  valuable  pearls  were  fished  by  the  Indians 
when  Balboa  discovered  the  Pacific.  In  those  days  the  natives 
used  them  to  adorn  their  canoes.  The  pearl  fishing  industry  was 
carried  on  here  on  a  large  scale  until  the  end  of  the  18th  century 
when  it  ceased  to  be  as  productive  as  formerly. 

PANAMA  AT  THE  PRESENT 


Panama  is  one  of  the  most  cosmopolitan  places  in  the  world 
and  it  can  be  asserted  that  persons  of  every  nationality  are  to  be 
found  here.  According  to  the  census  taken  in  1911,  it  contained 
336,  742  inhabitants  without  including  those  of  the  Canal  Zone. 
It  has  been  proven,  however,  that  this  census  was  incomplete  and 
it  is  calculated  that  at  present,  in  the  early  part  of  1917,  the  Re- 
public contains  450,000  inhabitants  besides  nearly  35,000  on  the 
Canal  Zone.  According  to  the  census  referred  to  in  1911  there 
were  155,136  men  and  145,428  women,  or  10,708  more  men  than 
women,  according  to  the  following  clasification : 

Whites.... 46,323 

Mixed  Indian-White 191,933 

Negros 48,967 

Indias 47,206 

Yellow 2,313 


336,742 


32 

of  which  39,108  were  foreigners,  but  it  is  calculated  that  at 
present  there  are  60,000  foreigners  who  are  principally  living  in 
the  Provinces  of  Panama,  Colon  and  Bocas  del  Toro. 

Of  the  groups  of  Indians  who  established  themselves  on  the  Isth- 
mus only  two  have  remained:  the  Cunas  and  Guaimies.  It  must 
be  noted  that  in  the  interior  regions  they  have  kept  the  organiza- 
tions and  the  customs  which  existed  at  the  time  of  the  arrival  of 
the  Spaniards,  except  in  the  places  where  they  are  in  contact  with 
the  civilized  elements  which  have  made  them  slightly  modify  their 
manner  of  living. 

During  the  past  14  years  the  Republic  of  Panama  has  experienc- 
ed remarkable  changes  on  all  sides.  The  capital  is  a  modern  city 
with  60,000  inhabitants  and  is  completely  sanitary; its  streets  have 
a  cleanliness  which  rivals  those  of  the  principal  cities  of  the-  United 
States  and  are  well  paved  carrying  a  traffic  which  is  great  enough 
for  a  city  of  double  the  number  of  its  inhabitants.  Panama  City 
has  a  magnificent  system  of  drains  and  also  possesses  street-car 
telegraph  and  electric  lighting  facilities  as  well  as  a  Cable  Office, 
that  of  the  Central  and  South  American  Telegraph  Company, 
which  gives  rapid  communication  with  all  parts  of  the  world. 
The  edifices  of  the  city  form  a  veritable  collection  from  the  large 
old  houses  of  the  Spanish  colonial  period  and  some  ruins  of  historic 
value,  to  the  most  modern  and  artistic  buildings  such  as  the  Gov- 
erment  Palace,  the  Municipal  Palace,  the  National  Institue,  which 
is  one  of  the  finest  buildings  of  its  kind  in  Latin  America;  the 
Spanish  Pavilion,  the  Spanish  Club,  the  National  Exposition 
buildings  of  1916,  the  Post  Office  and  the  Railroad  Station. 

Amongst  the  suburbs  of  the  city  is  Bella  Vista,  which  for  its 
houses  and  the  distribution  of  them  seems  one  of  those  beautiful 
American  residence  sections  which  cause  so  much  impresion  on 
Central  and  South  American  residents  when  they  visit  the  United 
States.  During  the  year  1915,  159  licences  were  given  for  different 
buildings  in  the  city. 

Panama  is  a  commercial  center  of  great  importance.  It  has 
numerous  and  attractive  stores  which  are  visited  not  only  by  re- 
presentatives of  every  nation  in  the  world  ,as  Panama  is  one  of  the 
most  cosmopolitan  cities,  but  also  by  the  sailors  and  passengers 
which  pass  through  the  Canal. 


33 

Panama  is  even  still  more  remarkabe  for  the  number  of  its  ins- 
titutions of  educacion  and  learning,  amongst  which  is  the  National 
Institute,  the  base  of  our  future  University  in  which  masculine 
youth  of  the  country  is  given  professional  teaching;  the  Normal 
Schools  for  girls  which  also  possesses  wonderful  class  rooms  and  an 
admirable  teaching  staff  of  native  and  foreign  professors,  the  School 
of  Arts  and  Crafts,  the  Professional  School  for  Women,  the  School 
of  Agriculture,  the  Orphan  Asylum,  etc.  etc.  There  are  good  well 
equipped  hospitals,  including  that  of  Santo  Tomas  which  is  kept  up 
by  the  state  and  that  of  Panama,  a  private  one  headed  by  doctors 
of  great  reputation  and  to  which  come  persons  from  all  the  neigh- 
boring countries  to  submit  to  delicate  and  difficult  operations. 

Panama  has  three  magnificent  banks  of  American  capital:  the 
Commercial  National  Bank  whose  headquarters  is  in  Washington 
and  possesses  a  capital  of  1,350,000.00  with  total  assets  of  ^mil- 
lions. 

The  International  Banking  Corporation,  branch  of  the  bank  of 
New  York  whose  capital  and  surplus  is  7,500.000.00  dollars. 
There  is  other  branch  in  Colon. 

The  Panama  Banking  Company  with  250,000.00  dollars  capital, 
surplus  and  undivided  profits.  Has  a  branch  in  Colon, 

The  National  Bank  with  750,000.00  dollars  capital. 

There  are  also  various  private  companies  which  do  a  banking 
business  and  which  have  good  credit  and  backing. 

Forming  a  continuation  of  Panama  are  the  towns  of  Ancon  and 
Balboa  paractically  both  inhabited  by  the  American  employees  of 
the  United  States  Government  in  the  different  interests  connec- 
ted with  the  administration  and  operation  of  the  Canal.  In  Ancon 
is  situated  the  celebrated  hospital  of  same  name  which  has  an 
enormous  fame  as  one  of  the  best  of  these  institutions  in  Latin  Ame- 
rica. Its  numerous  wards  have  been  recently  reconstructed  and 
today  present  an  enchanting  appearence. 

Colon,  like  the  capital  of  the  Republic  with  which  it  is  connec- 
ted by  railroad,  is  a  cosmopolitan  center  of  commercial  importance. 
It  has  22.000  inhabitants  who  are  mostly  foreigners.  It  is  a  port 
of  much  movement  because  besides  being  the  port  of  entry  for 
practically  all  the  merchandise  coming  to  the  country,  it  is  the 
port  of  arrival  for  many  ships  which  use  the  Canal.  The  third 


34 

town  of  the  Republic  is  David,  505  kilometers  to  the  west  of 
the  city  pf  Panama.  It  is  connected  by  railroad  with  the  port  of 
Pedregal,  with  the  rich  district  of  Boquete  and  La  Concepcion  and 
is  a  center  of  much  future  owing  to  the  very  great  natural 
resources  of  the  Chiriqui  Province. 

The  government  has  proposed  the  construction  of  other  railraod 
branches  which  will  put  David  into  communication  with  other  fa- 
vored regions  of  the  Republic. 

Bocas  del  Toro,  the  head  of  the  province  of  the  same  name,  has 
3,000  inhabitants  and  is  120  miles  from  Colon.  Is  it  an  import- 
ant center  as  enormous  quantities  of  bananas  are  shipped  from  the 
district  by  the  United  Fruit  Company  which  exports  them  to  the 
United  States  and  Europe.  Due  to  the  recent  foundation  of  Al- 
mirante,  situated  a  short  distance  away  in  the  same  bananas  dis- 
trict, Bocas  del  Toro  has  recently  lost  some  of  its  commercial  pres- 
tige. 


PUBLIC  INSTRUCTION 

As  far  as  public  instruction  is  concerned,  to  which  all  regimes 
have  given  their  best  attention,  the  progress  made  has  been  notable. 

During  the  year  1916  there  were  360  primary  public  schools  in 
the  Republic  with  a  teaching  staff  of  725  masters,  a  matriculation 
of  20,675  school  boys  and  an  attendance  of  17,042. 

The  figures  of  private  schools  should  be  added  to  these,  although 
there  are  but  few  of  these  in  the  Republic  and  their  total  of  alumnae 
can  be  calculated  at  1,000.  In  the  official  establishments  of  secon- 
dary education  of  which  there  are  five,  there  were  881  students. 
So  that  in  1916  there  were  22,056  persons  receiving  instruction 
in  the  teaching  establishments  of  the  Republic. 


VITAL  STATISTICS 

Due  to  the  fact  that  this  service  has  only  recently  been  installed 
in  proper  form,  it  is  not  possible  to  give  precise  data  to  the  years 
previous  to  1916  and  even  those  of  that  year  are  not  so  complete 
as  those  relative  to  1917.  In  January  of  this  year,  751  male  and 
729  female  children  were  born  making  a  total  of  1,400  and  as 
the  deaths  were  481  male  and  367  female  regarding  a  total  of  848, 
the  increase  by  birth  was  642  in  the  one  month. 

Acording  to  statistical  data  which,  as  stated,  are  incomplete, 
during  the  year  1916  there  were  17,500  births  and  9,600  deaths, 
with  a  resulting  balance  in  favor  of  the  conutry  of  7,900  persons. 

The  data  of  previous  years  regarding  marriages  is  equally  in- 
complete and  only  from  1917  forward,  due  to  the  obligatory  civil 
matrimony  now  established,  can  a  complete  record  be  kept  of  legal 
marriages.  In  January  of  this  year  there  were  10  civil  weddings 
and  71  ecclesiastical  ones  and  it  is  calculated  that  in  1916  there 
were  880  civil  and  ecclesisatical  marriages. 


ECONOMIC  SITUATION 

The  balboa  is  the  monetary  unit  of  Panama  and  is  purely  no- 
minal as  there  has  been  no  necessity  to  coin  it  owing  to  the  abun- 
dance of  the  American  dollar  coin  which  is  of  equal  value. 

On  the  other  hand  national  silver  money  exists,  of  fifty  hund- 
reths  of  a  balboa,  of  twenty  five  hundreths,  of  ten  hundreths, 
and  of  five  hundreths;  the  first  which  is  really  the  half  balboa  is 
generally  called  the  "peso"  and  the  others  a*re  called  five  "reales", 
two  "reales"  and  one  "real". 

Pieces  of  nickel  two  and  a  half-one  hundreths  of  a  balboa  also 
exist  and  these  are  generally  known  as  "medios".  In  order  to 
guarantee  the  value  of  the  silver  money  the  state  has  deposited 
in  the  United  States  a  sum  equal  to  15%  of  all  the  silver  in  circula 
tion. 

There  are  nearly  two  million  dollars  worth  of  Panamanian  silver 
money  in  circulation.  United  States  gold  and  silver  money  and 
bills  also  circulate  at  por  value  and  it  is  calculated  that  about  two 
millions  and  a  half  of  this  is  in  circulation.  The  wealth  per  capita 
is  therefore  about  $10.00  gold. 

The  income  and  expenses  of  the  Republic  have  had  a  remarkable 
development  as  can  be  seen  from  the  appropiations  for  last  eco- 
nomic periods,  of  two  years  each. 

In  the  liquidation  of  the  appropriation  for  the  1907-1908 
period  the  receipts  ware  given  as  B.  4, 867, 741. 27  and  the  expenditu- 
res in  an  equal  sum,  but  further  credits  were  approved  for  B.  234, 
443.40,  making  a  total  expenditure  of  B.  5,102,184.64. 

In  the  period  for  1909-1910  the  expenses  were  distributed  as 
follows: 


38 

Department  of  Government  and  Justice B.  2,339,803.18 

"  Foreign  Affairs 468.069.59 

"  Finance  and  Treasury 575,221.93 

"  Public  Instruction 1,332,430.53 

"  Public  Works 2,213,420.73 


B.  6,928,945.96 

In  the  period  for  1913-1914  the  following  were  the  expenses: 

Department  of  Government  and  Justice B.  2.745.241,33 

"  Foreign  Affairs 315.135,04 

"          "  Finance  and  Treasury 1,170.458,27 

"           "  Public  Instruction 1,724.082,46 

"  Public  Works 2,481.767,44 


B.  .8.436.684,54 

• 

The  income  in  the  same  year  was  B.  8,031,179.78.  The  liquida- 
tion corresponding  to  the  period  for  1915-1916  showed  income  of 
B.  10,953,600.00  and  expenses  for  an  equal  sum,  but  on  account  of 
the  world  crisis  following  the  European  war  the  entries  diminished 
to  such  a  point  that,  according  to  the  report  of  the  Secretary  of 
Finance  to  the  National  Assembly,  they  only  amounted  during 
the  year  1915  to  $3,375,288.88,  as  follows: 

1.      Commercial  Taxes. 

a.  Articles  under  the  10%  and  15% B.  996,295.71 

b.  Importation  of  liquors 290,320.33 

c.  Tobacco  and  cigarettes 147,734.73 

d.  Matches 28,842.66 

e.  Coffee  tax 14,773.89 

f.  Salt  tax 9,648.70 

g.  Steamship  companies 8,675.00 

h.     Importation  of  cattle 60.00 

i.      Export  duties 55,937.87 

j.      Exchange  houses 6,302.50 

2.    Consular  fees 103,938.69 


39 

3.  Liquor  production 174,410.81 

4.  Sale  of  liquor  by  retail 171,737.32 

5.  Slaughtering  of  cattle 151,440.80 

7.  Mine  taxes 330.30 

8.  Patents  and  trade  marks 2,185.00 

8.   Stamped  paper 80,207.30 

10.  Registration  fees 17,133,47 

11.  Landed  property  tax 128,757,75 

12.  Lottery 20,800.00 

13.  Pearl  shell  fishing 1      781.25 

14.  National  lands 28,031.70 

15.  Lighthouses 1,856.28 

16.  Post  offices 15,002.84 

17.  Registrations 37,510.58 

18.  Telegraphs 15,494.16 

19.  Public  markets  and  wharves 153.886.11 

20.  Tax  on  property  of  deceased  persons. 4,565.88 

21.  Uncultivated  lands 22,023.56 

22.  Interest  on  B.  6,000,000.00 260,179.58 

23.  Interest  on  B.  300,000.00 9,046.66 

24.  Interest  on  B.  35,000.00  (shares  of   National 

Navigation  Company,  nothing  collected  in 
1915) 

25.  Profits  of  National  Bank;  4^% 33,750.06 

26.  Anual  revenue  by  Canal  Treaty 250,000.00 

27.  Tax  on  internal  consumption 37,793.76 

28.  Various  revenues 55,923.55 


B.    3,375.288.88 


THE  ENTRIES  DURING  1916  WERE 

Articles  under  the  10%  and  15% B/  1,101,564.07 

Anual  revenue  by  Canal  Treaty 250.00 

National  lands 28,953.57 

Steamships  Companies 4,400.00 

Exchange  houses 6,904.50 


40 

Posts  and  telegraphs 71,711.88 

Export  duties 59,487.24 

Consular  fees 1,504.83 

Slaughtering  of  cattle (      143,771.60 

Mine  taxes 775.50 

Registration  fees 19,801.80 

Parcel  post 45,190.66 

Matches .'  34,242.70 

Importation  of  liquors 205,209.05 

Salt  tax 11,523.08 

Coffe  tax 20,312.28 

Landed  property  tax 167,573.21 

Tax  on  property  of  deceased  persons 3,587.07 

Various  revenues 65,120.64 

Tax  on  internal  consumption 58,373.50 

Interest  on  B  35,000.00  (shares  of  National  Na- 
vigation Company 1,750.00 

Lottery 124,800.00 

Public  markets  and  wharves 52,487.69 

Liquors  dnd  beer  production 174,734.50 

Patents  and  trade  marks 3,922.00 

Stamped  paper 61,329.60 

Pearl  shell  fishing 247.90 

Tobacco  and  cigarettes 142,569.48 

Uncultivated  lands 29,048.92 

Profit  of  National  Bank 33,750.06 

Sale  of  liquor  by  retail 167,922.22 

Light  houses 317.37 


B/  3,092,997.89 
FOREIGN  DEBT 

The  foreign  debt  of  the  Republic   is   nearly  B.  7,572,297.59, 

as  follows: 

Loan  for  the  construction  of  the  Chiriqui  Rail- 
road   B.  3,000,000.00 

Part  of  the  debt  of  Colombia  of  which  this  coun- 
try formed  a  part  up  until  1903 1,250,000.00 


41 

Loan  to  pay  old  debts 1,200,000.00 

Due  to  the  United  States  government  for  water 

supply,  sewerage  and  paving  in  the  streets 

of  Panama  and  Colon  to  June  30th,  1916. .  2,122,297.59 


B.     7,572,297.59 

Of  the  loan  of  $3,000,000.00  bonds  have  only  been  issued  for  the 
value  of  $2,272,750.00  and  the  remainder  will  shortly  be  issued  to 
provide  for  the  construction  of  other  branches  to  the  railroad. 
This  loan  was  obtained  in  New  York  in  1914  at  5%  yearly  with 
an  initial  discount  of  3%,  amortizable  in  30  years  and  on  account 
of  amortization  and  interest  the  sum  of  $297,758.61  has  already 
been  paid. 

On  December  1st,  1915,  a  loan  was  also  obtained  in  the  United 
States  of  B.1,200,000.00  at  an  annual  interest  of  5%  and  the  bonds 
were  issued  at  an  initial  discount  of  4%.  This  sum  and  its  interest 
must  be  repaid  in  nine  annual  payments  of  $130,000.00  on  Decem- 
ber 1st  each  year  from  1916  to  1924  and  $160,000.00  in  December 
1925.  Up  to  the  present  payments  to  the  sum  of  B.  60,000.00  have 
been  made. 

For  water  supply,  sewerage  and  paving  in  the  city  of  Panama, 
according  to  the  Canal  Treaty,  the  government  of  the  Republic 
owes  to  the  United  States  up  to  June  30th,  1916,  the  sum  of  B. 
1,045,936.12.  Said  works  cost  B.  1,236,516.60  but  the  payments 
up  to  that  date  amount  to  B.  190,580.48. 

The  total  cost  of  the  works  in  the  city  of  Colon  was  B.  1,153,584.02 
but  up  to  June  30th,  1916,  there  had  been  amortized  B.  77,222.55 
leaving  a  balance  of  B.  1,076,361.47. 

Consequently  the  debt  of  the  Republic  for  those  works  was  on 
June  30th,  1916,  the  sum  of  B.  2,122,297.59.  This  debt  has  an 
interest  of  2  per  cent  annually  and  not  only  the  principal  but  also 
the  interests  are  paid  with  the  water  rent  of  both  cities  which  the 
Sanitary  Department  of  the  Canal  Zone  collects. 

This  Department  has  also  in  its  charge  the  repair  and  upkeep 
of  the  street  paving  of  the  two  cities  which  is  charged  to  the  same 
account. 


42 

INTERIOR  DEBT 
The  interior  debt  of  the  Republic  is  B.  1,577,880.65,  as  follows: 

For  sweeping  the  street  of  Panama  and  Colon 
and  assistance  to  demented  persons  up  to 
the  end  of  June,  1916 B.  156,718.42 

To  the  United  Fruit  Co .  for  the  filling  and 
drainage  of  the  city  of  Almirante  and  the 
water  supply  of  Bocas  del  Toro 790,934.40 

This  debt  was  formerly  B.  1,150,000.00  but  up  to  the  last  June 
payments  had  been  made  to  the  value  of  B.  359,065.60  and  ac- 
cording to  contract  will  be  amortized  totally  by  the  deduction  of 
a  third  of  the  taxes  which  the  company  pays  and  with  the  revenue 
which  has  been  imposed  by  the  tax  on  the  lots  at  Almirante.  This 
debt  carries  no  interest  and  it  is  calculated  that  it  will  be  cancelled 
in  30  years. 

To  banking  institutions  and  other  entities  and  private  indivi- 
duals on  June  30th,  1916,  for  public  service  expenditure  there  was 
due  the  sum  of  B.  630,227.83. 

The  internal  debt  has  increased  during  the  last  few  months  on 
account  of  the  crisis  brought  on  by  the  European  war  as  the  entries 
into  the  National  Treasury  have  not  been  sufficient  to  cover  the 
expenses  of  the  Government. 

ASSETS 

Of  the  $10,000,000.00  which  Panama  received  from  the  United 
States  for  the  leasing  of  the  Canal  Zone,  the  sum  of  $6,000,000.00 
was  placed  at  interest  in  the  United  States,  duly  protected  by 
mortgages  and  pays  an  annual  interest  of  between  3  and  4%. 
By  constitutional  precept  this  sum  is  reserved  for  posterity. 

The  Republic  has  also  B.  750,000.00  which  constitutes  the  capi- 
tal of  the  Banco  Nacional,  an  institution  which  has  contributed  in 
an  effective  manner  to  the  development  of  the  cities  of  Panama 
and  Colon  and  in  a  lesser  manner  to  the  development  of  agriculture. 


FOREIGN  COMMERCE 

Due  to  special  circumstances,  such  as  the  construction  of  the 
Canal  which  brought  large  sums  of  money  into  the  Republic  and 
to  the  sustenance  of  the  numerous  employees  in  charge  of  the  admi- 
nistration of  the  great  rout  and  the  American  troops  which  guard 
it,  who  spend  large  sums  of  money  which  is  paid  them  by  the  United 
States  on  the  Isthmus,  and  also  due  to  the  constant  traffic  through 
the  Canal,  the  economic  principles  which  rule  in  the  commercial 
world  have  not  been  complied  with  in  this  coufotry  and  so  it  is  to 
be  noted  that  the  imports  of  merchandise  into  Panama  have  ex- 
ceeded and  continue  to  axceed  the  exportation  of  products  without" 
this  uneveness  producing  any  bad  economic  effects. 

Nevertheless,  the  agricultural  and  manufacturing  produce  was 
practically  nil  until  a  few  years  ago,  and  has  commenced  to  increase 
and  there  is  a  reason  to  believe  that  in  the  course  of  a  few  years 
this  country  will  be  a  real  producer. 

Since  the  establishment  of  the  Republic  this  country  was  cons- 
tantly increasing  its  imports  up  to  the  outbreak  of  the  European 
war,  and  so  it  is  seen  that  the  foreign  commerce  which  in  1908  was 
B.  9,633,862.14,  five  years  afterwards  was  B.  16,565,702.50. 

The  great  European  conflict  and  the  completition  of  the  Canal 
work  caused  disturbances  in  Panamanian  commerce  in  1914  and 
in  that  year  the  imports  were  only  B.  9,910,434.71  and  exports 
B.  3,800,517.18,  or  a  total  of  B.  13,710,951.89. 

During  the  last  years  the  commercial  movement  has  been  as 
follows: 


44 


Year 

1908 
1909 

1910 
1911 
1912 
1913 
1914 
1915 
1916 


Imports  in  gold 
or  balboas 

7,806,811.86 
8,758,110.34 

10,043,395.11 
9,896,987.85 
9,871,653.73 

11,182,674.96 
9,910,434.71 
9,032,977.17 
9,397,368.87 


Exports  in  gold 
or  balboas 

1,827,050.28 
1,502,474.71 
1,769,330.15 
2,863,425.30 
2,064,647.55 
5,383,027.54 
3,800,517.18 
3,422,455.10 
5,705,724.38 


TOTAL 

9,633,862.14 
10,260,585.05 
11,812,725.26 
12,760,413.15 
11,936,301.28 
16,565,702.50 
13,710,951.89 
12,455,432.27 
15,103,093.25 


IMPORTATIONS  BY  COUNTRIES  OF  PRECEDENCE,  YEAR  1913 

•  Balboas  or  dollars 

United  States 6,065,128.43 

Great  Britain 2,505,642.50 

Germany 1,128,151.88 

France 348,063.83 

China  and  Japan 262,791.06 

Spanish  America .  240,725.18 

Belgium 208,791.33 

Italy 164,844.54 

Spain 159,390.42 

Dennmark 78,130.99 

Sweden 8,945.00 

Austria  Hungary 6,149.62 

Holland 5,145.80 

Switzerland 574.38 

11,182,674.96 

PORPORTION  OF  IMPORTATIONS 

United  States 54.24% 

Great  Britain 22.49% 

Germany 10.08% 

France..  3.11% 


45 

IMPORTATIONS  FROM  COUNTRIES  OF  PROCEDENCE,  YEAR  1914 

Balboas  or  dollars 

United  States 6,344,872.83 

England 1,755,026.24 

Germany 461,959.79 

Belgium 301,036.22 

France 211,544.52 

China 158,032.77 

Italy 127,566.10 

Spain 105,099.52 

Cuba 85,678.73 

Japan 85,085.78 

Denmark 57,734.70 

Jamaica 44,861.88 

Holland 42,731.26 

Chile 39,214.70 

Salvador 30,408.30 

Othercountries.  59,581.37 


9,910,434.71 


EXTRACT  OF  ARTICLES  IMPORTED  IN  1914 
ANIMAL  PRODUCTS 


Live  animals B.      23,847.83 

Preserved  meats 221,010.66 

Animal  food  stuffs 716,606.00 

Industrial  products 19,656.29 

Hides  and  skins 397,663.39 

Various  industrial  products 174,932.61 

VIGETABLE   PRODUCTS 

Textile  fibers 3,008,09 

Fruit  and  grains 681,670.37 

Different  vegetable  matter 126,641.70 

Different  vegetable  food  stuffs 738,533.12 

Industrial  products 399,480.58 

Wood  and  other  products 360,564.21 

Different  vegetables  manufacturers 399,947.91 


46 

MINERAL  MATTERS 

Wrought  silver  and  gold 14,322.53 

Minerals  and  metals 6,058.60 

Different  manufacturers 4,948.85 

Steel  and  iron 721,289.98 

Manufactures  of  iron  and  steel 273,309.35 

Other  metals  and  minerals 129,299.10 

Stone  and  earth 143,891.95 

Manufactures  of  above 62,817.01 

Crystal,  glass  and  chinaware 79,221.20 

TEXTILES  AND  THEIR  MANUFACTURES 

Threads 52,597.49 

Textile  weaves 1,173,162.98 

Manufactures 437,692.64 

Chemical  and  pharmaceutical  products 657,415.42 

Spiritous  and  natural  drinks 431,412.43 

Paper  and  its  applications 134,061.15 

Machinery  and  apparatus 293,619.80 

Vehicles 129,106.93 

Arms  and  explosives 62,437.82 

Various..  722,129.99 


B.   9,891,552.78 

IMPORTATIONS  BY  COUNTRIES  OF  PROCEDENCE  YEAR  1915 

The  importations  during  this  year  amount  to  B.  9,032,977.17  and 
the  principal  countries  of  procedence  are  the  following: 

United  States B.   6,822,236.48 

England 983,404.14 

France 170,554.75 

China 150,724.72 

Spain 142,349.00 

Jamaica : 140,393.44 

Italy 90,323.48 

Cuba 78,017.45 


47 

COMMERCIAL  IMPORTS  OF  THE  REPUBLIC  DURING  THE  FIRST  SIX 
MONTHS  IN  1916 


or  dollars 

Live  animals. .  .• 20,498.00  5,735.71 

Preserved  meats 958,889.00  113,810.78 

Animal  food  stuffs 1,683,263.00  294,165.42 

Industrials 8,576.00  1,325.55 

Furs  and  skins 235,614.00  235,419.17 

Various 1,342,296.00  114,943.61 

Textiles  fibers 3,125.00  796.00 

Fruit  and  grains 47,899.00  '6,565.62 

Vegetable  materials 432,218.00  71,732.85 

Animal  products 6,353,438.00  403,400.06 

Industrials 10,649,660.00  162,960.70 

Wooden  and  other  articles 1,345,129.00  163,619.83 

Articles  from  different  plants 340,472.00  110,887.60 

Wrought  gold  and  silver 749.00  9,829.86 

Minerals  and  metals 984.00  543.31 

Articles 2,544.00  2,348.10 

Iron  and  Steel 2,301,121.00  160,325.69 

Various  articles. 657,180.00  109,570.90 

Other  metals  and  minerals 2,623,044.00  62,914.91 

Stone  and  earth 15,502,184.00  116,394.67 

Articles 603,218.00  16,972.25 

Crystal,  glass,  china  &  porcelain  .  .  429,985.00  53,944.47 

Cloth 28,544.00  31,273.72 

Woven  cloth 436,555.00  425,338.56 

Manufactures 319,787.00  328,629.94 

Chemical  and  pharmaceutical  pro- 
ducts   2,668,667.00  390,277.24 

Fermented  spirits  and  natural  drinks  1,353,149.00  145,505.87 

Paper  and  its  applications 611,805.00  83,934.86 

Machinery  and  apparatus 371,861.00  93,366.59 

Vehicles 303,854.00  105,621.61 

Arms  and  explosives 71,138.00  37,510.21 

Various 1,659,605.00  477.025.74 


53,367,051.00     4,276,691.40 


48 

EXPORTATIONS  DURING  THE  LAST  FEW  YEARS 

1913  United  States B.  4,801,608.48 

Costa  Rica -  224,946.55 

Germany 216,938.69 

"  Great  Britain 65,024.28 

Chile 50,543.67 

"        Other  countries 23,965.87 


5,383,027,54 

1914     United  States 3,269,696.01 

Germany 125,899.38 

"        Costa  Rica 197,692.17 

"        Great  Britain 109,868.71 

"        Other  countries. .  97,360.91 


3,800,517.18 

1915     United  States 3,118,453.63 

"        Great  Britain 42,064.40 

Other  countries. .  172,003.30 


3,332,521.33 

SPECIFICATION  OF  EXPORTATIONS 
Principal  articles  exported  during  1914. 

Bananas B.   2,638,051.61 

Coconuts 226,951.98 

Balata 101,933.20 

Ivory-nuts ; 100,051.35 

Raw-hides 136,699.32 


49 


EXPORTATIONS  OF  THE  REPUBLIC  OF  PANAMA  IN 
LIVE  ANIMALS 

Kilos 

Tortoises 4,900  kilos    B. 

Ordinary  horses 27  animals 

Other  animals  (mules) 50      " 

NATIONAL  PREPARED  AND  UNPREPARED  PRODUCTS 


1913 


Kilgs. 

Cocoa 44^30 

Salt  meat 800 

Coffee  in  grain 30,352 

Rice 13,850 

Cocoanuts. 6,191,994 

Bananas 174,174,565 

Granulated  sugar  (brown) 715,120 

Tortoise  meat 354 

Balata 14,898 

Mahogany 384,766 

Tortoise  shell 5,023 

Rubber 183,818 

Rubber  (cauchillo) 48.207 

Vegetable  rubber 1,789 

Dried   fruits 18,298 

Cocobolo 2,283,010 

Pearl  shell 572,187 

Dried  hides 497,951 

Horns 12,182 

Dividivi 5,833 

Vegetable  wool 228 

Medlar-trees  gum  (nispero) 277,133 

Various  fine  woods  (cedar,  etc.).  93,849 

Cola  nuts 98 

Deer  and  other  hides 21,718 

Tobacco  in  leaf 332 

Shredded  tobacco 1,298 

Ivory   nuts 2,447,307 

Vegetable  dyes 1,050 


Balboas 
or  dollars 

420.00 
5,062.50 
2,418.75 

Balboas 

10,260.92 

855.00 

7,787.25 

727.12 

792,798.55 

2,936,644.00 

26,817.00 

599.00 

10,280.10 

14,264.00 

62,112.80 

45,859.96 

10,561.73 

1,283.70 

2,999.00 

581,206.93 

96,702.02 

93,031.36 

3,692.40 

380.40 

81.46 

132,802.50 

1,720.16 

10.00 

16,725.84 

373.50 

1,611.05 

245,934.58 

127.59 


50 

MEDICINAL    PRODUCTS 

Cabima  oil 345  375.00 

Balsam 170  136.00 

Copaiba 606  665.30 

Different  minerals 571  151.07 

Ipecacuanha  root 8,631  21,004.20 

Sarsaparrilla 30,781  16,226.00 

Other    national  medicinal  produc- 
ts (tamarind,  etc) 940  105.75 

INDUSTRIAL  PRODUCTS 

Old  copper 680  205.00 

Lamps 5  8.42 

Tools 100  965.15 

Used  machinery  and  apparatus. ...  4  0.73 

Sewing  machines unweighed  242.50 

Unspecified  manufactures,  cashme- 
res, textiles,  etc 1,770  1,621.94 

Panama  hats 78  585.00 

VARIOUS 

Automobiles '.  .  .  .       unweighed  921.50 

Archaeological  effects 54  15.84 

Personal  effects,  linen,  etc 10  18.75 

Cigars 1,585  9,543.75 

Glassware '. 10  1.49 

Cigarettes 591  2,659.50 

Watches 18  10.67 

Different  printed  matter 127  11.72 

Furniture 119  31.21 

Printed  books 1,454  810.25 

Fine  socks 4  11.64 

Unspecified  objects 4,475              223,681.93 

Perfumery 200  15.75 

Seeds 96  7.43 

Blank  books 1,708  413.32 

Writing  paper 114  30.56 


Grand  total 192,572,220    B.   5,383,027.54 


51 


RESUMEN  OF  ARTICLES  IMPORTED  IN  1916 

Kilos  Balboas  or  dollars 

United  States 93,227,138  6,674,992.53 

China 6,030,323  375,730,37 

England 3,228,669  1,267,148.70 

Chile 1,624,385  27,767.10 

Spain 348,913  91,588.11 

France 377,748  143,292.81 

Colombia 285,567  19,556.77 

Jamaica 278,121  135,115.82 

Japan 228,152  190,220.30 

Sweden 253,070  45,066.33 

Salvador 757,648  61,929.65 

Saint  Thomas 170,063  22,529.61 

Holland 110,150  24,973.78 

Cuba 92,676  62,966.74 

Italy 73,116  37,084.71 

Barbados 54,074  980.78 

Costa  Rica 25,668  600.00 

Curazao 17,467  8,265.76 

Norwey 4,819  2,255.15 

Switzerland 1,886  5,303.85 

Total 107,189,653  9,197,368.87 

Parcel   posts 200,000.00 

B.  9,397,368.87 

EXPORTS  DURING  1916 

Kilos  Balboas 

Italy 150,446  27,787.00 

Spain 76  336 

England 109,883  55,687.07 

Canal   Zone 623,634  62,126,42 

United  States 136,554,859  5,360,787.99 


5,506,724.48 


52 

ARTICLES  IMPORTED  IN  1914  AND  WHICH  COULD  HAVE  BEEN 
PRODUCED  IN  THE  COUNTRY 

Balboas 

Shoe  wear 268,865.37 

Condensed  milk 199,863.82 

Ordinary  soap 90,475.23 

Powdered  sugar 80,266.82 

Refined  sugar 25,857.65 

Leaf  tobacco 30,986.00 

Fresh  fruit 27,287.35 

Corn 17,199.18 

Furniture 84,159.96 

Lard 92,424.70 

Rice. 229,273.38 

Eggs 20,842.91 

Beans '  44,229.02 

Coffee  in  bean 15,934.36 

Coffee 3,731.27 

Onions 27,187.50 

Potatoes 24,401.16 

Starch 6,715.79 

Brooms 6,978.78 

Poultry. 9,409.83 

It  should  be  taken  into  consideration  that  all  of  these  articles 
are  imported  in  great  quantities  by  the  Canal  Zone  commissaries 

and  as  this  country  produces  them  they  could  be  sold  to  these 
establishments  at  a  profit. 


TELEGRAPHS  AND  TELEPHONES 

The  Telegraph  service  of  the  Republic  has  considerably  improve- 
ed  during  recent  years.  The  old  wires  have  been  substituted  in 
practically  every  place  by  splendid  copper  wires  sustained  by 
iron  posts. 

At  present  there  are  24  telegraph  offices  in  the  principal  towns 
of  the  country  and  134  national  telephone  offices.  By  means  of 
these  all  the  principal  parts  of  the  country  are  in  communication 
with  the  capital  with  the  exception  of  the  Darien  which  still  re- 
mains without  communication. 

The  total  extension  of  these  lines  is  1505  kilometers  and  the  tele- 
phone lines  4105  kilometers.     In  addition  there  are  also    severa 
lines  of  both  classes  in  construction. 

THE  FOLLOWING  IS  THE  TELEGRAPHIC  TARIFF 

For  the  interior  B.  0.10  for  every  ten  words.  When  there  are 
more  than  ten  words  B.  0.05  for  every  ten  additional  words;  no 
charge  is  made  for  the  address  and  signature. 

For  Colon  5  cents  per  word,  including  address  and  signature. 

The  national  newspapers  only  pay  20  per  cent  of  the  costs  of 
telegrams. 


RAILROADS 

The  Republic  of  Panama  has  only  two  public  railroad  lines,  the 
one  which  connects  the  capital  with  the  city  of  Colon  and  which 
follows  the  course  of  the  Canal  and  the  other  in  the  Province  of 
Chiriqui  between  the  port  of  Pedregal  and  the  town  of  Boquete. 

LINE  FROM  PANAMA  TO  COLON 

This  work  was  commenced  in  the  year  1851  and  finished  in  1855, 
and  is  the  property  of  the  Panama  Railroad  Company,  a  company 
which  was  acquired  by  the  government  of  the  United  States  at 
the  time  of  the  transfer  of  the  French  Company's  rights. 

The  railroad  line  serves  for  the  transport  of  passengers  and 
cargo  between  the  two  cities  mentioned  and  also  between  the 
terminal  cities  of  the  Canal  which  are  Balboa  on  the  Pacific  side 
and  Cristobal  on  the  Atlantic  side. 

The  transportation  of  cargo  between  Panama  and  Colon  is  ef- 
fected exclusively  by  means  of  this  route  and  the  tariff  is  much 
higher  than  that  of  the  Panama  Canal,  which  has  given  rise  to 
protest  on  the  part  of  the  merchants  of  the  Republic. 

This  line  is  48  miles  in  length  and  is  directly  administered  by 
the  government  of  the  United  States. 

THE  CHIRIQUI  RAILROAD 

This  line  leaving  the  port  of  Pedregal  is  a  norrow  one,  passing 
through  the  city  of  David  uniting  it  with  Boquete  and  is  32  miles 
long.  At  the  end  of  the  line  in  the  Boquete  region  the  tempera- 
ture is  very  fresh  and  ageeable  and  extensive  lands  for  the  cultiva- 
tion of  coffee  are  to  be  found,  an  industry  which  together  with  the 


55 

wood  sawyer  industry  (wood  being  found  in  abundance  and  of 
good  quality)  gives  life  to  the  place  and  may  have  great  develop- 
ment in  the  future  counting  on  the  facility  of  transport  which 
the  railroad  gives.  In  this  region  there  are  a  number  of  foreign 
establishments  of  different  nationalities. 

The  railroad  line  has  a  branch  which  goes  to  Potretillos,  seven 
miles  long,  and  at  present  a  prolongation  is  in  prospect  to  the  vil- 
lage of  the  same  name  which  is  three  or  four  miles  from  the  termi- 
nation of  the  line.  The  general  opinion  is  that  this  prolongation 
could  bring  in  a  good  income. 

Between  David  and  La  Concepcion,  to  which  point  another 
branch  goes,  there  is  a  line  of  18  miles  and  between  David  and  the 
port  of  Pedregal  the  line  is  four  miles  long. . 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  railroad  will  efficiently  aid  the  devel- 
opment of  agriculture  and  new  industries  because  with  the  excep- 
tion of  some  dry  rocks  spots  all  the  land  which  it  serves  is  fertile 
for  all  kinds  of  cultivation  and  it  is  certain  that  this  will  be  the 
richest  region  of  the  Republic.  One  proof  of  this  is  the  fact  that 
a  large  American  company  has  under  project  the  establishment 
of  a  large  sugar  mill  near  Chiriqui  Viejo  counting  on  the  assistance 
of  the  railroad  without  which  it  would  be  impossible. 

The  plans  for  this  railroad  were  finished  in  January  1914  and  in 
February  of  the  same  year  the  Panama  government  entered  into 
a  contract  for  its  construction. 

OTHER  RAILROADS 

There  are  also  two  railroads  that  are  not  very  much  good  for 
the  public  service,  but  which  are  used  by  the  companies  to  which 
they  belong.  One  of  them  is  the  Bocas  del  Toro  Railroad  of  the 
United  Fruit  Co., which  is  144  miles  long.  The  other  is  the  Da- 
rien  Railroad  38  miles  long ;  Decauville  system. 

PROYECT  OF  A  RAILROAD  FROM  PANAMA  TO  DAVID 

For  several  years  since  Panama  became  independent  from  Co- 
lombia in  1903,  the  press  has  dicusseda  railroad  between  the  city 
of  Panama  an  David  with  branches  to  Anton  and  the  provinces  of 


for  the  TOk  whether  far  standard  or  narrow 

B.28, 

•ermlfe-     The  total  cost  of 
and  David  with  th 
to    be    B.  9,3M,»aOO  and  the 


the  base  of  a  future 


PROPERTY  VALUE 

According  to  the  last  reports  presented  in  the  middle  of  1914 
by  Mr.  Carlos  Berguido.  General  Property  Tax  Collector,  the 
value  of  fixtures  and  similar  objects  subject  to  the  payment  of 
national  taxes  amounted  toB.  35.950.195^5  but  according  to  the 
information  which  the  same  official  has  submitted  to  us  in  March, 
1917,  the  actual  value  is  42  million. 

FortbebetterLnformatk»ofthepaBonswhowiAtoobuJBUie 
most  recent  and  verified  data  on  this  particular,  we  attach  the 
following  based  on  the  above 
tioning  that  ships  and 


uun 


RESUME  OF  STOCK  OF  CATTLE 


35.000 

RESUME  OF 


\      Tonn. 

9       973      B.  400.000 


58 


LANDS 


HECTAREA8 


PRICES  OF 
REAL  ESTATE 

Bocas  del  Toro 727 

Code 1,240 

Colon 84 

Chiriqui 2,536 

Herrera 843 

Los  Santos 1,535 

Panama 1,072 

Veraguas 781 

Total 8,818      B.  6,326,146.75     B.  48,119.96     610,934 

TOTAL  RESUME 

The  total  value  of  the  properties  and  movable  goods  in  the  Republic  is 
B.  42,756,209.20 


B. 

250,940.00 

B.  2,827.95 

36,926 

641,345.50 

6,060.05 

64,007 

102,000,00 

371.10 

6,725 

1,191,952.00 

14,039.21 

148,870 

211,129.00 

1,931.70 

16,960 

228,717.00 

3,219.75 

33,678 

3,268,889.50 

15,524.20 

251,649 

431,173.25 

4,146.00 

52.113 

INCREASE  IN  VALUE  OF  PROPERTY 


The  value  of  the  houses  in  the  district  of  Panama  was  calculated  in  the 
years  of  1914  and  1915  to  be  B.  12,430,390.00;  in  1916  at  B.  14,450.650.00 
and  in  1917  at  B.  15,680,250.00 


GENERAL  INFORMATION 

Agriculture  is  very  bakward  in  the  country;  cultivation  on  a 
scale  only  existing  of  bananas  and  sugar  cane,  which  latter  is  tak 
ing  on  more  importance  on  account  of  the  manufacture  of  sugar. 
The  workers  in  the  interior  only  produce  enough  for  their  own 
necessity,  so  that  even  some  of  the  most  indispensable  things  of 
life  are  bronght  from  abroad.  Nevertheless  during  the  las  few 
years  more  enthusiasm  has  been  noted  for  agricultural  labor, 
and  taking  into  consideration  the  fertility  of  the  soil  and  the 
demand  for  food  stuffs,  a  brilliant  agricultural  future  may  be 
prophesied  for  Panama. 

In  order  to  better  inform  foreigners  who  may  wish  to  establish 
undertakings  in  this  country,  we  will  give  a  litle  information  re- 
garding the  various  provinces. 

PROVINCE  OF  PANAMA 

The  Province  of  Panama  is  bounded  on  the  North  by  the  Prov- 
ince of  Colon,  on  the  South  by  the  Pacific  ocean,  on  the  East  by 
the  Republic  of  Colombia  and  on  the  West  by  the  Provinces  of 
Code  and  Colon.  Its  population  is  98,850  inhabitants. 

The  principal  city  is  Panama,  the  capital  of  the  Republic,  with 
60,000  inhabitants.  It  is  situated  at  sea  level.  Its  general  temper- 
ature is  30  degrees  centigrade  but  the  mornings  are  fresh  and 
agreeable. 

This  Province  is  the  most  inhabited  and  also  the  largest.  It 
contains  great  meadows  for  cattle  pasture  and  to  the  West,  that 
is  to  say  towards  the  Colombian  boundary,  in  the  Darien  region, 
there  are  extensive  mountains  with  precious  woods.  In  this  dis- 


60 

trict  are  situated  the  Darien  gold  mines  which  for  many  years 
have  been  exploited  and  recently  a  sugar  refinery  has  been  esta- 
blished. 

At  fifty  miles  distance  from  the  capital,  on  the  river  Bayano,  a 
lumber  company  has  been  established,  woods  being  abundant  in 
this  place.  All  the  lands  between  this  river  and  the  Tuira  contain 
a  large  quantity  of  fine  wood  and  other  natural  products  such  as 
ivory  nuts,  balata,  ipecacuanha,  copaiba  balsam,  rubber,  etc., 
which  bring  very  good  prices  in  forcing  markets.  It  is  a  region 
rich  in  natural  resources  and  perhaps  more  so  than  any  other  part 
of  the  country  and  still  practically  unexplored. 

A  certain  number  of  Indians  live  here  belonging  to  the  Cunas 
tribe,  at  some  distance  from  the  coast.  Many  of  these  are  in 
frequent  contact  with  the  other  inhabitants  of  the  district  and  are 
accustomed  to  go  down  to  the  towns  to  do  business  with  the  pro- 
ducts before  mentioned  which  they  exchange  for  arms,  provisions 
and  general  merchandise.  The  greater  part  of  the  lands  in  this  dis- 
trict are  public  lands. 

Between  the  capital  and  the  Bayano  river  there  are  many  pro- 
ductive cattle  ranches  where  the  beasts  are  bred  on  the  plains. 
Every  one  of  these  ranches  has  a  regularly  flowing  stream  and  on 
its  banks  the  owners  grow  a  number  of  products  which  are  sold 
in  Panama.  A  wagon  road  which  commences  in  Panama  and 
goes  in  a  southerly  direction  parallels  the  coast  and  is  fifteen  miles 
long.  Work  on  this  is  being  continued  with  the  idea  of  connect- 
ing up  the  town  of  Chepo,  which  is  the  final  destination. 

A  rich  and  precious  archipielago  known  as  the  Pearls  Islands 
exists  in  Panama  bay.  The  inhabitant^  are  mostly  divers  as  at 
the  bottom  of  these  waters  there  are  abundant  pearl  shells. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  province,  to  the  Northeast,  some  small 
towns  exist  and  the  land  generally  is  used  for  cattle  breeding  and 
cocoanut  growing  all  along  the  coast  where  some  fair  sized  planta- 
tions exist,  but  the  woods  are  mostly  at  a  large  distance  back  in 
the  mountains. 

The  country  drained  by  the  Chagres  river  is  extraordinarily 
fertile  and  in  the  woods  there  are  many  precious  trees. 


61 

PROVINCE  OF  VERAGUAS 

The  Province  of  Veraguas  is  bounded  on  the  North  by  the  Atlan- 
tic ocean,  on  the  South  by  the  Pacific  ocean,  on  the  East  by  the 
Provinces  of  Colon,  Code  and  Los  Santos  and  on  the  West  with 
the  Provinces  of  Bocas  del  Toro,  Chiriqui  and  the  Pacific  ocean. 
Its  population  is  65,200  inhabitants. 

The  chief  town  is  Santiago,  situated  on  a  plain  almost  the  same 
distance  from  the  gulfs  of  Parita  and  Monti  jo  and  near  the  Martin 
Grande  river,  whose  waters  at  this  point  fall  from  a  small  height 
forming  a  series  of  picturesque  cascades;  is  situated  at  100  meters 
above  sea  level,  with  a  temperature  of  26  degrees  C. 

Other  towns  of  importance  are  Sona,  which  is  the  principal  port; 
Canazas,  Las  Palmas,  La  Mesa  and  Calobre  with  2,000  or  more 
inhabitants  each. 

This  province  contains  much  cattle,  this  being  the  principal 
industry. 

Agriculture  is  at  present  but  little  developed  owing  principal 
ly  to  the  lack  of  good  means  of  communication.  Years  ago  some 
mines  were  exploited  here  but  they  are  today  abandoned.  Many 
mines  have  been  denounced,  especially  of  gold  and  copper,  but 
they  have  never  been  worked.  Construction  woods  are  abundant 
as  well  as  cabinet  and  dye  woods.  Medicinal  plants  are  also  pro- 
duced, as  well  as  resins  and  other  products  of  the  tropical  and 
temperate  zones. 

A  foreign  company,  the  Boston-Panama  Company,  has  been 
established  on  some  land  known  as  Mariato  and  is  successful  with 
planting  cocoanuts.  This  company  has  also  been  cultivating 
rubber,  coffee,  cacao,  fruits  and  various  other  products. 

According  to  a  report  by  Mr.  Armand  Scheer,  an  agriculturist 
who  was  in  the  service  of  the  Isthmian  Canal  Commission,  after 
he  had  made  an  inspection  of  the  province,  the  land  here  is  adapt- 
ed very  well  for  rice  growing,  sugar  cane  and  the  products  above 
mentioned  as  well  as  all  kinds  of  fruits. 


62 

PROVINCE  .OF  CHIRIQUI 

The  Province  of  Chiriqui  is  the  most  western  part  of  the  country. 
It  measures  about  4,000  square  miles  and  has  a  coast  line  which 
continues  on  the  Pacific  of  more  than  133  miles.  Bounded 
on  the  North  by  the  Atlantic  ocean,  on  the  South  by  the  Pacific 
ocean  on  the  East  by  the  Province  of  Veraguas  and  on  the  West 
by  the  Republic  of  Costa  Rica.  Its  population  is  70,400  inhabit- 
ants. 

The  capital  of  the  province,  David,  is  the  third  city  of  the  Re- 
public in  importance.  It  is  situated  4J/£  miles  from  the  port  of 
Pedregal  at  an  elavation  of  175  feet  above  the  sea  level.  Its  tem- 
parture  is  27  degrees  C.  and  it  is  505  kilometers  and  a  half  distant 
from  the  city  of  Panama. 

||The  city,  which  is  of  comparatively  recent  foundation  is  situat- 
ed in  a  wide  valley.  Its  streets  are  wide  and  well  lined,  with  good 
residences  and  stores,  some  of  which  carry  excellent  stocks  of  goods. 

The  population  of  the  city  according  to  the  1911  census  is  6.000 
persons  nearly  all  of  Spanish  descent. 

This  province  contains  lands  and  woods  of  all  classes  and  has 
varied  elements  of  natural  richness.  From  the  plains  of  the  coast 
it  goes  up  to  great  plateaus  at  elevations  of  1,000  and  2,000  feet 
which  in  some  districts  are  quite  bare  and  in  others  are  covered 
high  vegetation.  Between  these  savannahs  and  the  mountain 
range  are  the  foot  hills  which  in  Tole  go  up  to  1,000  feet  and 
Bugaba  and  Boquete  to  3,000  and  6,000  respectively,  covered 
with  black  soil  and  rich  in  an  abundant  natural  vegetation. 

The  district  near  the  mountain  range  and  which  stretches  from 
Caldera  to  the  Costa  Rican  boundary  is  the  richest  in  the  province 
and  has  no  equal  in  the  Republic.  The  Province  of  Chiriqui  is  the 
part  of  the  Isthmus  in  which  the  highests  peaks  of  the  Andes 
chain  of  mountains  is  situated. 

The  riches  of  Chiriqui  are  varied  on  account  of  the  coffee  and 
tobacco  and  other  products  belonging  to  the  temperate  zone  which 
are  cultivated  on  its  high  ground;  the  rubber  is  obtained  in  its 
mountain  districts  and  bananas,  oranges,  alligator  pears  and  other 
tropical  fruits  in  the  lower  land.  Cattle  of  all  kinds  are  to  be  found 
in  the  abundant  pastures  on  the  table  lands  during  the  entire  year; 


63 

tropical  woods  are  cut  in  various  districts;  sugar  cane,  maize,  rice 
and  cacao  are  produced  in  abundance  in  all  parts  and  with  little 
cultivation.  The  cacao  which  is  produced  from  this  region  has 
the  fame  of  being  the  best  in  the  world  having  obtained  the  high- 
est prices  in  foreign  markets.  Pushing  and  salt  works  are  carried 
out  along  the  coast  and  inlets  are  found  where  there  is  a  quantity 
of  mother  of  pearl. 

Mr.  C.  F.  Schultz,  a  horticulturist  in  the  service  of  the  Isthmian 
Canal  Commission  was  sent  in  1909  to  make  a  visit  of  inspection 
of  the  entire  province  and  amongst  other  things  the  report  spates : 

On  the  David  river  the  nature  of  the  surroundings  is  splendidly 
adapted  to  irrigation  and  these  lands  appear  to  have  been  express- 
ly made  for  an  irrigation  system  which  together  with  a  railroad 
could  be  one  of  the  most  important  factors  into  converting  this 
province  into  the  richest  in  natural  resources. 

After  fording  the  river  Chiriqui  and  passing  across  a  splendid 
piece  of  land  that  is  now  uncultivated  but  which  be  doubtless  one 
of  the  most  productive  in  a  few  years,  there  is  a  «acao  farm  known 
as  "Chorcha", situated  at  about  100  meters  above  the  sea  level,  a 
short  distance  from  "LaGalera  de  Chorcha"  which  is  a  peculiarly 
formed  mountain  constituting  one  of  the  most  famous  table  lands 
in  Central  America.  The  quality  and  texture  of  the  soil  varies  in 
accordance  with  the  size  and  fecundity  of  the  trees. 

In  his  trip  to  Gualaca  Mr.  Schultz  stated  that  he  was  favorably 
impressed  with  the  magnitude  of  the  cattle  bred.  He  observed  on 
crossing  the  river  beds  and  the  extensive  plains  that  there  were 
hundreds  of  beef  cattle  and  horses  which  were  reputed  to  be  the  best 
on  the  Isthmus,  pasturing  there.  He  considers  that  this  is  due  to 
the  fertility  of  the  soil  and  the  good  pasture  afforded  as  well  as 
to  the  fact  that  the  native  breed  has  been  crossed  with  strains  of 
better  races. 

The  natives  of  the  country  give  but  little  attention  to  the  culti- 
vation of  fruit  but  with  the  establishment  of  the  railroad  and  the 
demand  for  tropical  fruit  which  will  occur  when  the  Panama 
Canal  is  on  a  normal  basis  again  after  the  war,  it  is  certain  that 
this  work  could  be  carried  out  with  good  results  and  considerable 
profit. 


64 

Speaking  of  his  visit  to  Boquete  which  is  the  railroad  terminus, 
Mr.  Shultz  said:  "The  land  is  fertile  and  beautiful,  and  is  largely 
alluvial  producing  splendid  sugar  cane  and  magnificent  tobacco 
Eucalyptus  and  algarrobo  trees  exist  as  well  as  other  valuable 
wood.  Cattle  breeding  is  the  principal  industry  but  a  good  quan- 
tity of  rice,  beans,  fruits  and  coffee  are  cultivated  at  an  altitude 
of  700  feet.  The  trip  from  Potrerillos  to  Boquete  is  through  a 
most  beautiful  region  incomparable  for  its  fertility.  There  is 
an  extraordinary  number  of  flowering  trees,  great  cedar,  mahogany 
and  other  hard  woods  which  reach  a  height  of  over  100  feet  with 
their  top  branches  covered  with  orchids  and  other  parasitic  plants. 

In  Lino  or  Alto  Boquete,  which  is  situated  at  1170  meters  above 
the  sea  level  is  a  small  valley  surrounded  by  steep  hillsides.  The 
many  peaks  of  the  Chiriqui  volcano,  situated  on  these,  reach 
an  elevation  of  1,975  meters  and  are  totally  covered  with  a  tropical 
vegetation  in  which  many  anihials  of  the  chase  have  their  home. 

The  principal  industry  of  this  region  is  coffee  which  reaches  a 
perfection  in  the  wonderful  vegetable  soil  which  cover  the  volcanoes 
and  which  is  composed  of  volcanic  ash,  alluvial  deposits  and  fallen 
leaves  and  vegetable  matter  in  decomposition  and  subjected  to  the 
climatic  influences  of  hundreds  of  years.  A  good  amount  of  cane 
is  also  produced  despite  the  altitude  and  is  made  into  native  spirit. 

The  larger  part  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  vicinity  are  foreigners 
principally,  Americans,  French,  English  and  Germans.  Although 
some  of  them  had  no  experience  when  starting  their  plantations 
they  have  been  successful  in  them  by  perseverance  and  by  means 
of  the  employment  of  appropriate  machinery  to  prepare  their  crops 
and  send  them  to  market. 

The  most  fertile  section,  according  to  Mr.  Schultz,  is  that  around 
Boqueron,  Bugaba  and  specially  Alanje,  in  the  western  part  of  the 
province.  This  last  point  contains  the  best  land  for  banana  grow- 
ing. The  different  sections  of  Chiriqui  Province  produce  practi- 
cally all  the  food  stuffs  which  the  people  need  for  their  own  cons- 
umption, but  nevertheless  many  importations  are  made  to  provi- 
de for  the  necessities  of  the  inhabitants,  which  they  could  easily 
produce  themselves.  This  is  not  because  they  are  not  lovers  of 
work  but  because  up  to  a  short  time  ago  they  had  no  means  of 
transport  for  their  products  for  which  reason  their  efforts  are  only 


65 

devoted  to  raising  for  their  own  use.  Now  that  there  is  a  good 
railroad  the  development  of  this  province  will  doubtless  be  extre- 
mely rapid  and  the  opportunities  which  present  themselves  for  a 
great  future  from  the  investment  of  capital  are  entirely  exceptional. 

In  the  province  a  certain  number  of  Indians  of  the  Guaimi  tribe 
still  exist.  The  census  of  1911  states  that  the  number  of  Indians 
living  in  this  province,  Bocas  del  Toro  and  Veraguas,  is  10,212, 
divisible  as  follows:  5,260  men  and  4,952  women.  Even  so,  this 
calculations  only  refer  to  the  Guaimies  who  have  come  under 
the  vigilance  of  the  national  authorities,  but  in  these  figures  the 
nomadic  ones  or  those  who  live  in  the  mountains  recesses  are  not 
included  as  some  of  them  inhabit  almost  inaccessible  places. 

Many  people  have  ask  how  it  is  that  Panama  having  been  one 
the  most  frequented  places  in  the  world  since  Columbus  landed  on 
its  shores,  that  some  of  the  original  inhabitants  should  still  be  un*- 
civilized,  but  the  fact  must  not  be  overlooked  that  the  crossing 
of  the  Isthmus  has  always  been  a  temporary  one  and  limited  to  the 
zone  which  is  now  crossed  by  the  Panama  Canal.  The  Indians  on 
the  other  hand  have  always  lived  in  the  most  out  of  way  places, 
and  that  is  the  reason  that  the  tribes  still  exist  in  their  primitive 
form. 

In  the  suburbs  of  David  and  at  other  points  not  far  distant  a 
number  of  Guaimi  cemeteries  have  been  discovered,  kown  as  gua- 
cales,  and  on  opening  the  graves  of  guacas,  a  number  of  valuable 
golden  ornaments  have  been  found,  proving  the  existence  of  a  civi- 
lization probably  contemporaneous  with  that  of  the  Aztecs  and 
Mayas  which  have  also  passed  away.  When  these  facts  were 
established  a  number  of  explorers  visited  the  country  and  are  stated 
to  have  carried  away  valuable  curious  with  a  value  of  $80,000.00 
gold.  Others  have  since  been  taken  out  and  the  number  of  public 
and  private  collections  existing  of  Panama  antiquities  will  give 
some  idea  of  the  value  of  the  objects  found. 

PROVINCE  OF  BOCAS  DEL  TORO 

The  Province  of  Bocas  del  Toro  is  bounded  on  the  North  by  the 
Atlantic  ocean,  by  the  South  with  the  Province  of  Chiriqui  and  on 


66 

the  East  by  the  Province  of  Veraguas,  and  on  the  West  by  the 
Republic  of  Costa  Rica. 

The  Population  is  24,000  inhabitants. 

The  principal  city  is  Bocas  del  Toro,  the  capital  of  the  Province 
with  a  2,500  inhabitants  and  235  kilometers  from  Colon  by  the 
United  Fruit  Company  steamers,  which  make  the  trip  in  less  than 
one  night. 

This  province  is  famous  for  its^beautiful  Almirante  Bay  at  the 
end  of  which  the  town  of  the  same  name  has  just  been  formed  in 
order  to  assist  in  the  exportation  of  bananas  for  the  United  Fruit 
Company.  This  Company  has  17,000  hectareas  planted  in  bana- 
nas. The  United  Fruit  Company  is  rapidly  cultivating  cocoa 
and  at  present  has  200,000  cocoa  trees  which  produce  about  11,000 
pounds  weekly  of  the  dry  grain  of  excellent  quality.  This  compa- 
ny has  a  railroad  and  branches  measuring  265  miles  of  a  three 
foot  gauge  for  handling  its  products.  Its  rolling  stock  is  55  cars, 
36  locomotives  and  20  motor  cars. 

The  geater  part  of  the  lands  of  Bocas  del  Toro  which  are  un- 
cultivated are  the  property  of  the  nation  and  are  extremely  fer- 
tile. In  the  woods  there  is  an  abundance  of  valuable  timber  but 
means  of  communication  with  the  interior  are  lacking. 

The  United  Fruit  Company  steamers  which  make  the  vogage 
between  the  United  States  and  the  Isthmus  leave  Colon  for  Bocas 
del  Toro,  direct  on  Sundays  arriving  Mondays.  Other  steamers 
of  the  same  company  leave  Colon  on  Wednesday  by  the  way  of 
Limon  and  arrive  at  Bocas  on  Saturday  morning;  from  Bocas  they 
go  to  Colon  on  Saturday  nights  and  arrive  on  Sunday  morning. 

PROVINCE  OF  COCLE 

The  Province  of  Code  is  bounded  on  the  North  by  the  Province 
of  Colon,  on  the  South  by  the  Province  of  Los  Santos  and  the  Pa- 
cific ocean;  on  the  East  by  the  Province  of  Panama  and  on  the 
West  by  the  Province  of  Veraguas. 

Its  population  is  37,800  inhabitants.  The  most  important 
districts  in  this  province  are:  Penonome,  capital  of  the  province; 
Aguadulce  and  Anton  with  a  population  of  12,000;  6,500  and  7,200 
respectively.  The  town  of  Penonome  is  situated  in  the  interior 


67 

about  eight  miles  from  the  coast,  while  Aguadulce  is  two  miles 
from  the  port  and  Anton  is  close  to  the  sea,  being  but  five  miles 
distant. 

Aguadulce  is  the  point  of  access  for  the  greater  part  of  the  dis- 
tricts of  the  provinces  of  Cocle  and  Veraguas,  as  through  it  most 
of  the  traffic  goes. 

Penonome  is  situated  on  a  large  plain  and  is  quite  a  commercial 
town;  it  exports  a  great  deal  of  rubber, »coffee,  brooms  and  straw 
hats.  Its  elevation  is  240  feet  above  sea  level  and  its  temperature 
is  26  C.  It  is  170  kilometers  distant  from  Panama. 

Aguadulce  is  in  the  center  of  a  plain  near  a  deep  and 
wide  estuary  in  which  the  port  is  situated.  This  is  one  of  the  best 
in  the  country  and  is  equipped  with  a  warf  sufficient  for  traffic 
necessities.  Its  principal  industries  are  the  manufacture  of  sugar 
and  syrops,  cattle  breeding  and  the  .production  of  sea  salt.  Near 
the  city,  the  sugar  mill  is  the  best  in  the  Republic  and  produced 
in  1916  the  quantity  of  30,000  bags  all  of  which  has  been  cosumed 
in  this  country. 

Its  elevation  is  60  feet  above  sea  level,  and  its  temperature  is 
27  degrees  C.  It  is  distant  45  kilometers  from  Penonome  and 
182  and  a  half  from  Panama. 

Anton  is  also  situated  in  an  extensive  plain  between  two  rivers. 
Its  principal  industry  is  cattle  raising  but  it  also  does  a  regular 
trade  with  Panama  in  fowls,  eggs,  fruit,  preserves,  cheese  and 
other  substances.  Two  thousand  steers  yearly  have  been  taken 
from  this  district  to  Panama. 

Its  elevation  is  130  feet  above  sea  level  and  its  temperature  27 
degrees  C.  It  is  20  kilometers  distant  from  Penonome  and  152 
and  a  half  from  Panama. 

With  the  above  ports  there  is  a  weekly  steamer  service  and 
merchant  and  provision  boats  leave  frequently  for  Panama.  This 
province  contains  a  great  number  of  valleys  which  are  abundantly 
covered  with  vegetation.  Amongst  this  is  the  valley  of  Anton  on 
the  river  of  the  same  name  and  2,120  feet  above  the  sea  level. 

Many  persons  from  Panama  have  been  accostumed  to  journey 
to  this  place  for  its  good  climate,  and  it  has  some  fame  as  a  summer 
resort.  To  go  there  it  is  necessary  to  travel  both  by  water  and 
back  animal,  but  nevertheless  a  project  exists  to  connect  this  port 


68 

with  the  capital  of  the  country  by  means  of  a  good  road  and  the 
National  Assembly  passed  such  a  law  at  its  last  session.  If  the 
projects  realized  are  brought  to  pass,  this  will  be  a  most  attractive 
place  not  only  for  the  inhabitants  of  Panama  and  Colon  but  also 
for  the  Canal  Zone  and  for  the  tourists. 

Mr.  Armand  Scheer,  who  was  commissioned  by  the  Panama 
government  to  make  an  agricultural  inspection  of  some  of  this 
region  states:  "Near  Aguadulce,  sugar  cane  grows  very  well; 
also  bananas,  cocoanuts  and  large  number  of  fruit  trees,  but  in 
all  my  trip  I  have  not  seen  any  pineapples  although  the  land  is 
suited  to  them ;  cof*f  ee  also  could  be  produced  with  advantageous 
results,  and  poultry  keeping  might  be  developed  here  easily  as 
the  birds  seem  to  be  healthy  and  well.  The  present  production 
is  hardly  sufficient  for  local  needs. 

Going  over  the  sugar  cane  plantation  it  should  be  noticed  that 
this  is  growing  rapidly  and  produces  from  25  fo  30  tons  per  acre, 
but  more  than  this  can  still  be  produced  if  good  irrigation  me- 
thods are  employed  which  will  prevent  the  dry  season  from  hin- 
dering the  growth  of  the  cane. 

After  visiting  other  points  I  note  that  the  soil  is  good  although 
it  is  extremely  varied. 

In  the  region  of  Rio  Chico  and  Rio  Grande  when  the  waters 
withdraw  an  extremely  fertile  soil  is  left  behind.  This  is  perfectly 
adapted  to  a  good  bananas  plantation  and  millions  of  cuttings 
could  be  sown.  Besides  this  the  establishment  of  a  factory  for 
banana  flour  could  be  made  in  this  rich  country. 

PROVINCES  OF  LOS  SANTOS  AND  HERRERA, 
FORMERLY  LOS  SANTOS 

The  old  Province  of  Los  Santos  has  been  divided  a  short  time 
ago  into  two  provinces  whose  names  are  given  above,  but  the 
description  is  easier  given  by  the  old  borders  as  follows:  North 
the  Provinces  of  Veraguas  and  Code  and  the  gulf  of  Parita,  by  the 
East  and  South  the  Pacific  ocean  and  by  the  West  the  Province 
of  Veraguas.  The  population  of  the  Province  of  Herrera  is  27,500 
inhabitants,  and  that  of  Los  Santos  35,500. 


69 

The  chief  district  of  the  Province  of  Los  Santos  is  Las  Tablas 
which  contains  9,460  inhabitants  and  the  town  is  situated  in  a 
plain  six  miles  from  the  Pacific  coast.  It  is  35  meters  above  the 
sea  level  and  has  a  temperature  of  27  degrees  centigrade. 

The  chief  district  of  the  Province  of  Herrera  is  Chitre  which  has 
6,000  inhabitants  and  the  town  is  one  and  a  half  miles  from  the 
coast  but  serves  as  a  port  for  river  navigation  to  the  sea.  It  is 
situated  30  meters  above  sea  level  and  has  a  temperature  of  27 
degrees  C. 

These  provinces  have  two  principal  ports:  Chitre,  which  has 
just  been  described  as  most  important,  and  Mensabe. 

The  principal  industry  is  the  distillation  of  liquor  and  the  manu- 
facture of  syrups,  and  also  cattle  breeding  and  poultry  raising 
which  not  only  supply  the  needs  of  the  districts,  but  are  also  sent 
away  to  the  capital  of  the  Republic  for  sale. 

Besides  the  products  of  the  tropical  zone,  coffee  and  cocoa  of 
good  quality,  zarzaparrilla,  ipecacuanha  and  rubber  are  produced 
from  the  interior.  Among  other  important  towns  may  be  men- 
tioned the  following:  Los  Santos,  former  capital  of  the  province 
of  the  same  name;  Guarare,  Macaracas,  Ocu,  Pese  and  Pocri,  all 
of  which  have  more  than  2,000  inhabitants  each. 

PROVINCE  OF  COLON 

The  Province  of  Colon  is  bounded  on  the  North  by  the  Antillian 
sea,  on  the  South  by  the  Provinces  of  Panama  and  Code,  and  on 
the  East  by  the  Republic  of  Costa  Rica,  and  on  the  West  by  the 
Provinces  of  Veraguas  and  Code. 

Its  population  is  47,407. 

Its  principal  city  is  that  of  Colon  on  the  sea  edge  of  the  island 
of  Manzanillo,  in  the  Limon  Bay,  an  island  which  has  been 
united  to  the  mainland  by  an  artificial  fill  which  conducts  the  rail- 
road into  the  city  from  Panama. 

Its  climate  is  slightly  damp  and  its  temperature  varied  between 
27  and  31  degrees.  It  is  86  kilometers  distant  from  Panama  and 
its  population  is  17,748  according  to  the  last  census. 

The  principal  products  are  cocoanuts  and  ivory  nuts  which  are 
found  at  various  points  along  the  coast  in  the  district  of  Donoso  and 


70 

in  Miguel  de  la  Borda  and  vicinity.  Altogether  the  western  district 
between  the  coast  and  the  mountain  range  is  rich  in  timber.  It 
should  be  mentioned,  however,  that  navigation  of  this  part  of  the 
coast  is  difficult  owing  to  the  river  bars  which  are  very  dry  and 
shallow.  They  are  only  accessible  at  certain  months  of  the  year. 

On  the  western  end,  that  of  Portobelo,  the  historic  place,  cocoa- 
nuts,  rubber,  balata,  sugar-cane  and  other  articles  are  produced. 
There  are  also  a  number  of  valuable  woods  exported  from  the  inte- 
rior especially  in  the  San  Bias  country.  This  region  is  inhabited 
by  tribes  of  Indians  known  by  the  same  name  who  are  principally 
engaged  in  agriculture,  hunting  and  fishing.  Many  of  these  In- 
dians visit  the  cities  of  Panama  and  Colon  and  this  communica- 
tion with  civilized  people  has  produced  excellent  effects  and  has 
contributed  to  modifying  their  customs  as  has  also  a  number  of 
important  measures  taken  by  the  National  government  in  favor 
of  the  development  of  this  section  of  the  Republic.  In  this  region 
an  "intendency"  and  coast  guards  station  has  been  established 
and  there  is  a  weekly  steamship  service.  It  is  thought  that  this 
place  by  means  of  its  advantageous  position ,  by  the  facilities  which 
it  offers  and  the  richness  and  of  its  soil  is  well  suited  for  the  esta- 
blishment of  agricultural  colonies  and  that  althought  the  coloniza- 
tion of  the  district  has  not  yet  commenced  it  is  possible  that  it  will 
not  be  long  before  this  will  take  place.  Nearly  all  the  land  in  this 
region  is  the  property  of  the  nation. 

By  its  position,  Colon  has  a  great  future.  Its  lands  are  for  the 
the  most  part  of  extraordinary  fertility  e3pecially  in  the  South 
and  are  capable  of  great  agricultural  development.  Near  the  city 
of  Colon  there  are  great  properties  which,  although  they  are  ready 
for  other  cultivation,  offer  greater  advantages  for  the  breeding  of 
cattle  especially  owing  to  the  nearness  of  the  great  consumption 
at  the  gates  of  the  Canal  which  year  by  year  requires  a  large  quan- 
tity of  beef  cattle  for  the  ships  which  pass  to  foreign  ports. 


AGRICULTURE 

Panama  offers  great  advantages  for  the  development  of  agricul- 
ture because  besides  its  local  consumption  which  is  fairly  large 
there  are  the  great  quantities  required  for  the  feeding  of  the  Canal 
employees  and  the  troops  stationed  here  to  defend  it.  In  addi- 
tion there  is  the  demand  from  steamships  which  go  through  the 
Canal,  a  demand  which  grows  yearly  as  the  maritime  traffic  in- 
creases. 

To  this  should  be  added  the  climate  of  the  Isthmus  which  is 
favorable  for  all  class  of  cultivations  which  can  be  made  in  tem- 
perate zones. 

The  thermometer  registers  from  16  to  24  degrees  centigrade 
in  the  highlands  and  25  to  32  in  the  lower  altitudes.  The  lowest 
temperatures  are  in  the  mountains  and  the  highest  in  the  valleys 
near  the  sea  and  in  the  bottom  lands. 

Dr.  H.  D.  Lupi,  distinguished  agriculturist  who  has  made  some 
careful  studies  in  Panama  and  from  whose  magnificent  book  " Agri- 
culture in  Panama"  we  take  the  greater  portion  of  the  information 
in  this  chapter,  says  as  follows : 

"Taking  the  temperature  as  a  base  we  can  classify  Panamanian 
territory  into  warm  and  temperate  climate  zones.  The  vast  plains 
of  Chiriqui,  Bocas  del  Toro  and  Panama  are  included  in  the  first 
and  the  valleys  and  lands  between  the  peaks  which  are  not  over 
400  meters  in  altitude.  Passing  this  altitude  there  are  to  be  found 
good  conditions  for  European  cultivation  such  as  wheat,  barly, 
peas,  peaches,  apples,  etc. 

One  of  the  phenonema  which  determines  the  climate  of  Panama 
is  the  rain  which  falls  in  notable  quantities  and  with  little  variabi- 
lity from  May  to  December  on  the  Pacific  side,  but  on  the  Atlan- 


72 

tic  coast  especially  in  some  parts  of  the  Province  of  Colon  and  the 
mainland  of  Bocas  del  Toro,  the  rainy  season  is  more  marked  in 
December,  January  and  February,  while  intermitent  showers  are 
noted  during  the  rest  of  the  year.  This  is  due  to  the  southern 
winds  which  bring  up  great  masses  of  vapor  and  meet  the  obstacle 
of  the  high  mountains,  sending  the  rain  down  to  the  Pacific  side 
while  in  the  same  period  on  the  Atlantic  coast  are  the  northern 
winds  which  chill  the  vapor  clouds  and  precipitate  them  in  the  form 
of  rain.  So  marked  is  this  that  it  is  said  that  Portobello  has  thirteen 
months  of  rain  every  year" 

"As  it  is  true",  says  Dr.  Lupi,  "that  the  nature  of  the  soil  influen- 
ces the  agricultural  production  and  also  the  zootechnic,  indepen- 
dent of  the  climate  and  the  topographical  situation,  we  will  indi- 
cate the  formation  of  the  soil  which  we  visited,  in  connection  with 
its  productive  aptness. 

"General  clayey  lands  are  those  of  San  Felix,  Remedios,  Las 
Palmas,  Sona,  Canazas,  Montijo,  Santiago,  La  Mesa,  Ocu,  Pese, 
Los  Santos,  Parita,  Chitre  and  Chagres,  interrupted  by  layers 
of  damp  clay,  as  in  San  Felix,  which  modifies  the  primitive  nature 
of  the  vegetation. 

Markedly  clayed  soils  are  in  the  four  districts  already  mentioned 
of  Los  Santos  where  the  lack  of  woods  which  covers  the  land  is  one 
of  the  physical  properties  of  clay. 

The  district  of  San  Felix  offers  advantages  for  the  cultivation 
of  coffee;  in  the  districts  mentioned  of  Los  Santos  and  Veraguas, 
the  land  is  excellent  for  the  cultivation  of  plants  which  consume 
potash,  such  as  the  amarilidas,  Agavo  americana,  Phurcroya  gi- 
gante,  etc.  hromelicaceas,  Anarasa  sativa,  Bromelia  carata,  and 
some  malvaceas  such  as  Gossipum  arboreum  G,  Barbacum  G.  bar- 
densis.  In  these  lands  fodders  do  well,  and  generally  cultivated 
wouldof  great  use  to  the  country  people  in  the  arid  regions ;  the  fig, 
the  achote,  the  tomato,  the  pepper  and  the  orange  which  has 
already  given  evidence  of  its  gigantic  development  in  the  clayey 
lands  of  Arriaijan,  San  Francisco,  Chorrera  and  Capira. 

The  silicate  lands  are  the  scarcest  and  we  have  only  found  mark- 
ed examples  of  this  in  the  Palo  Verde  and  Anton  districts  which  dif- 
fers slightly  from  the  first  as  it  has  a  certain  amount  of  clay  which 


73 

makes  it  more  earthy.  Here  flourish  forage  grasses  and  starchy 
plants. 

Smoky  silicate  lands  are  those  of  Boquete,  the  pasture  lands  of 
David,  Changuinola,  Rio  Indio,  Tuira,  Bayano  and  generally  all 
the  banks  of  the  large  rivers.  By  its  physical  chemical  properties 
these  lands  are  the  most  apt  for  cultivation.  On  them  maize,  pote- 
toes,  bananas,  tobacco,  and  all  the  most  difficult  plants  do  well, 
because  being  an  etherogenic  product  it  contains  all  the  elements 
of  fertility.  We  may  except  those  cases  where  the  land  is  uneven, 
as  at  Tuira,  in  which  organic  material  prodominates  thus  bringing 
too  much  acid  which  can  be  eliminated  by  canals  and  drainage. 

Clay-silicates  are  found  in  Horconcitos,  San  Carlos,  Chiriqui 
Grande,  Donoso,  Aguadulce,  Chame,  Bejuco,  Arrainjan,  etc. 

These  are  extraordinary  lands  for  sugar  cane,  pineapple,  yam, 
yucca  and  others. 

Heavy  clays  are  the  most  common.  This  forms  the  lands  which 
descends  from  Chorcha  to  the  Canal  Zone,  interrupted  sometimes 
by  the  clayey  land  in  the  neighborhood  of  Veraguas  and  Code  on 
the  Pacific  side.  In  these  lands  the  coffee  flourishes  as  in  Santa 
Fe,  Marte,  Chitre,  Buenos  Aires,  el  Arado,  etc.  In  the  highest 
parts  of  these,  where  the  conditions  are  favorable,  wheat,  potatoes, 
beans,  peas,  peaches,  apples  and  roots  do  well.  On  the  hillsides 
and  in  the  lowlands,  rubber,  and  cocoa  grow  wild  and  sugar  cane, 
tobacco,  patatoes,  yucca,  yam,  etc.  are  found  in  these  lands  in 
favorable  conditions  because  the  land  abounds  in  nitrogen  and 
phosphorus,  which  besides  being  the  principal  elements  of  nutri- 
tion are  lacking  in  lands  of  other  kinds. 

The  physiognomy  of  the  Isthmian  vegetation  is  determined 
by  the  grass  plants  in  the  uplands  and  in  that  part  from  Tole  to 
Toabre.  The  woods  which  occupy  the  greatest  area  are  in  the 
regions  of  Chiriqui  Grande,  Changuinola,  Chepo,  Darien  and  the 
rest  of  the  mountain  range.  Amongst  them  the  specimens  of 
Panamanian  flora  can  be  found.  The  sapotaceas,  euforbiaceas, 
urticaceas,  bombaceas,  etc,  etc,  abound.  These  give  gums,  resins, 
oils,  fiber  and  a  number  of  useful  woods  which  are  used  for  cabinet 
making,  dyeing,  and  civil  and  naval  construction.  The  Pacific 
coast,  which  is  generally  very  low,  is  covered  with  great  «mangla- 
res)>  (mangrove  tree)  and  similar  woods. 


74 

The  Atlantic  is  distinguished  by  the  presence  of  the  most  im- 
portant reproductive  plants.  Here  are  the  artocarpeas,  anacardia- 
ceas,  palms,  euforbiaceas,  etc,  etc,  which  grow  down  to  the  sea 
shore,  so  great  is  the  fertility  of  the  soil. 

Amongst  the  woods  are  the  following  important  ones.  Guaya- 
cum  arboreum,  G.  officinalis,  Tecoma  pentapula,  T.  fortissum, 
T.  atans,  Astronimum  gravelons.  Anacardius  rinocarpus,  Tuber- 
na  montanta,  Himenea  splendida,  Cesalpinea  ebano,  Sycietenia 
mahohani,  Oedrella  odorata,  Achras  sapotam,  Crisolyum  caimito, 
Cartrolobium  robustum,  Idicia  altisima,  Dimopandra  excelsa,  Yug- 
lans,  cinerca,  Cordia  gerascantus,  which  is  excellent  construction 
and  cabinet  making  wood,  and  are  found  in  Divala,  Chorcha,  Tono- 
si,  Darien,  San  Bias  and  Code  in  the  north. 

In  the  places  mentioned  and  in  others  besides  there  is  an  abun- 
dance of  balsams  such  as  Higrofeum  toluifero,  Copaifera  Officia- 
lianis,  etc,  etc;  the  resinous  plants  Himenea  curbaril,  Clibadium 
merifolium,  Ycica  altisima,  the  dyes  Maclura  tinctoria,  Conda- 
minia  tinctoria,  the  medicinal  Cassia  fistula,  C.  Occedentalis, 
C.  moscat,  C.  braciliana  and  the  fibrous  Ocroma  tomentosum,  C. 
Sterculiceam,  Heliocarpus  popayamente  and  infinitely  more  which 
give  useful  products. 

The  woods  are  invaded  by  numerous  palms  which  in  some  places 
form  large  groves.  Amongst  them  we  may  cite  as  the  most  impor- 
tant, Phitelephas  macrocarpa  which  covers  large  extensions  of  the 
river  banks  on  the  Atlantic  side,  Croxodia  regia,  Cocus  nucifera, 
Arecha  catecum,  Wilelmia  speciosa,  Martinetia  culeatam,  Cenoc 
rous  utilis,  Attalea  sagu  and  may  others  which  produce  oils,  fibers, 
wines  and  other  useful  products. 

Breaking  into  the  forests  near  the  populated  lands  are  Paspalum 
virgatum,  Triricum  repens,  which  are  eaten  by  cattle.  These  are 
found  mixed  with  "matas"  or  agglomerations  of  trees  of  different 
species  which  give  their  shade  to  the  animals  which  go  there  in 
search  of  water. 

CULTIVATION 
BANANAS    AND    PLANTAINS 

The  banana  constitutes  the  principal  cultivation  of  the  Isthmus. 
Besides  the  great  quantity  which  is  consumed  in  the  country,  the 


75 

United  Fruit  Company  possess  extensive  plantations  in  the  Pro- 
vince of  Bocas  del  Toro,  regarding  which  we  made  mention  in 
another  part  of  this  booklet,  and  exports  yearly  to  the  United  States 
a  value  of  more  than  $2,000,000.00.  The  soils  of  the  Isthmus,  on 
the  coast  as  well  as  in  the  interior,  are  magnificent  for  the  produc- 
tion of  the  bananas,  an  article  which  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Euro- 
pean war,  was  beginning  to  be  exported  from  Colombia  and 
Jamaica  to  England  and  for  which  a  good  market  was  being  opened 
in  Germany.  After  the  establishment  of  peace  in  the  world,  it 
will  be  well  received  in  Europe;  besides  being  pleasant  is  very 
nutritive.  Up  to  the  present  the  banana  has  only  been  exported 
in  its  natural  style,  but  in  imitation  of  what  is  being  done  in 
Brazil  it  will  not  be  long  before  the  banana  is  cultivated  in  the 
interior  and  then  exported  in  the  form  of  flour,  which  is  in  great 
demand  in  Germany,  where  for  its  nourishing  properties  it  is  of 
much  use  in  the  hospitals.  The  plantain  is  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal food  stuffs  of  the  Panamanian  people,  and  in  time  its  culti- 
vation will  be  done  in  great  scale  as  the  reserved  plantain  is  in 
much  demand  in  the  interior. 

SUGAR  CANE 

The  cane  is  a  national  product  for  its  excellence.  It  is  success- 
fully cultivated  in  all  the  provinces  although  without  applying 
modern  methods.  It  constitutes  the  principal  wealth  of  Los  San- 
tos and  Herrera,  where  it  is  almost  entirely  used  for  the  making 
of  syrops  for  liquors  and  is  some  cases  to  make  cane  sugar.  Two 
sugar  mills  have  recently  been  installed,  one  called  Santa  Rosa, 
near  Aguadulce  in  the  Province  of  Code,  which  in  1916  produced 
nearly  30,000  sacks  of  sugar,  and  the  other  in  Mogosenega,  in  the 
Darien  district,  Province  of  Panama,  called  "La  Fe",  which  was 
started  at  the  end  of  1916.  There  is  also  another  mill  near  Pese, 
Province  of  Herrera,  which  is  of  smaller  production  and  another 
is  to  be  erected  in  the  Province  of  Chiriqui. 

The  sugar  industry  is  one  of  great  future  as  the  national  pro- 
duction is  insufficient  for  the  consumption  of  the  country  as  can  be 
seen  in  the  import  section  of  this  booklet. 

Dr.  H.  D.  Lupi  in  his  book  on  "Agriculture  in  Panama"  says 
of  sugar  cane : 


76 

This  plant  finds  throughout  the  country  telluric  and  admosferic 
conditions  which  are  favorable  and  the  varieties  which  are  culti- 
vated are  the  "comin"  or  "criolla"  and  the  "morada"  or  "ama- 
rilla"  of  Atahiti,  the  striped  and  the  yellow  Borbon. 

The  cane  gives  a  crop  every  nine  months,  but  in  Bugaba,  owing 
to  the  method  used  and  the  exceptional  fertility,  there  are  three 
cuttings  yearly  and  there  are  cane  patches  thirty  years  old.  Here 
they  sow  the  cane  and  do  not  cut  until  ripe,  then  four  months 
afterwards  the  developed  shoots  remain  and  so  continue  infinitely. 

This  system  can  only  be  employed  in  Bugaba  where  the  land, 
owing  to  its  volcanic  origin,  has  three  or  four  metters  deep  and 
where  the  crushers  are  so  primitive  as  to  allow  this  method  of 
selection. 

COFFEE 

In  spite  of  the  Isthmus  having  magnificent  land  for  the  produc- 
tion of  coffee  and  the  fact  that  it  is  protected  with  an  importa- 
tion tax  of  ten  cents  gold  per  kilo,  the  production  is  not  sufficient 
for  local  consumption.  Arabian  coffee  is  cultivated  in  Boquete, 
Chitre,  Santa  Fe,  Los  Santos,  Code  range  and  other  places  of  less 
importance. 

The  telluric  admospheric  conditions  are  very  favorable  for  this 
along  the  entire  range,  from  one  end  to  the  other  of  the  country, 
but  up  to  the  present  it  has  only  been  well  done  in  Boquete,  Pro- 
vince of  Chiriqui,  where  a  number  of  foreigners,  Americans,  En- 
glish, Germans  and  French,  have  beautiful  plantations  whose 
products  rival  the  best  of  the  neigboring  country. 

COCOA 

The  cacao  which  is  produced  in  Panama  is  of  magnificent  quality 
and  grows  wild  in  the  woods  in  Darien  and  Code  as  well  in  Tonosi, 
Sona,  San  Felix,  Divala,  etc.,  and  the  cultivation  is  of  great  future 
here  due  to  the  exceptional  properties  of  the  land  which  produce  a 
magnificent  quality  of  bean.  Nevertheless,  probably  due  to  the 
long  time  which  the  production  demands,  and  the  care  which  it 
requires  on  the  part  of  the  growers,  the  United  Fruit  Company  has 
in  full  production  in  Chiriqui  Grande  cocoa  plantations  with 


77 

200,000  trees.  In  the  Province  of  Chiriqui  there  is  another  planta- 
tion, in  Chorcha,  the  property  of  Mr.  Ildefonso  Preciado  whose 
products  have  reached  the  highest  prices  in  London  and  have  great 
reputation. 

There  are  also  other  plantations  although  in  smaller  scale  in  Sona, 
Portobelo  and  other  places.  In  Las  Cascadas,  Canal  Zone,  there 
are  some  whose  trees,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  they  are  25  and  30 
years  old,  give  just  as  good  results,  which  show  that  the  land,  far 
from  being  tired  out,  continues  its  primitive  fertility. 

MAIZE 

Although  this  is  cultivated  all  over  the  country,  no  agriculturist 
has  given  it  special  attention,  so  that  the  production  does  not  reach 
the  national  necessity.  In  Panama  generally,  maize  is  only  em- 
ployed for  feeding  animals,  and  due  to  the  lack  of  agricultural 
knowledge  amongst  the  workers  who  know  practically  nothing  of 
modern  tools  and  seed  selection,  the  sowing  is  only  done  in  the 
rainy  season. 

Dr.  Lupi  and  other  agricultural  experts  have  carefully  studied 
the  soil  condition  in  various  regions  and  affirm  that  the  production 
of  this  grain  could  be  made  one  of  the  principal  fountains  of  wealth 
for  Panama,  as  it  is  in  the  United  States  and  in  Argentina,  where 
it  is  put  to  a  number  of  uses  and  exported  in  enormous  quantities. 
Nevertheless,  the  country  here  is  different  to  those,  as  only  the 
open  ground  which  permits  the  use  of  the  proper  machinery  could 
be  used. 

TOBACCO 

If  there  had  been  in  Panama  any  liking  for  agriculture  for  some 
time,  the  scientific  methods  of  raising  tobacco  similar  to  the  fa- 
mous Vuelta  Aba  jo  in  Cuba  would  have  been  applied,  but  it  is 
only  cultivated  in  a  crude  manner  in  some  parts  of  Chiriqui,  Ve- 
raguas  and  Los  Santos  and  is  found  of  excellent  quality  in  Tono- 
si,  Guineal  and  Bubi. 

With  good  seeds  from  Cuba  and  the  United  States  and  the  ap- 
plication of  good  methods  of  cultivation  and  preparation  a  rich 
product  could  be  obtained  which  would  find  markets  in  both  Pa- 
nama and  abroad. 


78 

Dr.  Lupi  says  that  the  banks  of  the  innumerable  rivers  of  the 
Isthmus  are  not  to  be  bettered  for  the  production  of  this  plant 
and  that  those  of  the  Bayano  and  the  Santa  Maria  could  produce 
large  quantities  of  superior  quality  and  could  powerfully  influence 
the  economic  balance  of  the  coutry. 

RUBBER 

Iii  the  forests  of  Panama  a  number  of  different  varities  of  rubber 
trees  are  to  be  found  and  in  a  number  of  places  there  are  planta- 
tions of  this  rich  product,  generally  of  kind  known  as  "Castila- 
elastica." 

COTTON 

Wild  plants  of  this  kind  are  also  found,  and  it  is  also  cultivated 
in  small  quantities  in  Los  Santos  and  Veraguas,  where  it  is  used 
for  rough  cloths,  for  in  spite  of  being  cultivated  with  an  absence 
of  method,  a  good  crop  with  a  strongly  resistent  fiber  is  obtained. 
In  the  Panama  Agricultural  Station  experiments  have  been  made 
and  it  has  been  deducted  from  the  results  that  the  sowing  should 
be  done  in  the  months  of  October  to  harvest  in  the  summer  and 
then  pull  up  the  old  plants  and  sow  again,  as  during  the  other 
months  of  the  year  it  suffers  considerably  and  its  product  is 'very 
inferior  to  the  first  crop. 

COCOANUTS 

This  product  is  one  of  those  which  is  largely  exported  from  Pa- 
nama, as  can  be  seen  from  the  statistic  tables  which  appear  in  ano- 
ther section  of  this  work.  In  the  Archipielago  and  on  the  coast  of 
San  Bias  there  are  many  hundred  thousand  of  palms  belonging  to 
the  Indians  who  live  in  these  districts  and  who  sell  large  quan- 
tities of  cocoanuts  for  exportation. 

There  are  also  palm  groves  which  are  not  so  numerous  or  exten- 
sive in  Bocas  del  Toro  and  on  the  Pacific  side  in  some  places.  An 
English  company  was  recently  formed  for  the  exportation  of  nuts 
from  Punta  Burica  and  from  the  islands  of  Coiba,  Jicaron  and  Ji- 
carita,  the  principal  object  being  the  copra,  and  due  to  the  great 


79 

demand  which  this  article  has  in  England  and  the  United  States, 

other  plantations  are  being  made  in  different  parts  of  the  country. 

The  cocoanut  of  San  Bias  has  the  best  reputation  in  the  world. 


RICE 


Notwithstanding  that  this  food  stuff  is  indispensable  for  Pana- 
manians and  the  fact  that  its  cultivation  is  general,  so  much  so 
that  every  working  man  has  his  rice  field,  it  is  still  necessary  to 
import  large  quantities  from  abroad.  In  the  Republic  there  is 
much  land  which  is  excellent  for  this  cultivation. 

YUCCA 

In  spite  of  being  well  cultivated  and  well  known  in  Panama, 
yucca  has  not  acquired  any  value  as  a  prime  industry,  so  that  it 
is  necessary  to  import  all  the  starch  which  is  used  in  the  country 
and  on  the  Canal  Zone. 

PINEAPPLES 

Those  which  are  produced  on  the  Island  of  Taboga,  besides 
their  great  size  are  of  an  extremely  agreeable  flavor  and  attempts 
are  now  being  made  in  the  school  of  agriculture  with  a  new  species 
already  acclimated  here  which  appears  even  better. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  appetising  fruits  for  foreigners  and  in  a 
similar  manner  to  the  Antilles  could  be  cultivated  here  on  great 
scale  to  be  exported  to  the  United  States  where  it  is  greatly  in 
demand. 

POTATOES 

The  potato  is  one  of  the  most  important  food  stuffs  of  the  Pa- 
namanian people,  but  practically  all  that  is  used  is  brought  in 
from  abroad.  It  could  be  produced  here  of  a  magnificent  quality 
and  great  abundance  in  a  number  of  places,  especially  in  Boquete 
where  it  would  be  easy  to  transport  it  over  the  railroad  which  puts 
that  district  in  communication  with  the  port  of  Pedregal. 


80 

ORANGES 

Although  these  are  grown  throughout  the  country,  there  are  no 
properly  cultivated  orange  groves  here.  The  existing  species, 
some  of  good  quality,  have  degenerated  on  account  of  age  and 
lack  of  crossing.  Nevertheless,  lately  new  and  magnificent  vari- 
ties  have  been  imported  from  the  United  States  to  serve  as  a  base 
for  great  plantations,  as  the  orange  now  has  good  markets  in  the 
capital  and  the  Canal  Zone  and  the  ships  which  pass  through  the 
canal. 

The  orange  is  not  a  tree  which  requires  much  care  and  produces 
good  results  and  this  could  be  a  source  of  wealth  for  Panama. 

FRUITS  IN  GENERAL 

Panama  ought  to  be  a  fruit  center  of  great  importance  as  she 
already  has  here  the  most  varities  of  tropical  fruits,  but  up  to  the 
present  no  one  has  given  this  branch  of  agriculture  the  importance 
which  it  merits. 

The  fruits  which  are  produced  here  and  which  could  be  an 
object  of  wealth  to  our  merchants  are  mango,  alligator  pear,  guaba, 
maranon,  mamei,  nispero,  and  although  good  places  exist  for  thier 
cultivation  there  are  no  grapes  nor  figs,  apples,  cherries,  peaches, 
and  others  which  would  well  repay  those  who  may  cultivate  them. 

HORTICULTURE 

With  the  exception  of  a  few  Chinamen  who  are  dedicating  them- 
selves near  the  capital  to  this  branch  of  agriculture,  employing 
the  most  antiquated  methods,  there  are  no  real  kitchen  gardens 
in  the  Republic,  which  is  the  more  astonishing  when  the  climate 
and  soil  are  so  well  adapted  and  the  demand  is  great  for  green 
stuff  both  in  Panama  and  the  Canal  Zone.  Large  quantities  of 
onions,  tomatoes,  cabbage,  asparagus,  etc,  etc,  are  imported 
which  could  easily  be  produced  here. 


ANIMAL   PRODUCTION 

CATTLE 

According  to  the  recent  returns  there  are  166,916  head  of  beef 
cattle  in  the  Republic  in  the  following  provinces. 

Bocas  del  Toro 2,585 

Code 32,178 

Colon 970 

Chiriqui 49,252 

Herrera ; 20,492 

Los  Santo? 14,383 

Panama 15,433 

Veraguas. 31,623 


166,916 

But  it  is  generally  admitted  that  the  existence  of  cattle  is  much 
greater.  Some  expert  cattlemen  estimate  that  there  are  more  than 
250,000  head  and  others  300,000.  This  is  the  most  important  in- 
dustry in  the  Republic. 

The  breeding  is  easy  and  during  the  last  few  years  many  of  the 
breeders  have  devoted  themselves  to  improving  the  race,  a  little 
undersize  on  account  of  the  lack  of  pastures  adequate  for  them  and 
the  lack  of  strong  heavy  strains,  but  these  defects  are  disappear- 
ing rapidly. 

In  the  districts  where  cattle  are  fed  on  artificial  pasture,  they 
grow  bigger  and  heavier  and  this  is  reversed  where  they  breed 
wild  and  stay  on  the  range  during  the  summer  where  they  fre- 
quently die  of  hunger  and  thirst. 


82 

Large  quantities  of  alfalfa  and  trefoil  are  imported  into  the 
Republic  for  dairies  of  Panama  and  Colon,  and  this  is  forage  which 
could  be  cultivated  well  in  different  parts  of  the  country  and  would 
greatly  help  the  strengthening  of  the  cattle  industry  and  a  great- 
er production  of  milk  for  industrial  use. 

Horses  and  mules  in  the  country  are  estimated  to  amount  to 
35,000  animals.  In  the  last  return  only  20,664  were  given  but  this 
does  not  include  working  animals. 

The  ass  practically  does  no  exist,  and  at  least  there  are  not  a 
hundred  in  the  country. 

Goats  are  more  numerous,  but  there  are  not  more  than  2,500 
in  spite  of  the  many  districts  where  they  could  be  bred  under  ad- 
vantageous conditions. 

POULTRY 

Poultry  breeding  does  not  exist  on  the  Isthmus.  No  one  is  oc- 
cupied in  this  industry  although  especially  in  the  interior  of  the 
country  every  house  has  its  birds  and  in  the  Provinces  of  Los  San- 
tos and  Herrera  a  regular  trade  is  done  with  Panama  for  eggs  and 
hens. 

Nevertheless,  the  egg  production  does  not  reach  the  local  neces- 
sity and  importations  have  to  be  made  from  the  United  States  as 
will  be  seen  in  the  commercial  chapter.  From  North  America, 
for  the  Canal  Zone  consumption  $50,000  worth  of  eggs  are  brought 
every  year  and  on  some  occasions  the  commissary  chiefs  have 
stated  that  they  would  buy  all  the  eggs  here  under  contract. 

Various  attempst  on  a  small  scale  heve  been  made  to  establish 
poultry  breeding,  but  they  have  failed  in  most  cases  owing  to  ig- 
norance of  the  methods  to  make  success. 

Hens  eggs  are  sold  in  the  cities  of  Panama  and  Colon  at  prices 
which  fluctuate  between  25  and  60  cents  gold  per  dozen. 


THE  PANAMANIAN  PRESS 

In  the  capital  of  the  Republic  there  are  four  important 
newspapers. 

"The  Star  and  Herald"  and  "La  Estrella  de  Panama"  a  two  lan- 
guage periodical  issue  twice  daily  which  has  been  in  existence  over 
sixty  years.  Its  morning  edition  which  is  the  most  important 
consist  of  sixteen  pages  and  the  evening  edition  of  eight.  "The 
Panama  Morning  Journal",  a  morning  paper  consists  of  eight 
and  the  "Diario  de  Panama",  afternoon  paper,  has  eight  pages. 
There  is  also  a  "Gaceta  Oficial",  or  Official  Gazette,  which  is  the 
organ  of  the  Panamanian  Government,  and  a  "Municipal  Regis- 
ter" for  all  publications  pertaining  to  the  Municipality.  The 
English  newspapers  above  mentioned  have  a  circulation  of  not 
only  in  the  cities  of  Panama  and  Colon  but  also  in  the  Canal  Zo- 
ne, and  the  Spanish  papers  circulate  profusely  throughout  the  Re- 
public. These  newspapers,  with  the  exception  of  the  "Gaceta 
Oficial"  are  the  best  advertising  mediums  in  the  country. 

In  the  city  of  David  there  is  also  a  daily  called  "El  Valle  de  la 
Luna",  of  small  shape  and  four  page  edition  which  has  a  large 
circulation  in  the  Province  of  Chiriqui. 

Besides  the  above  there  are  other  periodicals,  some  weekly  and 
the  rest  occasional. 

Amongst  the  literary  reviews  special  mention  must  be  made  of 
the  "Revista  Nueva"  which  is  edited  in  the  capital  and  has  a  good 
circulation  throughout  the  Republic.  It  is  also  of  scientific  char- 
acter. 

"The  Agricultural  Bulletin",  official  organ  of  the  Agricultural 
School  of  Panama  is  distributed  free  throughout  the  Republic. 


THE  TIMBER  RESOURCES   OF  PANAMA 

(From  the  Official    Bulletin  of  the  National  Exposition   of  Panama) 

To  write  about  the  timber  resources  of  a  country  like  Panama, 
of  whose  natural  resources  we  know  very  little,  is  not  an  easy  task 
by  any  means.  The  Smithsonian  Institution  conducted  a  botanical 
survey  of  the  Isthmus  since  1910,  but  this  was  not  in  any  way  a 
continuous  study,  nor  was  it  a  thorough  as  it  might  have  been. 
Professor  Henry  Pittier  of  the  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry  was  the 
man  entrusted  with  this  survey,  and  indeed  no  better  man  could 
be  found  to  carry  out  such  work.  Not  only  does  he  know  tropical 
botany,  but  he  is  familiar  with  the  tropical  conditions  in  the  inte- 
rior of  Panama.  This  same  Professor  Pittier  is  the  specialist  whom 
the  Bureau  of  Agriculture  loaned  in  1914  to  the  Republic  of  Panama 
to  establish  an  agricultural  experiment  station  in  Panama.  In 
another  article  we  treat  of  this  experimental  farm.  While  doctor 
Pittier  was  here,  we  asked  him  to  prepare  our  collections  of  timber. 
He  did  his  best,  working  untiringly,  and  assembled  about  a  hun- 
dred and  twenty  species  of  woods. 

Now  these  hundred  and  twenty  species  are  far  from  being  com- 
plete of  the  forest  flora  of  Panama.  Professor  Pittier  was  able  only 
to  skim  the  surface,  so  to  speak,  his  four  years  of  previous  work  in 
Panama,  and  tens  of  years  in  Costa  Rica,  told  him  there  are  many 
more  species  he  could  not  obtain  in  the  short  time  that  was  at  his 
disposal.  This  collection  lacks  many  of  the  commoner  species 
because  the  aim  was  to  secure  the  better  kinds  of  woods. 

The  writer  when  going  to  Darien,  found  the  entire  region  thickly 
forested,  as  if  timber  was  never  taken  out  of  that  territory.  At  El 
Real  he  was  told  a  settler  burned  over  a  patch  of  forest  containing 
over  a  thousand  cocobolo  tree,  in  order  to  have  grazing  land.  This 


85 

should  give  the  reader  some  idea  of  the  richness  of  the  timber  re- 
sources. The  fence  which  surrounds  our  exposition  is  made  of  na- 
tive timber,  and  were  it  not  for  the  war,  which  curtailed  greatly 
the  income  of  this  nation,  we  could  have  had  several  houses  on  our 
grounds  made  of  native  timber. 

Although  fine  woods  are  plentiful,  there  is  very  little  industry 
here.  We  have  no  establishments  for  drying  timber  nor  is  there 
much  timber  exported.  But  we  are  certain  that  the  collection  of 
woods  prepared  by  Professor  Pittier  will  do  much  to  stimulate 
interest  in  the  industries  dependant  upon  fine  woods.  There  is  no 
reason  why  Panama,  uniquely  situated  geografically,  should  not 
enjoy  a  rapid  growth  in  manufacturing  lines,  as  well  as  a  big  dis- 
tributing center. 

In  addition  to  their  use  in  making  furniture,  etc.,  a  few  of  the 
species  have  great  medicinal  values,  while  others  furnish  valuable 
dyes.  The  writer  regrets  that  he  is  unable  to  give  data  regarding 
these  two  phases,  but  as  soon  as  Professor  Pittier  will  be  able  to  do 
so,  he  will  send  us  a  short  article  upon  this  interesting  subject, 
which  of  course  we  will  publish. 

The  following  notes  which  we  present,  hardly  do  justice  to  the 
species  they  concern.  To  get  a  good  idea  of  a  certain  kind  of 
wood,  one  must  see  it,  feel  it  and  no  amount  of  words  can  ade- 
quately describe  its  properties. 

Jagua  rosada — a  rather  heavy  tough,  close  grained  soft  wood, 
of  firm  qualities,  used  largely  for  making  articles  of  ornament,  etc. 
It  can  be  used  for  houses  for  the  trunk  is  often  four  feet  in  diameter, 
the  majority  of  the  trees  about  1J^  ft.  It  also  yields  a  fair  dye. 

Mora  (Clorophora  tinctoria  Gaudlich).  A  light  wood,  yellow  in 
color,  fine  long  grain,  firm  and  hard.  It  yields  a  good  dye.  Often 
3ft.  in  diameter. 

Canafistulo  (Cassua  brasiliana  Lamb).  A  close-grained,  yellow 
wood,  taking  a  good,  rich  finish. 

Quira  (Platymiscium  polystachyum  Benth).  Very  hard,  close- 
grained,  tough,  heavy  wood,  brown  in  color,  takes  a  good  finish, 
and  is  well  adapted  for  houses.  It  is  a  tall  tree,  with  its  trunk 
about  four  ft.  in  diameter.  When  freshly  cut  this  wood  has  an 
agreeable  aroma. 


Huesito  (Faramea  occidentalis)  "little  bone".  A  very  hard,  yel- 
low, close-grained  wood,  of  very  great  durability.  Used  mostly  for 
canes,  and  similar  objects.  The  trunk  is  not  very  thick. 

Calienta  vieja.    A  hard,  brown  wood,  very  solid,  with  good  finish. 

Cedro  amargo  (Cedrela  glaziovii  puberula  C.  D.  C.).  Very  light, 
fragrant,  long-grained  wood,  quite  common,  and  adaptable  for  all 
kinds  of  carpentry  work,  for  making  canoes  etc.  It  is  decidedly  a 
"fine"  wood.  Often  six  feet  in  diameter. 

Cedro  macho  (Guarea  longipetiola  C.  D.  C.).  Much  like  cedro 
amargo,  but  yields  a  much  better  finish  and  for  that  reason  is  better 
suited  for  interior  work. 

Cedro  espinoso  (prickly  cedar).  Inferior  to  the  cedro  amargo, 
but  not  a  bad  wood  for  general  carpenter  work.  Grows  to  very 
large  size,  is  soft  and  the  grain  is  somewhat  spotted.  It  takes  a 
good  finish. 

Cedro  cebolla  (literally  onion  cedar).  Practically  the  same  in 
quality  as  the  bitter  cedar,  but  lighter  in  color. 

Cuchillito  (small  knife)  a  very  hard  wood,  taking  a  very  smooth 
finish.  The  oblique  section  discloses  many  dark,  tortuous  lines. 
A  very  pretty  wood,  but  not  common. 

Cabresto.  Rich  red  in  color,  exquisite  finish,  and  a  most  beau- 
tiful wood  for  furniture  and  interior  finish.  Not  attacked  by  wood 
borers. 

Carbonero  (Oncoba  laurina  Warburg)-yellow  to  brown  in  color, 
hard'  close-grained,  firm,  giving  a  fine  finish,  heavy,  not  very  com- 
mon but  good  for  interior  decoration. 

Guayabo  de  montana.  A  heavy,  close-grained  hard  wood,  never 
very  thick,  useful  largely  for  making  canes  and  umbrella  handles. 

Corotii  (Enter olobium  cyclocarpum  Grisch).  An  Isthmian  walnut, 
takes  a  beautiful  finish. 

Alcornoque  (Dimorphandra  megistosperma  Pittier).  A  tree  be- 
longing to  the  family  Caesalpiniaceae.  Professor  Pittier  describes 
it  as  follows:  "the  trunk  is  usually  straight  with  a  smooth,  dark 
brownish,  peeling  bark.  It  will  give  logs  of  6  to  8  meters,  of  any 
diameter  up  to  one  meter,  of  a  pale  brown  tough,  close  grained 
wood.  The  sap  once  excluded,  this  wood  is,  it  is  claimed,  inco- 
rruptible and  adapted  as  a  substitute  for  oak  or  other  hard  timbers 
in  their  various  industrial  uses.  According  to  other  statements 


87 

wood  of  the  alcornoque  is  better  than  any  other  for  structures 
kept  permanently  under  sea  water".  The  seeds  of  this  tree  are 
very  large  and  often  found  along  the  beaches. 

Cuajado  (Vitex  floridula  Duch  &  Jacq).  Light  yellow  in  color 
with  faint  green  tinges,  hard,  gives  fine  finish. 

Macano  (Diphisa  carthaginensis  Jacq).  A  beautiful,  firm  wood, 
light  yellow  in  color,  texture  hard,  taking  a  smooth  polish.  Often 
over  a  meter  in  diameter. 

Gorgojo  (Miconia  sp.).  A  beautiful  wood,  resembling  greatly  in 
texture  and  structure  our  better  oaks;  long  grained,  suitable  for 
all  sorts  of  interior  work  and  for  furniture;  durable:  often  over 
two  feet  in  diameter,  and  quite  tall. 

Berba  (Brosimun  sp).  A  hard  wood,  yellowish  in  color,  yielding 
a  rich  finish. 

Rojo  durisimo.    Brown  in  color,  hard,  heavy,  yields  good  finish. 

Amarillo  de  Frio.  Yellow,  durable,  hard,  fine-grained,  tough, 
yielding  good  polish.  Quite  common. 

Mangle  mata  pescado  (Stachyrhena  heterochroum  Standly). 
"Mangrove" — close-grained,  reddish  in  color,  extremely  hard, 
suitable  for  a  variety  of  uses,  principally  in  Panama  for  members 
used  on  sail  boats,  for  fire  wood,  charcoal,  etc. 

Espave  (Anacardium  rhinocarpus) .  Resembles  the  elm  of  the 
north;  a  beautiful  wood,  somewhat  hard  to  work,  but  very  durable, 
very  often  five  feet  in  diameter. 

Guayacan  (Tabebuia  guayacori).  Lignum  vitae.  Perhaps  the 
best  known  of  tropical  woods  on  account  of  its  heavy,  durable 
qualities  which  make  it  one  of  the  most  durable  woods  in  the  entire 
world,  it  is  almost  indestructible.  Grows  to  very  tall  height  and 
is  quite  common. 

Amarillo  de  calabazuelo.  A  hard  and  heavy  wood,  greenish  in 
color,  somewhat  brittle,  but  used  often  for  interior  work.  It  grows 
to  quite  a  large  size  and  is  fairly  common. 

Mamey  (Mammea  americana  L.).  A  well  known  fruit  tree,  its 
wood  resembling  that  of  cherry,  being  quite  hard,  close  grained, 
and  tough.  It  grows  to  about  two  feet  in  diameter. 

Gasparillo  (Aulacocarpus  sp).  A  beautiful  hard  wood,  suitable 
for^making  canes.  It  is  tough,  brownish  red  in  color,  and  very 
durable. 


88 

Siete  cueros.  A  close-grained,  very  heavy,  hard  wood,  of  great 
durability 

Cocobolo.  A  wood  with  a  beautiful  figured  grain,  hard,  durable, 
and  well  adapted  for  all  kinds  of  fine  cabinet  work.  Trees  are  often 
a  meter  in  diameter. 

Amarillo  de  Guayaquil  (Centrolobium  pattinense  Pittier).  This  is 
another  caesapiniaceious  tree,  and  the  genus  has  hitherto  been  only 
from  Brazil.  The  wood  is  well  suited  for  cabinet  work,  being  hard 
fine-grained,  and  beautifully  veined  in  several  shades  of  red. 

ftispero  balata.  Hard,  close-grained,  whitish  in  color,  not  very 
heavy,  tough  wood.  Its  fruit  is  highly  prized.  From  the  resin  is 
derived  a  gum  "balata"  which  is  superior  to  black  rubber. 

Alazano  (Calycophyllum  caudidissimum  D.  C.  ).  This  is  another 
wood  very  suitable  for  canes  and  umbrella  handles.  Like  the  others 
of  this  class,  its  wood  is  even  grained  and  takes  a  nice,  smooth 
finish. 

Caoba  (Sweitenia  mahogoni  L.).  Mahogony.  Very  plentiful 
in  the  interior  of  Panama.  This  is  perhaps  the  best  known  of 
tropical  wood. 

Caimitillo  (Bumelia  obovata  D.  C.).  Quite  common,  resembling 
greatly  birch;  takes  a  good  finish. 

Algarrobo  (Hymenea  courbaril  L.).  Another  well  known  tree, 
very  hard  and  tough,  growing  to  large  size.  Very  durable.  Color 
reddish  brown. 

Aguacate  (Per sea  gratissima  L.).  A  tree  better  known  for  its 
fruit,  the  so-called  "aligator  pear".  The  wood  is  whitish  in  color, 
hard,  tough,  coarse-grained,  and  is  used  for  a  great  variety  of  pur- 
poses. 

ISazareno  (Peltogyne  purpurea  Pittier).  A  most  beautiful  wood, 
and  a  most  remarkable  tree.  Its  wood  is  very  hard,  the  sap  wood 
is  white  and  little  developed,  while  the  heartwood  is  a  most  beauti- 
ful purple  color. 

Balsamo  Colorado.    Gives  a  beautiful  rich  red  finish. 

Tamarindo  de  monte.    Gives  a  rich  yellow  finish. 

Tangare*.  This  is  not  a  common  species;  its  wood  is  nicely 
grained,  light  brown  in  color  and  heavy. 

Carreto.  A  hard  wood,  rich  yellow  in  color,  which  takes  an 
exceedingly  fine,  smooth  finish. 


89 

Laurel  (Cordia  gerascanthus  Jacq).  Brownish  white  in  color,  long 
grained,  soft,  used  largely  for  building  purposes.  ISot  well  adapted 
for  cabinet  work. 

Mapurito.  An  elegant  wood  with  a  beautiful  grain.  Excellent 
for  better  cabinet  work. 

Topaliza.    Suitable  for  canes,  having  a  rich  yellow  color. 

ISaranjito.  A  hard,  tough,  yellow  wood,  beautiful  and  even  in 
texture.  Suitable  largely  for  instrument  and  tool  handles. 

Chalote.  A  beautiful  white  wood,  deeply  stained  with  brown. 
Would  make  very  handsome  furniture. 

Alcabu.  Brownish  in  color;  very  common  and  grows  to  two 
feet  in  diameter. 

Cacique.  "Indian  chief  ten".  A  handsome  and  one  of  the  most 
durable  of  tropical  woods,  almost  indestructible.  Whitish  yellow 
in  color,  long  grained,  hard,  tough,  suitable  admirably  for  high 
class  canes.  This  wood  can  remain  under  water  almost  indefinitely 
without  signs  of  decay. 

In  addition  to  these  woods  we  have  about  thirty  five  more  spe- 
cies. An  interesting  feature  of  this  collection  is  that  Prof.  Pittier 
found  among  them  about  twenty  new  species,  I.  E.  ,trees  new  to 
science. 


(Official  Gazette  of  the  Republic  of  Panama,  February  21.  1913) 

LAW    20    OF     1Q13 

(  OF  JANUARY  31  ) 

ON  VACANT  LANDS  AND  TOWN  GRANT  LANDS 
(TIERRAS  INDULTADAS) 

The  National  Assembly  of  Panama 

DETORE1E8 

CHAPTER   I 
PRELIMINARY  PROVISIONS 

Article  1.  All  lands  which  make  up  the  territory  of  the  Re- 
public, with  the  exception  of  the  so-called  town-grant  lands,  the 
lands  which  may  at  any  time  have  been  legally  acquired  and  those 
now  belonging  to  natural  or  juristic  persons  under  a  just  title, 
are  vacant  lands  belonging  to  the  Nation. 

(NOTE  :  Article  765  of  the  Civil  Code  of  Panama  provides 
that  a  "just  title  is  one  which  constitutes  or  transfers  owner- 
ship.— Occupancy,  accession  and  prescription  constitutes 
ownership.) 

Article  2.  Town-grant  lands  (tierras  indultadas)  are  the  lands 
which  were  acquired  of  the  Spanish  government  by  a  number  of 
towns  of  the  Isthmus,  according  to  the  titles  issued  by  said  go- 
vernment which  administered  the  former  colony  of  Tierra  Firme. 
Article  3.  The  area  of  the  town-grant  lands,  according  to  the 
titles  aforesaid,  is  the  following: 

1.  The  area  which,  on  June  10,  1735,  comprised  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  city  of  Nata,  with  the  following  exceptions:  the  lands 
granted  by  special  acts  to  Don  Rodrigo  Bethancourt  and  Dona 
Sebastiana  de  Tapia. 


91 

2.  The  area  which  on  June  9, 1706,  comprised  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  Villa  de  los  Santos,  with  the  exception  of  the  lands  granted  by 
private  acts  of  which  the  only  one  mentioned  in  the  original  title 
issued  to  said  town  is  the  grant  to  the  Confraternity  of  Nuestra 
Senora  de  la  Concepcion  de  Parita. 

3.  The  area  which   on  December  10,  1705,  comprised  the  Pro- 
vince of  Veraguas,  with  the  following  exceptions:   the  islands  of 
the  Pacific;  the  lands  of  the  mountain  ranges  towards  the  Atlantic 
ocean ;  the  lands  of  Suay  and  of  Mariato,  according  to  the  original 
title  of  ownership  issued  in  favor  of  Sergeant  Major  Juan  Monroy, 
and  the  lands  of  the  ranch  or  farm  of  San  Juan,  belonging  to  the 
heirs  or  successors  of  Captain  Juan  Diaz  de  la  Palma,  the  original 
purchaser  thereof. 

Article  4.  The  right  to  administer  and  allot  vacant  lands  and 
town  grant  lands  is  vested  in  the  Nation,  in  accordance  with  the 
provisions  of  this  law. 

Ariticle  5.  As  soon  as  this  law  shall  have  been  sanctioned  the 
Executive,  through  Commissions  to  consist  in  each  province  of 
the  Administrator  of  Lands,  the  Official  Surveyor,  one  or  more 
engineers  of  the  technical  service  of  the  Department  of  Fomento, 
and  the  indispensable  subordinate  personnel,  shall  proceed  to 
carry  out  the  following  work  and  studies : 

1.  To  establish  and  determine  the  boundaries  between  vacant 
or  towngrant  lands  and  those  acquired  under  a  legitimate  title 
by  private  individuals. 

2.  To  fix  and  determine  the  area  and  the  commons  of  the  towns 
and  to  divide  the  former  into  lots  which  may  be  granted  to  the 
present  occupants  thereof  and  to  future  settlers. 

3.  To  prepare  a  topographical  plan  of  each  district  of  the  Re- 
public, with  a  full  and  detailed  showing  of  the  lands  acquired  at 
any  time  and  those  merely  occupied  without  a  title  by  settlers 
or  tillers  of  the  soil,  stating  their  exact  area  and  indicating  by 
means  of  a  special  uniform  color  the  lands  which  have  not  been 
appropriated  or  have  not  been  occupied  for  purposes  of  cultiva- 
tion. 

4.  To  cause  a  study  to  be  made  by  experts  of  the  vegetable 
and  mineral  wealth  to  be  found  on  unappropriated  and  unculti- 
vated lands  which  have  been  allotted  under  provisional  titles. 


92 

Article  6.  The  owners  of  lands  adjoining  vacant  or  town- 
grant  lands,  shall  submit  to  the  Commission  referred  to  in  the 
foregoing  article,  within  such  reasonable  time  as  the  Commission 
may  determine,  the  original  titles  upon  which  their  ownership  is 
based,  and  all  other  documents  whereby  such  ownership  has  been 
transferred,  and  the  Commission,  after  consideration  of  such  titles, 
shall  determine  and  fix  the  boundaries. 

Article  7.  The  Commission  shall,  of  its  own  motion,  deter- 
mine the  area  of  the  towns,  according  to  their  importance,  tak- 
ing into  consideration  the  advisability  of  the  settlers  forming 
compact  groups,  and  shall  divide  said  area  into  lots  of  uniform 
size  which  shall  in  no  case  exceed  a  frontage  of  twenty  meters  by 
a  depth  of  thirty  meters. 

Article  8.  After  the  area  shall  have  been  determined  and  the 
town  commons  fixed,  the  Commission  shall  forward  the  plan  to  the 
General  Administrator  of  Lands  in  order  that  the  latter  may  on 
his  own  motion  issue  the  respective  title  in  favor  of  the  Munici- 
pality within  which  the  town  in  question  may  be  situated. 

Article  9.  The  Commission  shall  cause  notice  to  be  served 
on  every  individual  in  peaceful  and  tranquil  possession  of  a  tract 
of  land  to  present  to  it,  within  the  term  which  may  be  fixed  for 
so  doing,  his  title  of  ownership  to  the  land,  or  the  title  of  usufruc- 
tuary possession  which  he  must  have  applied  for  in  accordance 
with  the  provisions  in  force  prior  to  the  time  Law  19  of  1907  and 
Law  3  of  1909  went  into  effect. 

Aritcle  10.  If  the  titles  of  ownership  should  be  legal  owing 
to  their  having  been  issued  by  the  Spanish  authorities  during  the 
colonial  period,  by  the  authorities  having  the  power  to  issue  titles 
to  lands  during  the  period  of  the  Republic  of  Nueva  Granada, 
of  the  Granadian  Confederation,  of  the  United  States  of  Colom- 
bia, or  of  the  Republic  of  Panama,  the  Administrator  of  Lands 
shall,  afi/er  consideration  of  the  report  of  the  Surveyor  and  of 
the  Engineer  or  Engineers  of  the  Technical  Service  of  the  Dep- 
artment of  Fomento,  direct  that  the  tract  of  land  acquired  be 
indicated  on  the  plan  of  the  respective  district,  with  the  area  and 
boundaries  stated  in  the  title,  and  with  the  name  of  the  owner. 

Article  11.  The  usufructuary  possessors  of  town-grant  lands 
under  titles  issued  in  accordance  with  the  laws  in  force  prior  to 


93 

Law  3  of  1909,  and  the  mere  occupants  of  vacant  lands,  who  may 
have  failed  to  apply  for  their  titles  of  ownership  in  accordance 
with  said  law  or  in  accordance  with  Law  19  of  1907,  respectively, 
shall  be  included  in  the  plan  as  possessors  of  the  land  they  may 
be  occupying  with  a  dwelling  or  under  cultivation  or  prepared 
for  cultivation  or  devoted  to  other  industrial  enterprises,  provid- 
ed the  possession  they  may  have  enjoyed  shall  have  been  peace- 
ful and  tranquil;  but  in  such  case  the  Administrator  shall  allow 
each  possessor  a  period  of  ninety  days  within  which  to  apply  for 
his  title  of  ownership. 

Article  12.  If  he  should  fail  to  apply  therefor  within  said 
period, the  Administrator  of  Lands  shall,  on  his  own  motion,  ins- 
titute the  proceedings  for  the  allotment  of  the  land  in  question, 
shall  cause  a  copy  to  be  made  of  the  proper  section  of  the  plan  of 
the  district,  shall  post  a  notice  to  the  effect  that  the  title  of  own- 
ership is  about  to  be  issued,  and  in  the  absence  of  any  well  found- 
ed objection,  he  shall  declare  the  possessor  to  be  the  owner  of 
the  land,  shall  order  the  execution  of  the  porper  public  deed,  and 
shall  forward  to  the  Administrator  of  the  Treasury  of  the  Prov- 
ince a  statement  of  the  value  of  the  land  and  of  all  the  expenses 
incurred  in  the  proceedings,  including  the  proportionate  cost  of 
the  survey,  in  order  that  said  official  may  collect  the  amount 
thereof,  availing  himself  of  all  legal  means  of  compulsion  and 
coercion  necessary  therefor. 

Article  13.  The  land  allotted  shall  be  considered  subject  to 
a  mortgage  and  may  be  sold  by  the  Administrator  of  the  Trea- 
sury at  public  auction  for  the  payment  of  the  debt,  the  amount 
of  the  statement  being  taken  as  the  upset  price. 

Article  14.  Two  copies  shall  be  made  of  the  plans  or  maps  of 
each  district,  one  to  be  filed  in  the  office  of  the  Provincial  Admi- 
nistrator of  Lands,  and  the  other  to  be  forwarded  to  the  General 
Administrator. 

Article  15.  The  decisions  rendered  by  the  Provincial  Admi- 
nistrators of  Lands  regarding  the  demarcation  of  boundaries,  the 
validity  of  the  titles  and  any  other  matter  under  their  jurisdiction, 
shall  be  final  and  shall  have  the  force  of  the  final  judgement  of  a 
court  if  not  appealed  from  within  ten  days  after  service  of  notice 
thereof,  by  the  persons  interested  or  third  parties  prejudiced.  The 


94 

appeals  shall  be  decided  by  the  Administrator  General  of  Lands, 
the  method  of  procedure  described  below  being  followed. 

Article  16.  The  Executive  may,  in  cases  in  which  in  his  judge- 
ment it  is  necessary  and  provided  the  commission  or  the  persons 
interested  or  third  parties  make  application  thereof,  direct  that 
the  opinion  of  the  Attorney  General  of  the  Republic  be  called  for. 

CHAPTER    II 
OF  FULL  OWNERSHIP 

Article  17.  The  natural  or  juristic  persons  included  within  the 
following  cases  have  the  right  to  the  issue  in  their  favor  of  titles  of 
full  ownership  of  vacant  or  town-grant  lands: 

1.  The  occupant  of  a  tract  of  town-grant  land  who  may  have 
inclosed  such  land  with  fences  of  a  permanent  character  before 
Law  70  of  1904  went  into  effect,  that  is  to  say,  before  June  23,1904, 
but  if  the  land  should  be  uncultivated,  the  right  of  the  occupant  is 
limited  to  the  right  to  be  preferred  as  a  purchaser  thereof  under  the 
general  conditions  set  forth  in  this  law,    provided  he  shall  avail 
himself  of  this  right  within  six  months  after  it  goes  into  effect. 
Upon  the  expiration  of  this  period  without  the  application  for 
purchase  having  been  made,  the  land  may  be  denounced  and  sold 
to  some  other  applicant. 

If  the  land  should  be  partly  under  cultivation,  the  occupant  has 
the  right  to  acquire  the  ownership  of  the  part  under  cultivation 
and  of  a  tract  of  like  size  adjoining  it,  for  the  price  of  fifty  centesimos 
of  a  balboa  per  hectare.  The  price  of  the  uncultivated  section  re- 
maining within  the  tract  shall  be  that  which  may  be  fixed  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  provisions  of  articles  52  and  53  of  this  law. 

2.  A  person  who  has  been  the  occupant  of  a  tract  of  town-grant 
land  since  prior  to  the  time  Law  70  of  1904  went  into  effect,  and 
who  shall  have  cultivated  it  or  maintain  it  under  cultivation, 
whether  enclosed  or  not,  has  the  right  to  acquire  ownership  thereof 
upon  payment  of  the  price  of  fifty  centesimos  of  a  balboa  per  hectare. 

3.  Persons  holding  titles   as   usufructuary   possessors  issued 
before  Law  70  of  1904  went  into  effect,  or  thereafter  in  accordance 
with  the  provisions  of  said  law,  are  entitled  to  the  full  ownership 


95 

of  the  land  alloted  to  them  in  usufruct,  at  the  price  of  fifty  cente- 
simos  of  a  balboa  per  hectare. 

Persons  who  may  have  legally  acquire  the  rights  of  the  original 
occupants  or  usufructary  possessors  of  the  lands  are  included  with- 
in the  provisions  of  this  and  the  preceding  subdivisions. 

4.  The  occupant  of  vacant  or  town-grant  lands  with  houses 
and  their  appurtenances  beyond  the  area  of  the  town  and  of  other 
lands  allotted  to  the  Municipalities,  has  the  right  to  the  issue  of  a 
title  covering  such  land  and  an  adjoining  section  of  the  same  size. 

5.  The  Municipalities  are  entitled  to  the  gratuitous  allotment 
of  the  area  and  of  the  commons  of  the  towns  within  their  jurisdic- 
tion located  on  vacant  or  town-grant  lands,  and  the  respective  allot- 
ment shall  be  made  to  them  without  any  petition  therefor,  subject 
to  the  following  obligations: 

(a).  To  accept  the  official  plan  of  the  area  and  commons  made 
in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  Chapter  I  of  this  law ; 

(b)  Not  to  change  the  division  into  lots  which  may  have  been 
made  in  the  plan; 

(c).  To  recognize  the  rights  acquired  by  the  present  occupants 
of  lots  containing  dwelling  houses  and  their  appurtenances; 

Paragraph.  The  Municipalities  cannot  consider  as  legal  oc- 
cupants persons  having  no  other  title  than  that  of  having  inclos- 
ed in  some  manner,  within  the  area  of  the  towns,  spaces  greater 
than  those  constituting  a  building  lot,  without  having  occupied 
the  land  with  urban  constructions;  they  shall  recognize  the  right 
of  the  occupant  to  two  adjoining  lots  having  the  area  established 
in  the  first  rule  of  article  21  of  this  law,  and  they  shall  declare 
the  remainder  to  be  open  to  allotment  to  other  settlers,  prefer- 
ence being  given  in  all  cases  to  those  to  whom  no  lot  has  been 
awarded  in  the  town. 

(d).  To  issue  a  title  of  full  ownership  to  the  present  occupants 
with  dwellings  and  their  appurtanances  and  to  establish  the  con- 
ditions to  govern  future  allotments,  in  accordance  with  the  pro- 
visions of  article  173  of  Law  14  of  1909. 

6.  The  persons  to  whom  vacant  lands  have  been  allotted  under 
definitive  titles  issued  by  legitimate  authorities  prior  to  Novem- 
ber 3,  1903,  retain  their  rights  of  ownership;  but  they  are  oblig- 


96 

ed  to  produce  their  titles  for  the  purposes  of  the  delimitation  of 
the  lands  and  the  inclusion  thereof  in  the  map  or  plan  of  the  res- 
pective district. 

7.  The  present  occupants  of  vacant  lands  with  dwellings  or 
under  cultivation,  are  entitled  to  the  allotment  in  full  ownership 
of  the  land  cultivated,  for  the  price  of  fifty  centesimos  of  a  balboa 
per  hectare. 

8.  The  possessors  of  vacant  lands  who  held  possession  prior 
to  the  time  Law  19  of  1907  went  into  effect,  are  entitled  to  the 
allotment  of  the  land  possessed  at  the  rate  of  fifty  centesimos  of 
a  balboa  per  hectare. 

9.  Stock  farmers  owing  more  than  five  head  of  breeding  cattle 
are  entitled  to  the  allotment  in  full  ownership  of  the  land  upon 
which  they  pasture,  graze  and  water  their  cattle,  in  the  propor- 
tion of  one  hectare  per  head,  for  the  price  of  fifty  centesimos  of 
a  balboa  per  hectare,  with  the  observance  of  the  following  rules : 

1.  That  the  lands  for  which  application  is  made  be  natural 
pasture  lands; 

2.  That  if  cattle  belonging  to  different  persons  graze  on  the 
land  in  common,  an  equitable  distribution  of  the  land  be  made 
among  them  in  order  that  the  cattle  of  all  may  have  easy  access 
to  the  watering  places; 

3.  That  the  possessors  of  farms  or  cattle-ranches  be  preferr- 
ed in  the  purchase  of  the  land,  in  the  order  of  the  length  of  their 
occupation. 

4.  That  the  stock  farmers  peremptorily  bind  themselves  to 
inclose  with  durable  fences  the  lands  which  may  be  allotted  to 
them,  within  a  term  of  one  year  from  the  date  of  the  deed  of  allot- 
ment, after  which,  in  the  event  of  a  failure  to  comply  with  this 
obligation,  the  Executive  may  compel  the  persons  to  whom  the 
lands  have  been  allotted  to  comply  therewith  and  impose  succes- 
sive fines  ranging  from  twenty-five  to  two  hundred  balboas. 

The  Executive  may  grant  permission  to  omit  the  fencing  of 
some  lands  in  the  event  of  an  absolute  lack  of  water  for  the  cattle, 
or  may  adopt  other  measures  to  remedy  the  evil  without  burden- 
ing the  persons  to  whom  they  have  been  allotted. 


97 

CHAPTER    III 
OF  THE  ALLOTMENT  OF  LANDS 

Article  18.  Vacant  and  town-grant  lands  may  be  allotted  by 
the  Nation  in  full  ownership,  in  three  different  forms,  viz.: 

1.  In  the  form  of  gratuitous  grants  to  the  Municipalities,  to 
the  heads  of  Panamanian  families,  to  the  heads  of  foreign  families 
domiciliated  in  the  country,  and  to  immigrants  who  may  come 
to  engage  in  agriculture; 

2.  In  the  form  of  compensation  or  assistance  for  the  construc- 
tion of  railroads,  tranways  and  roads,  for  the  establishment  in 
the  .country  of  new  industries  and  for  the  establishment  or  founda- 
tion and  promotion  of  colonies; 

3.  In  the  form  of  a  sale  to  any  national  or  foreign  individual 
or  company,  or  to  any  corporation  or  association  legally  recogniz- 
ed, established  and  domiciliated  in  the  country. 

PARAGRAPH   I 
OF  GRATUITOUS  GRANTS 

Article  19.  The  Municipal  Council  has  the  right  to  obtain,  receive 
and  preserve  the  title  of  full  ownership  of  the  lands  which  may  have 
been  allotted  to  it  and  surveyed  by  the  Commission  on  Lands  as 
the  area  and  commons  of  the  seat  of  the  District  and  other  organized 
towns  which  may  have  been  established  as  Municipalities  (corregi- 
mientos)  in  which  at  least  twentyfive  families  are  living. 

Article  20.  If  the  Commission  on  Lands  should  not  have  made 
such  demarcation  on  its  own  motion  within  six  months  after  this 
law  shall  have  gone  into  effect,  the  Municipal  Council  may  apply 
to  the  Provincial  Administrator  of  Lands  for  the  allottment,  sub- 
mitting the  following  documents: 

1.  A  full  list  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  seat  of  the  District  or  of 
the  organized  town  for  the  area  and  commons  of  which  applica- 
tion is  made,  the  list  to  state  the  profession,  trade  or  industry 
of  the  inhabitants; 

2.  A  list  of  the  dwelling  houses  in  the  town  in  question,  stat- 
ng  those  which  have  appurtenant  buildings  and  inclosed  yards. 


Article  21.  Upon  the  receipt  of  an  application  by  the  Prov- 
incial Administrator  of  Lands,  the  respective  Commission  shall 
meet  and  make  a  visit  of  inspection  to  the  town  in  question,  exa- 
mine the  local  conditions,  fix  the  number  of  hectares  to  be  grant- 
ed it  as  area  and  commons  and  shall  direct  the  preparation  of  the 
plan,  the  following  rules  being  observed: 

1.  The  area  of  the  town  shall  be  divided  into  two  classess:  one 
for  the  present  settlers,  whose  rights  must  be  respected,  retain- 
ing, if  the  residents  should  so  desire,  the  existing    streets    and 
squares;  and  another  for  future  settlers,  with  avenues  and  streets 
thirty  and  twenty  meters  wide,  respectively,  divided  into  rectan- 
gular blocks  or  squares  having  a  frontage  of  one  hundred  meters 
and  a  depth  of  sixty  meters,  subdivided  into  lots  with  a  frontage 
of  twenty  meters  and  a  depth  of  thirty ; 

2.  The  area  of  the  town  shall  be  determined  on  the  basis  of 
one  hectare  of  land  for  every  fifty  settlers; 

3.  The  commons  shall  never  exceed  fifty  hectares. 

Article  22.  After  the  plan  of  the  lands  shall  have  been  prepar- 
ed, the  record  of  the  proceedings  shall  be  forwarded  to  the  Admi- 
nistrator General  of  Lands  for  a  declaration  that  the  respective 
Municipality  is  the  owner  of  the  area  and  commons  applied  for 
and  for  an  order  directing  the  issue  to  it  of  the  legal  title. 

Article  23.  For  the  purposes  of  the  preceding  provisions  of 
this  paragraph,  by  an  organized  town  is  understood  a  nucleus  of 
more  than  150  inhabitants  living  in  houses  situated  at  not  more 
than  fifty  meters  from  each  other,  forming  one  or  more  regularly 
ligned  streets,  provided  such  town  has  the  official  character  of 
a  Corregimiento  and  that  the  Corregidor  of  Police  reside  there. 

Article  24.  Groups  of  inhabitants  not  fulfilling  the  conditions 
set  forth  in  the  preceding  article,  cannot  make  application  for 
land  for  the  area  and  commons  of  a  town,  but  the  settlers  retain 
their  individual  right  to  apply  for  and  obtain  under  a  gratuitous 
title  the  full  ownership  of  the  land  which  they  may  occupy  with 
their  houses  and  appurtenances  and  of  an  equal  adjacent  section, 
(subdivision  4,  article  17  of  this  law). 

Article  25.  Every  head  of  a  Panamanian  or  foreign  family 
domiciled  in  the  country,  who  may  not  be  the  owner  of  lands  under 


99 

any  title  whatsoever  and  who  may  be  engaged  in  agriculture  or 
is  about  to  engage  therein,  is  entitled  to  the  gratuitous  award  in 
full  ownership  of  a  tract  of  farming  land  having  an  area  of  ten  hec- 
tares situated  in  the  District  in  which  he  has  his  domicile,  or  in 
any  other  place  containing  land  which  has  not  been  granted. 

Article  26.  An  immigrant  coming  to  the  country  with  his  fa- 
mily for  the  purpose  of  engaging  in  agricultural  pursuits,  shall 
acquire  the  right  to  a  tract  of  ten  hectares  provided  he  submit  to 
the  laws,  decrees  and  regulations  governing  immigration.  An  immi- 
grant coming  without  a  family,  shall  be  entitled  to  five  hectares. 

Article  27.  A  Panamanian  over  twenty-one  years  of  age  not 
having  a  family  dependent  upon  him,  has  the  right  to  acquired 
gratuitously  in  full  ownership  a  tract  of  five  hectares  of  farming 
land,  provided  he  be  an  agriculturist  or  has  the  intention  of  engag- 
ing in  agricultural  pursuits. 

Article  28.  For  the  purposes  of  the  preceding  articles,  a  fa- 
mily is  understood  to  be  a  married  couple  with  or  without  chil- 
dren; a  widowed  man  or  woman  with  children;  and  a  brother  or 
sister  who  in  the  absence  of  parents  has  assumed  the  support 
of  his  or  her  minor  brothers  and  sisters. 

Article  29.  Persons  who  may  have  acquired  or  subsequently 
acquire  the  ownership  of  lots  within  the  area  of  towns,  or  of  the 
land  which  they  can  acquire  without  the  area  thereof  on  account 
of  having  houses  and  their  appurtenances  erected  thereon,  are  not 
excluded  from  the  grace  granted  by  articles  25  to  27.  The  persons 
included  in  the  latter  case  shall  have  allotted  to  them  the  hectares 
to  which  they  may  be  entitled  in  land  adjoining  that  which  they 
occupy  with  their  houses  and  appurtenances,  if  this  should  be 
possible. 

Article  30.  In  order  to  carry  out  the  foregoing  provisions  and 
make  the  gratuitous  allotment  to  heads  of  families  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible, the  Executive  shall  direct  that  the  Commission  on  Lands, 
at  the  same  time  that  it  progresses  with  the  plan  or  map  of  the 
territory  of  each  District,  divide  a  reasonable  amount  of  unap- 
propriated and  uncultivated  lands  into  sections  of  one  hundred, 
two  hundred  and  four  hundred  hectares,  in  the  places  which  may 
be  most  suitable  and  adequate  to  the  conveniences  and  necessi- 


100 

ties  of  the  inhabitants,  that  it  draw  the  plans  of  said  sections  and 
divide  them  into  lots  of  ten  hectares,  giving  a  number  to  each  lot. 

Article  31.  After  the  division  and  subdivision  referred  to  in 
the  preceding  article  shall  have  been  made,  as  well  as  the  special 
plan  of  each  section  and  the  numeration  of  the  lots  on  the  plan, 
the  Commission  shall  summon  the  heads  of  families  entitled  to 
the  grace  granted  them  by  the  law  to  appear  and  select  the  lot 
to  which  each  may  be  entitled. 

Article  32.  The  Executive  shall  cause  to  be  prepared  in  due 
time  printed  or  lithographed  blanks  containing  all  the  necessary 
indications  in  order  to  give  legal  validity  to  a  land  title  and  shall 
forward  a  sufficient  number  thereof  to  the  offices  of  the  Adminis- 
trators of  Lands  to  provide  for  the  applications  of  each  district, 
and  the  Administrator  shall  issue  the  title  of  ownership  of  each 
head  of  a  family  upon  these  sketches  in  the  form  of  two  originals, 
stating  therein  the  name  and  surname  of  the  person  to  whom  the 
allotment  is  made,  the  number  of  the  lot  on  the  plan,  the  number 
of  the 'plan,  the  District  and  Province  wherein  it  is  situated  and 
the  metes  and  bounds  of  the  lot,  if  possible.  Both  copies  of  the 
title  shall  be  signed  by  the  Administrator  of  Lands  and  by  the 
person  to  whom  the  allotment  is  made. 

Article  33.  The  two  copies  of  the  title  shall  be  forwarded  to 
the  Administrator  General  of  Lands,  who  shall  compare  them  with 
the  copy  of  the  general  plan  of  the  section,  which  should  have 
been  sent  him  in  due  time,  and  if  the  title  contains  no  defect,  he 
shall  approve  it  and  forward  it  at  once  to  the  Registrer  General  of 
Property  for  registration  in  accordance  with  the  formalities  pres- 
cribed by  the  law. 

A  title  thus  registered  shall  be  perfect  and  unimpeacheable,  and 
shall  be  forwarded  to  the  Provincial  Administrator  of  Lands  for 
delivery  to  the  person  to  whom  the  allotment  has  been  made. 

Article  34.  The  actual  possession  of  the  land  shall  be  given 
by  the  Official  Surveyor,  who  shall  determine  by  means  of  mate- 
rial objects,  such  as  columns  of  stone  or  wooden  posts,  at  the  cost 
of  the  person  interested,  the  ends  of  the  four  lines  which  enclose 
the  land. 


101 

Article  35.  The  method  indicated  in  the  preceding  articles  shall 
also  be  followed  in  the  allotments  to  immigrants  and  to  Panama- 
nians of  legal  age  who  may  not  be  heads  of  families. 

Article  36.  Heads  of  families,  both  national  and  foreign,  im- 
migrants and  other  Panamanians  to  whom  gratuitous  lands  are 
granted  by  this  law,  are  not  obliged  to  await  the  determination 
by  the  Commission  on  Lands  of  the  divisible  lands  and  the  divi- 
sion thereof  into  lots  of  ten  hectares  for  distribution.  They  may 
avail  themselves  of  their  right  individually,  and  shall  be  subject 
to  the  general  procedure  governing  allotments  by  purchase,  with 
the  sole  difference  that  it  shall  not  be  necessary  to  make  an  ap- 
praisement nor  any  payment  whatsoever. 

PARAGRAPH    II 

OF  ALLOTMENTS  FOR  WAYS  OF  COMMUNICATION,  INDUSTRIAL  ESTABLISH- 
MENTS AND  THE  PROMOTION  OF  COLONIES 

Article  37.  The  Executive  may  in  pursuance  of  contracts  en- 
tered into  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  law,  grant  to 
persons  or  companies  undertaking  the  construction  of  railroads 
and  tramways  for  public  service,  a  number  of  hectares  of  lands 
not  exceeding  two  hundred  for  every  kilometer  of  road  which 
they  may  construct,  and  as  the  construction  advances;  but  the 
allotment  shall  consist  of  alternate  lots  which  can  in  no  case  exceed 
an  area  of  five  hundred  hectares,  one  lot  going  to  the  constructor 
and  the  other  to  the  Nation. 

Article  38.  Persons  or  companies  seeking  to  establish  facto- 
ries of  useful  articles,  or  power  or  electric  plants  or  waterworks, 
may  obtain  from  the  Executive  the  gratuitous  allotment  of  such 
vacant  or  town-grant  land  which  may  be  absolutely  essential  to 
the  establishment.  The  Executive  shall  fix  a  period  not  subject 
to  extension  within  which  the  purpose  of  the  concession  is  to  be 
completed,  and  if  not  completed  within  such  time,  he  shall  declare 
the  concession  granted  to  be  null  and  void. 

Article  39.  The  Executive  may  survey  and  separate  tracts 
of  land  not  exceeding  one  thousand  hectares  for  the  setablishment 
of  agricultural  colonies,  and  may  also  grant  them  as  aid  to  indi- 
viduals or  companies  promoting  colonization  who  shall  obligate 
themselves  as  follows: 


102 

1.  To  establish  a  town  upon  the  most  suitable  section  of  the 
land; 

2.  To  bring  upon  the  land  a  number  of  agricultural  colonists 
of  not  less  than  ten  for  every  hundred  hectares  granted ; 

3.  To  grant  to  the  colonists  the  title  of  ownership  to  the  land 
to  which  they  may  be  entitled  according  to  the  plans  of  the  grantee 
under  equitable  conditions  of  price  and  payment,  which  shall  be 
determined  in  the  contract  with  the  Government; 

4.  To  make  a  plan  of  the  land  granted  with  the  division  into 
numbered  lots; 

5.  To  give  bond  for  the  fulfillment  of  the  obligations  which 
they  contract. 

Article  40.  A  failure  to  comply  with  any  one  of  the  first  three 
conditions  set  forth  in  the  foregoing  articles,  shall  operate  to  cancel 
the  concession.  A  failure  to  comply  with  the  fourth,  shall  be  pu- 
nished by  the  imposition  of  successive  fines  of  twenty-five  to  one 
hundred  balboas  until  the  obligation  shall  have  been  fulfilled. 

Article  41.  The  Executive  shall  prescribe  special  regulations 
to  govern  the  manner  of  making  the  allotments  treated  of  in  this 
Paragraph. 

CHAPTER    IV 
OF  THE  SALE  OF  VACANT  AND  TOWN-GRANT  LANDS 

Article  42.  Vacant  and  town-grant  lands  not  subject  to  any 
prior  right  which  must  be  respected  in  accordance  with  the  pro- 
visions of  this  law,  may  be  made  the  subject  of  applications  for 
purchase  and  allotted  in  full  ownership,  with  the  limitations  and 
exceptions  and  with  the  formalities  ser  forth  in  the  following  ar- 
ticles of  this  law. 

Article  43.  Applications  for  the  purchase  of  vacant  lands  may 
be  made  by  any  natural  persons  havign  the  capacity  to  acquire 
real  property,  any  national  or  foreign  company  legally  incorpo- 
rated in  the  country  and  any  corporation  and  association  recog- 
nized by  the  law  not  forbidden  to  possess  real  property  within  the 
territory  of  the  Republic. 

Article  44.  Lands  shall  not  be  allotted  to  any  applicant  in 
an  amount  exceeding  one  thousand  hectares.  But  if  the  person 
to  whom  an  allotment  has  been  made  shall  have  fully  cultivated, 


103 

to  the  satisfaction  of  a  special  commission  appointed  by  the  Exe- 
cutive, a  tract  of  one  thounsand  hectares,  he  may  obtain  the  allot- 
ment of  another  section  of  the  same  size. 

Article  45.  Any  sale  of  land  which  the  Executive  may  find 
himself  obliged  to  make  in  the  performance  of  a  contract  in  excess 
of  one  thousand  hectares,  must  be  expressly  approved  by  the 
Legislative  Power,  and  without  such  approval  the  contract  shall 
not  be  valid  as  to  the  lands,  even  though  it  be  valid  in  other  res- 
pects. 

Article  46.  Applications  for  the  purchase  of  lands  must  be 
addressed  to  the  respective  Provincial  Administrator  and  it  shall 
be  incumbent  upon  him  to  pass  on  the  application  and  clecree^the 
allotment.  All  the  proceedings  must  be  had  and  the  titles  must 
be  issued  on  stamped  paper  of  the  first  class. 

Article  47.  In  districts  in  which  the  Commission  on  Lands 
may  have  made  an  official  plan  in  accordance  with  the  provisions 
of  subdivision  3  of  article  5  of  this  law,  all  petitions  for  the  pur- 
chase of  lands  shall  refer  to  said  plan  or  map,  which  shall  always 
be  open  to  the  public  in  the  Office  of  the  Provincial  Administra- 
tor of  Lands. 

The  petition  or  application  shall  in  such  case  contain  the  neces- 
sary references  for  the  identification  upon  the  plan  and  on  the 
ground  of  the  tract  of  land  applied  for. 

Article  48.  In  districts  in  which  the  plan  or  map  shall  not  as 
yet  have  been  made,  the  application  for  purchase  may  be  made  by 
the  applicant  describing  the  land  which  he  wishes  to  acquire, 
stating  the  metes  and  bounds  thereof  and  its  situation  in  an  exact 
manner,  whether  it  is  wooded,  plain  land  or  covered  with  brush 
and  whether  it  is  traversed  by  or  abuts  on  rivers  or  ravines,  and 
indicating  the  approximate  area  of  the  land  in  hectares. 

Article  49.  Upon  receipt  of  the  petition  the  Administrator  of 
Lands  shall  make  an  order  admitting  it,  and  shall  announce  to  the 
public  the  denunciation  of  the  land  by  means  of  a  notice  to  con- 
tain a  copy  of  the  application  and  to  remain  posted  for  thirty 
days  in  a  visible  part  of  the  office.  The  petition  shall  also  be 
published  for  three  times  in  any  daily  local  periodical  or  in  one 
in  the  Capital  of  the  Republic,  at  the  expenses  of  the  party  in 


104 

interest,  and  the  necessary  number  of  copies  shall  bd  attached 
to  the  record. 

Article  50.  Within  fifteen  days  following  that  upon  which 
the  receipt  of  said  periodical  is  made  a  matter  of  record,  any  per- 
sons believing  themselves  prejudiced  by  the  allotment  may  make 
objection  thereto. 

Article  51.  The  procedure  in  cases  of  objection  shall  be  go- 
verned by  the  provisions  of  following  chapter. 

Article  52.  If  no  objection  should  be  made  to  the  application 
for  the  purchase  of  a  tract  of  land,  or  if  the  objection  should  have 
been  dismissed  or  decided  against  the  objecting  party,  the  Admi- 
nistrator of  Lands  shall  direct  the  Surveyor  to  make  two  originals 
of  a  topographic  plan  of  the  land,  and  while  the  plan  is  being  made 
the  value  of  the  land  shall  be  appraised  by  experts  appointed  as 
follows:  one  by  the  person  interested,  one  by  the  Administrator 
of  Lands  and  one  by  the  public  prosecutor  (fiscal)  of  the  Circuit. 

Article  53.  The  experts  shall  take  the  oath  prescribed  by  the 
law  for  the  proper  discharge  of  their  duties  and  shall  render  their 
reports  jointly  or  separately,  setting  forth  all  the  reasons  on  which 
they  base  them.  If  they  should  agree  as  to  the  value  of  the  land, 
the  Administrator  of  Lands  shall  declare  that  the  value  fixed  is 
the  price  of  the  land;  if  the  experts  should  disagree,  the  Adminis- 
trator, taking  into  consideration  the  statements  made  by  them, 
shall  fix  the  price  which  he  may  consider  equitable.  The  prices 
fixed  by  the  experts  or  by  the  Administrators  cannot  be  less  than 
one  and  one-half  balboas  per  hectare  nor  more  than  six  balboas 
per  hectare;  but  there  may  be  different  qualities  at  different 
prices  within  said  limits. 

Article  54.  After  the  plan  shall  have  been  made  and  the  value 
of  the  land  fixed,  the  Administrator  shall  allow  the  applicant  a 
period  of  three  days  within  which  to  state  whether  he  accepts 
the  plan  and  the  price  of  sale.  If  the  applicant  should  not  accept 
the  plan  owing  to  some  error  or  defect,  the  Administrator  shall 
dicide  the  point  by  directing  the  correction  of  the  plan  or  not.  If 
the  applicant  should  accept  the  plan  but  not  agree  to  the  price, 
the  petition  shall  be  filed,  unless  some  other  person  should  appear 
and  state  in  writing  that  he  accepts  the  purchase  of  the  land 


105 

under  conditions  which  the  original  applicant  did  not  wish  to 
accept. 

Article  55.  Upon  the  acceptance  of  the  purchase  by  the  ori- 
ginal applicant  or  a  third  person,  the  Administrator  of  Lands 
shall  allow  him  a  period  of  not  more  than  six  days  for  the  deposit 
in  the  office  of  the  proper  Provincial  Administrator  of  the  Trea- 
sury of  the  price  of  the  land,  and  upon  proof  of  the  payment  by 
the  proper  recipt,  the  Administrator  of  Lands  shall  make  an  order 
to  the  effect  that  the  applicant  is  the  legal  purchaser  of  the  land 
and  that  he  is  entitled  to  the  issue  of  the  proper  deed  of  sale. 

Article  56.  After  making  said  order  the  Provincial  Adminis- 
trator shall  forward  the  record  of  the  proceedings  to  the  Adminis- 
trator General  and  the  latter  shall  render  a  decision  within  a  pe- 
remptory term  of  seventy-two  hours,  approving,  amending  or 
disapproving  the  decision  of  his  inferior. 

Article  57.  The  Administrator  General  may  amend  or  disap- 
prove a  resolution  for  the  sale  of  vacant  or  twon-grant  lands  in 
the  following  cases: 

1.  When  it  involves  lands  which  cannot  be  the  subject  of  al- 
lotment; 

2.  When  in  the  determination  of  the  price  a  numerical  error 
has  been  committed  or  an  error  of  judgment  as  to  the  quality  of 
the  lands; 

3.  When  the  land  for  which  application  is  made  contains  na- 
tural, vegetable  or  mineral  wealth  of  such  an  extent  that  the  sale 
is  converted  into  a  negotiation  notoriously  prejudicial  to  the  in- 
terests of  the  country. 

Article  58.  In  the  first  case  of  the  preceding  article  and  in  the 
third  case,  the  decision  of  the  Provincial  Administrator  shall  be 
disapproved.  In  the  second  case,  the  Administrator  General  shall 
direct  a  new  appraisal  to  be  made  with  the  intervention  of  two 
experts  appointed  by  himself. 

Article  59.  The  record  of  proceedings  shall  be  returned  to  the 
office  of  the  Provincial  Administrator  of  Lands  and  the  decision 
of  the  Administrator  General  shall  be  carried  out,  by  the  execu- 
tion of  the  title  of  his  decision  were  one  of  approval,  and  by  the 
filing  of  the  record,  if  one  of  disapproval,  or  by  making  the  new 
appraisal  in  other  cases. 


106 

Article  60.  After  all  of  the  proceedings  shall  have  been  had 
and  the  price  paid,  the  Provincial  Administrator  shall  direct  the 
issue  of  the  title  and  forward  to  the  Notary  of  the  Circuit  a  copy 
of  the  following  documents: 

(a)  The  denunciation  of  the  land; 

(b)  The  report  of  the  Surveyor; 

(c)  The  final  report  of  the  appraisal  experts  and  the  order 

whereby    the  Provincial   Administrator  established  the 
price; 

(d)  The  declaration  wherein  the  applicant  expresses  his  ac- 

ceptance of  the  plan  and  of  the  sale  price  fixed; 

(e)  The  decision  of  the  Administrator  General  of  Lands. 
Article  61.     The  public  deed  which  may  be  executed  shall  be 

signed  by  the  Provincial  Administrator  of  Lands  and  by  the  pur- 
chaser, and  there  shall  be  added  thereto,  as  a  part  of  the  title,  a 
copy  of  the  plan  of  the  land  signed  by  the  Administrator,  by  the 
Surveyor  who  made  it  and  by  the  party  in  interest. 

Article  62.  The  title  so  issued  must  be  filed  for  registration 
with  the  General  Registrator  of  Property  within  the  period  which 
may  be  determined  by  the  law. 

Article  63.  The  procedure  set  forth  in  this  title  shall  be  fol- 
lowed in  all  cases  of  applications  for  lands  in  full  ownership,  in 
accordance  with  subdivisions  1,  2,  3,  4,  7,  8,  and  9  of  article  17  of 
this  law,  with  the  exception  of  the  appraisals  which  are  unneces- 
sary as  the  lands  in  these  cases  have  a  fixed  price. 

CHAPTER  v 

OF  OBJECTIONS 

Article  64.  In  all  proceedings,  whether  on  the  petition  of  a 
party  or  on  the  motion  of  the  authorities,  the  purpose  of  which 
is  the  allotment  of  the  full  ownership  of  a  tract  of  land,  objection 
may  be  made,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  following 
articles. 

Article  65.  The  objections  of  private  individuals  shall  be  ad- 
missible only  when  based  upon  a  right  previously  acquired  in  the 
land,  according  to  which  the  objecting  party  must  be  given  the 
preference  in  the  allotment,  or  when  the  objecting  party  claims 


107 

the  constitution  or  the  recognition  of  a  servitude  in  favor  of  ano- 
ther tenement. 

Article  66.  Objections  based  on  the  prejudice  which  the  allot- 
ment may  cause  the  Nation  or  a  Municipality,  or  on  the  ground  of 
the  lands  not  being  susceptible  of  allotment,  must  be  instituted 
by  the  prosecuting  attorneys  (fiscales)  of  the  Circuits  or  by  the 
Municipal  Counsel  (Personeros  Mnicipales),  respectively,  or  by 
any  citizen. 

Article  67.  If  the  objecting  party  should  allege  that  he  is  inclu- 
ded in  any  of  the  cases  set  forth  in  the  preceding  articles,  the  objec- 
tion shall  be  admitted  by  the  Administrator  and  he  shall  refer  it  to 
the  applicant  for  the  land  for  answer  within  forty-eight  hours. 

Article  68.  Upon  the  expiration  of  this  period,  if  there  should 
be  contradiction  between  the  parties,  evidence  in  the  proceedings 
shall  be  admitted  for  a  period  of  eight  days,  and  without  granting 
an  extension  of  any  kind  whatsoever,  the  Administrator  shall 
allow  a  period  of  three  days  to  the  parties  for  filling  written  plead- 
ings. The  decision  must  be  rendered  within  the  next  seventy-two 
hours,  and  if  accepted,  it  shall  be  carried  out. 

Article  69.  If  an  appeal  should  be  taken  from  the  decision 
within  three  days  next  after  legal  notification  to  the  parties,  the 
record  of  proceedings  shall  be  forwarded  by  the  first  mail  to  the 
Administrator  General  of  Lands,  without  payment  of  postage. 

Article  70.  Upon  receipt  of  the  record  of  proceedings,  the  Ad- 
ministrator General  shall  advise  the  parties  of  such  fact  by  means 
of  a  notice  which  shall  reamin  posted  in  a  public  part  of  the  office 
for  a  period  of  forty-eight  hours. 

Article  71.  Within  the  two  days  following  the  removal  of  the 
notice,  any  of  the  parties  may  request  that  evidence  in  the  matter 
be  heard,  and  if  any  of  them  should  do  so,  the  Administrator  shall 
fix  in  his  discretion  a  term  therefor  not  exceed  eight  days,  which 
cannot  be  extended  in  any  case  whatsoever. 

Article  72.  If  no  evidence  shall  have  been  heard  in  the  matter 
or  if  the  term  fixed  shall  already  have  expired,  the  parties  shall 
have  three  days  more  for  the  submission  of  written  pleadings,  and 
the  Administrator  shall  have  five  days  more  within  which  to  ren- 
der his  decision. 


108 

Article  73.  In  the  proceedings  upon  objections,  and,  in  general, 
in  all  proceedings  relating  to  the  allotment  of  lands,  the  notifica- 
tions shall  be  served  by  means  of  notices  posted  in  a  public  part 
of  the  respective  office  for  a  term  of  twenty-four  hours;  but  the 
following  must  always  be  served  personally: 

1.  Notice  of  the  order  admiting  or  dimissing  an  objection; 

2.  Notice  of  the  decisions  rendered  in  the  matter  of  titles, 
boundaries  or  objections  by  the  authorities  taking  recognizance 
of  these  matters  in  accordance  with  the  law. 

Article  74.  Orders  shall  be  considered  to  have  been  served 
twenty-four  hours  after  removal  of  the  notice  posted  and  final 
forty-eight  hours  after  such  removal. 

Article  75.  In  proceedings  relating  to  the  allotment  of  lands, 
the  following  decisions  only  may  be  appealed  from  to  the  Admi- 
nistrator General  of  Lands: 

1.  A  decision  holding  an  application  for  purchase  to  be  inad- 
missible on  the  ground  of  the  land  applies  for  not  being  allo table; 

2.  A  decision  holding  an  objection  to  have  been  proved  or  not. 
Article  76.     The  decisions  which  the  Provincial  Administrators 

of  Lands  may  render  recognizing  or  refusing  to  recognize  rights 
acquired  at  the  time  of  the  execution  of  their  work  of  demarcation 
or  the  establishment  of  metes  and  bounds  and  the  prepara 
tion  of  the  plan  of  each  District,  may  be  appealed  from  to  the  Ad- 
ministrator General  as  provided  in  article  15,  and  the  procedure 
upon  the  appeals  shall  be  that  established  in  this  Chapter. 

Article  77.  The  decisions  rendered  by  the  Provincial  Adminis- 
trators and  the  Administrator  General  of  Lands,  which  may  have 
been  accepted  by  the  parties,  or  deciding  an  appeal  taken,  shall 
of  a  difinitive  in  the  matter  and  can  be  reversed  or  amended  only 
by  means  of  the  judgment  of  a  court  rendered  in  an  ordinary  civil 
action  instituted  not  later  than  sixty  days  after  service  of  notice 
of  such  decisions. 

Article  78.  The  general  rules  of  civil  procedure  relating  to 
means  of  proof  and  the  admission  and  hearing  thereof,  are  applica- 
ble to  objections  and  to  the  litigation  of  which  the  Administra- 
tors of  Lands  take  cognizance. 

Article  79.  The  records  of  proceedings  shall  be  written  on 
stamped  paper.  If  the  person  obliged  to  furnish  stamped  paper 


109 


should  fail  to  do  so,  two  demands  shall  be  made  a^oh  hinrw-i  th- 
an interval  of  three  days  by  means  of  personal  service;  that  he  do 
so,  and  if  he  should  not  obey  the  demand,  the  Bciioh  whioh  'fre* 
may  have  brought  or  the  appeal  which  he  may  'halre  mt'erpogeel 
shall  be  held  to  have  abandoned. 

Article  80.  Any  objecting  party  or  appellant  defeated  in  his 
objection  or  appeal,  must  be  adjudged  to  pay  the  costs  of  the  pro- 
ceedings, which  shall  be  taxed  by  the  Provincial  Administrator 
if  the  decision  should  be  acquiesced  in,  or  by  the  Administrator 
General  of  Lands  if  an  appeal  shall  have  been  taken. 

CHAPTER   VI 
TRANSITORY   CONCESSIONS 

Article  81.  Vacant  or  town-grant  lands  may  be  granted  by 
the  Executive  in  a  temporary  or  transitory  form  for  operation  or 
cultivation,  by  means  of  contracts  or  licenses  in  accordance  with 
the  following  provisions: 

Article  82.  Lands  containing  valuable  building  timber  or  dye- 
woods  or  medicinal  plants,  or  forests  from  which  resins  or  products 
of  use  in  manufactures  are  obtained,  provided  such  articles  are 
found  to  such  an  extent  as  to  make  it  evident  that  the  sale  of  the 
lands  would  be  prejudicial  to  the  Nation,  in  the  judgment  of  the 
Executive,  they  cannot  be  allotted  to  any  applicant  therefor; 
but  they  may  be  exploited  under  contracts  entered  into  with  the 
Executive  under  the  conditions  hereinafter  set  forth: 

1.  That  no  person  or  company  be  granted  an  area  of  more 
than  five  thousand  hectares; 

2.  That  the  time  of  the  exploitation  be  not  more  than  ten 
years  from  the  date  it  is  begun; 

3.  That  there  be  paid  the  Republic  an  annual  rental  the  amount 
thereof  to  be  governed  by  the  quality  of  the  products  to  be  remov- 
ed, and  a  share  in  the  gross  receipts  or  in  the  net  profits  of  the 
enterprise,  as  may  best  suit  the  contracting  parties; 

4.  That  the  concessionnaire  or  grantee  agree  to  carry  out  the 
exploitation  by  the  employment  of  scientific  methods  in  order 
not  to  destroy  uselessly  trees  which  have  not  attained  the  proper 


-.::  no 

growth  or  those  whish  produce  resins  or  other  valuable  porducts 
of  it.  'like  'chara-bter;  : 

5'.  'Tliftt  the  grantee  be  subject  to  inspection  by  the  Executive, 
both  for  th'e  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  methods  employed  in  the 
exploitation,  and  to  establish  the  profits  of  the  undertaking; 

6.  That  the  grantee  furnish  security  in  the  form  of  a  pledge 
or  personal  bond  for  the  fulfillment  of  his  obligations. 

Article  83.  The  products  obtained  or  extracted  from  national 
forests  as  to  which  a  contract  of  exploitation  has  been  entered  into, 
are  not  subject  to  the  payment  of  the  tax  of  removal  established. 

Article  84.  It  shall  be  forbidden  ninety  days  after  this  law 
goes  into  effect,  to  remove  products  from  national  forests  with- 
out written  permission  from  the  Administrator  of  Lands  or  from 
the  Alcalde  of  the  respective  District,  delegated  for  the  purpose 
of  issuing  them. 

This  prohibition  does  not  include  the  fire- wood,  rattan,  timber, 
palm  and  other  similar  products  which  farm  hands  generally  take 
for  their  domestic  uses  and  for  the  construction  of  the  dwellings. 

Article  85.  The  licenses  or  permits  shall  be  printed  in  accor- 
dance with  forms  to  be  prescribed  by  the  Executive,  in  stub- 
books;  they  shall  bear  an  ordinal  number  and  state  the  name  of 
the  applicant,  the  product  which  it  is  his  intention  to  remove  and 
the  District  in  which  the  forest  is  situated. 

Article  86.  Persons  taking  products  without  a  license  shall  pay 
a  fine  of  five  to  ten  balboas  for  every  infraction  to  be  imposed  upon 
them  by  the  Alcalde  of  the  District. 

Article  87.  Until  the  allotments  shall  have  been  made  in  each 
District  to  the  heads  of  families  and  others  favored  with  gratui- 
tous grants  of  lands  under  this  law,  of  the  lands  to  which  they  may 
be  entitled,  the  Administrators  of  Lands  and  the  Alcaldes  of  the  Dis- 
tricts delegated  for  the  purpose,  may  grant  to  any  applicant  gratui- 
tous licenses  for  temporary  cultivation  for  a  period  not  exceeding 
two  years  and  for  an  area  of  land  not  exceeding  four  hectares. 

Article  88.  If  any  person  should  consider  himself  prejudiced 
by  the  issue  of  a  license,  he  may  object  thereto  at  any  time  before 
the  lands  shall  have  been  sown,  and  the  Alcalde  shall  receive  the 
complaint,  refer  it  to  the  person  to  whom  the  license  has  been 


Ill 

issued,  and  shall  hear  and  decide  it  within  the  shortest  period 
possible,  which  shall  not  exceed  ten  days. 

Article  89.  The  decisions  of  the  Alcalde  shall  be  submitted 
for  his  opinion  to  the  Administrator  of  Lands  who  shall  review  and 
return  them  within  seventytwo  hours  after  their  receipt.  An  appeal 
lies  from  these  decisions  to  the  Administrator  General  of  Lands. 

Article  90.  In  every  District  in  which  in  accordance  with  the 
provisions  of  this  law  the  lands  which  are  to  be  allotted  in  owner- 
ship and  gratuitously  to  the  heads  of  Panamanian  or  foreign  fa- 
milies and  other  persons  favored  have  already  been  marked  out 
and  divided,  the  Executive  shall  forbid  absolutely  the  grant  of 
lands  for  temporary  cultivation. 

CHAPTER   VII 
OF  LANDS  NOT  SUBJECT  TO  ALLOTMENT 

Article  91.  The  following  vacant  and  town-grant  lands  can- 
not be  the  subject  of  allotment: 

1.  The  maritime  coast  at  places  which  can  be  utilized  to  af- 
ford protection  and  facilities  to  navigation  or  which  can  be  de- 
voted to  the  construction  of  cities,  ports  and  wharves; 

2.  The  islands  in  either  sea  which  the  Executive  may  declare 
not  subject  to  allotment  in  whole  or  in  part,  for  some  reason  of 
public  interest; 

3.  The  banks  of  rivers  which  are  navigable  by  larger  vessels 
to  a  line  drawn  at  a  distance  of  ten  meters  from  the  water  line 
and  parallel  thereto,  without  prejudice  to  the  right  of  the  Execu- 
tive to  declare  not  subject  to  allotment  other  larger  sections  for 
the  purpose  of  devoting  them  to  public  uses; 

4.  The  banks  of  rivers  or  streams  which  are  navigable  even 
though  at  intervals  by  smaller  vessels,  through  tout  the  space  ne- 
cessary for  such  navigation  and  in  so  far  as  indispensable  for  the 
use  of  near-by  towns. 

Paragrph.  Small  streams  of  water,  such  as  unnavigable  brooks 
and  creeks,  may  be  included  in  the  allotment  of  lands,  with  the 
exception  of  those  necesasry  to  provide  waters  to  near-by  towns; 

5.  Lands  containing  forests  of  valuble  building  or  dye  woods 
or  medicinal  plants  or  trees  from  which  resins  or  products  of  value 


112 

in  manufactures,  provided  such  valuable  articles  are  found  to  such 
an  extent  that  its  allotment  would  be  notoriously  prejudicial  to 
the  Nation  in  the  judgment  of  the  Executive; 

6.  Lands  containing  salt  springs  or  of  mineral  waters; 

7.  Marshes  or  low  lands  where  marine  salt  is  produced; 

8.  The  lands  which  the  Executive  may  declare  to  be  not  sub- 
ject to  allotment  temporarily. 

Article  92.  The  allotments  referred  to  in  the  sixth  subdivi- 
sion and  the  allotment  of  mineral  deposits,  shall  be  made  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  laws  governing  the  subject. 

Article  93.  The  Decrees  which  the  Executive  may  issue  de- 
claring lands  to  be  not  subject  to  allotment,  must  bear  the  sig- 
natures of  all  the  members  of  the  Cabinet  Council,  and  shall 
be  submitted  to  the  National  Assembly  at  its  next  session,  whe- 
ther regular  or  special,  in  the  form  of  copies  of  said  Decrees  and 
a  statement  of  the  reason  for  the  issue  of  each. 

CHAPTER  VIII 
MISCELLANEUS  PROVISIONS 

Article  94.  In  cases  of  objections  to  the  allotment  of  a  tract 
of  land,  the  applicant  may  request  that  the  objecting  party  give 
security  to  answer  for  the  damage  which  he  may  sustain  through 
the  objection,  and  the  Administrator  of  Lands  shall  fix  a  term  with- 
in which  he  must  furnish  it,  such  term  not  to  be  less  than  ten  nor 
more  than  fifteen  days,  and  he  shall  determine  the  amount  there- 
of taking  into  cosideration  the  importance  of  the  application  for 
allotment  which  may  have  given  rise  to  the  incident. 

Article  95.  If  the  security  should  not  be  furnished  within  the 
term  fixed,  the  objection  shall  be  held  to  have  been  withdrawn 
and  the  application  shall  follow  its  course. 

Article  96.  The  fees  of  the  experts  in  proceedings  relating  to 
the  allotment  of  lands  and  the  cost  of  the  survey  shall  be  borne 
by  the  applicants.  They  shall  also  pay  an  amount  to  the  Surveyor 
as  fees,  to  be  fixed  in  accordance  with  a  tariff  to  be  established  by 
the  Executive. 

Article  97.  In  Addition  to  the  Official  Surveyors  who  receive  a 
salary  out  of  the  Public  Treasury,  the  Executive  may  give  an 


113 

official  character  to  other  surveyors  who  shall  receive  no  salary 
and  whose  only  compensation  shall  be  fees  they  may  agree  on  with 
the  parties  in  interest,  provided  the  agreement  be  made  with  the 
knowledge  of  the  Administrator  of  Lands. 

Article  98.  It  is  absolutely  forbidden  to  enclose  with  fences,  to 
begin  to  cut  timber  on  or  start  the  cultivation  of  vacant  or  town- 
grant  lands  without  holding  a  title  of  ownership  or  usufructuary 
possession  legally  granted  or  a  provisional  allotment  issued  in  ac- 
cordance with  Law  19  of  1907  or  Law  3  of  1909,  or  a  license  for 
transitory  cultivation. 

Article  99.  Any  act  of  this  character  shall  be  considered  a 
usurpation  of  public  ownership,  and  it  is  the  duty  of  the  police 
authorities  to  destroy  the  fences  and  prevent  the  improper  use  of 
the  lands.  Furthermore,  a  fine  of  two  to  five  balboas  shall  be 
imposed  on  any  person  violating  this  prohibition. 

These  measures  shall  be  adopted  and  the  penalties  imposed  by 
the  Administrators  of  Lands  or  by  the  Alcaldes  of  Districts,  ac- 
cording to  which  first  take  cognizance  of  the  matter  to  the  exclusion 
of  the  others. 

Article  100.  The  allotment  of  vacant  or  town-grant  lands 
adjoining  existing  ways  of  communication,  whether  inland  or 
maritime,  or  adjoining  the  line  of  those  projected,  cannot  have  a 
frontage  exceeding  one-fourth  of  their  depth,  excepting  the  event 
of  small  tracts  of  land  being  involved  which  are  surrounded  by 
fluvial  waters  which  give  them  the  form  of  peninsulas,  or  those 
known  by  the  name  of  islets  (isletas). 

From  this  provisions  are  excepted  those  who  in  accordance  with 
article  17  of  this  law  have  the  right  to  acquire  the  full  ownership 
of  the  lands  they  occupy.  The  allotments  to  Municipalities  for 
areas  and  commons  are  also  excepted. 

Article  101.  Rights  of  way  shall  be  gratuitous  as  to  tenaments 
allotted  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  this  law,  if  denounced 
before  the  expiration  of  five  years  from  the  date  of  the  allotment 
of  the  tenement  which  needs  them.  If  this  period  should  elapse, 
the  servitude  shall  be  regulated  according  to  the  civil  laws  or  by 
agreement  between  the  persons  interested. 

Article  102.  In  all  titles  of  ownership  which  may  be  issued  to 
vacant  or  town-grant  lands,  the  express  condition  shall  be  includ- 


114 

ed  that  the  Nation  has  the  right,  without  any  compensation  or 
indemnity  whatsoever,  to  the  necessary  right  of  way  for  the  cons- 
truction of  railways,  tramways,  bridle-roads,  telegraph  and  tele- 
phone lines  and  to  the  use  of  the  land  necessary  for  the  cons- 
truction of  bridges  and  wharves,  provided  the  operation  of  said 
roads  or  works  be  for  the  account  of  the  Nation  and  not  of  private 
contractors. 

Artie  le  103.  The  Executive  shall  adopt  all  measures  neces- 
sary to  obtain  from  the  public  archives  of  the  Kingdom  of  Spain 
and  of  the  Republic  of  Colombia,  authentic  copies  of  all  titles 
whereby  lands  were  allotted  in  the  territory  of  the  Republic  since 
the  colonial  period  to  November  3,  1903.  These  titles  shall  be 
kept  in  the  National  Archives,  after  having  been  recorded  in  the 
General  Registry  of  Property. 

Article  104.  Individuals  or  companies  who  may  have  obtain- 
ed provisional  titles  of  the  allotment  of  lands  in  accordance  with 
laws  19  of  1907  and  3  of  1909,  may  apply  for  the  issue  of  a  defini- 
tive title  as  soon  as  this  law  shall  go  into  effect,  upon  payment  of 
the  sum  which  may  be  due  according  to  such  provisional  title. 

Article  105.  The  application  for  vacant  or  town-grant  lands 
whereon  it  may  have  been  decided  already  to  make  the  allotment 
of  the  land  when  this  law  goes  into  effec,  shall  be  respected  and 
the  titles  granting  full  ownership  shall  be  issued  to  the  applicants 
upon  full  payment  of  the  price  in  accordance  with  the  former  law. 

Applications  upon  which  no  action  shall  as  yet  have  been  taken 
making  the  allotment  shall  be  subjected  in  every  respect  to  the 
provisions  of  this  law. 

Article  106.  Pending  applications  for  titles  of  full  ownership 
made  in  pursuance  of  the  right  granted  by  article  5  of  Law  3  of 
1909,  if  they  shall  have  reached  the  stage  of  making  the  measure- 
ments and  such  measurements  shall  not  have  been  made  for  rea- 
sons beyond  the  control  of  the  applicants,  shall  be  governed  by  the 
former  law  as  to  the  payment  of  fees  of  surveyors,  and  consequen- 
tly the  parties  interested  are  not  required  to  pay  the  fees  which 
may  be  established  for  this  service  in  accordance  with  the  provi- 
sions of  this  law. 

Article  107.  The  persons  who  in  accordance  with  article  17 
of  this  law  are  entitled  to  the  issue  of  a  title  of  full  ownership  of 


115 

the  lands  they  occupy,  may  file  their  petitions  as  soon  as  the  law 
may  be  promulgated,  without  awaitng  the  call  of  the  Commission 
on  Lands  nor  the  formamation  of  the  official  plan  of  the  respec- 
tive District. 

Article  108.  The  testimony  of  witnesses  to  the  effect  that  the 
ocupation  of  a  tract  of  land  antedated  the  date  when  Law  70  of 
1904  went  into  effect,  also  constitutes  a  title  of  usufructuary  pos- 
session for  the  purposes  of  article  9  of  this  law. 

Article  109  When  the  Commission  on  Lands  and  the  Prov- 
incial Administrator  shall  not  be  able  to  attend  alone  to  the  work 
which  may  be  assigned  them  in  their  respective  Province,  the  Exe- 
cutivejnay  create  other  Administrators  of  Lands  with  the  person- 
nel of  each  of  the  present  Administrators,  for  the  time  which  may 
be  essential,  and  shall  assign  them  the  jurisdiction  which  may  be 
proper. 

The  Commission  on  Lands  shall  be  installed  in  each  of  them  in 
the  form  established  in  this  law,  and  the  new  Administrators  shall 
discharge  all  the  functions  and  shall  exercise  all  the  powers  of 
Provincial  Administrators. 

Article  110.  The  Executive  is  empowered  to  supplement  this 
law  if  in  practice  it  should  appear  to  be  deficient  in  the  matter 
of  procedure  or  if  any  defects  or  doubts  should  be  observed  therein 
which  can  be  supplied  or  settled  without  inpairing  the  substance 
of  its  fundamental  provisions,  and  he  shall  report  to  the  National 
Assembly  at  its  earliest  sessions,  whether  regular  or  special,  the 
measures  which  he  may  have  adopted,  submitting  therewith  the 
proper  statement  of  his  reasons  therefor. 

Article  111.    The  following  laws  are  totally  repealed: 
Law  19  of  1907,  relating  to  the  allotment  of  vacant  lands; 
Law  3  of  1909,  relating  to  town-grant  lands. 
Law  11  of  1911,  " whereby  Law  3  of  1909  is  amended;"  and 
Law  12  of  1911,  "whereby  Law  19  of  1907  is  amended." 

Article  112.  This  law  shall  go  into  effect  throughout  the  Re- 
public thirty  days  after  its  publication  in  the  OFFICIAL  GA- 
ZETTE. 


116 

Done  at  Panama,  the  thirtieth  day  of  January,  nineteen  hun- 
dred and  thirteen. 

The  President, 

GIRO  L.  URRIOLA. 
The  Secretary, 

Anto.  Alberto  V aides. 


Republic  of  Panama — Executive  Power — Panama,  January  31, 
1913. 
Let  it  be  published  and  executed. 

BELISARIO  PORRAS. 

The  Secretary  of  Finance  and  the  Treasury, 

EUSEBIO  A.  MORALES. 


(Official  Gazette  of  the  Republic  of  Panama.  April  18,  1913) 

DEIOREIE:   NO.  23   or   1913 

(OF  APRIL  14) 

(wereby  some  provisions  are  enacted  regulating  Law  20  of  1913,  relating  to  vacant  and  town 

grand  lands). 

The  President  of  the  Republic, 

• 
Availing  himself  of  his  legal  powers, 

DECREES: 

CHAPTER   I 
OF  THE  COMMISSIONS  ON  LANDS 

Article  1.  The  Commissions  on  Lands  referred  to  in  article  5 
of  Law  20  of  1913,  shall  be  installed  in  the  capitals  of  the  Provinces 
the  first  day  of  June  of  the  current  year,  and  the  Chairman  thereof 
shall  be  the  administrators  of  Lands,  and  they  shall  commence  the 
work  and  duties  prescribed  in  said  article,  the  provisions  on  the 
following  articles  being  observed  therein. 

Article  2.  The  Administrators  of  Lands  are  the  persons  res- 
ponsible for  the  decisions  which  may  be  rendered  in  connection 


117 

with  the  application  of  said  article  or  of  the  other  articles  of  the 
law  wherein  functions  are  imposed  on  the  Commissions  on  Lands. 
The  Surveyors,  the  Engineers  of  the  Technical  service  of  the  De- 
partment of  Fomento  and  the  other  employees  which  make  up 
the  Commissions,  are  technical  assistants  of  the  Administrator, 
but  decisions  shall  be  rendered  and  signed  by  the  latter  and  his 
Secretary  solely. 

Article  3.  Immediately  after  the  installation  of  the  Commis- 
sion on  Lands,  it  shall  call  upon  the  Register  of  Public  Instru- 
ments of  the  respective  circuit  for  a  detailed  list  of  all  the  titles 
of  ownership  of  rural  property  registered  in  the  books  in  his 
charge,  stating  the  name  of  the  owner,  the  name  and  area  of  the 
property,  if  the  title  should  show  them,  the  metes  and  bounds  of 
the  property  as  set  forth  in  the  deed  and  the  date  of  the  execu- 
tion of  the  latter. 

The  Commission  shall  also  call  on  the  Governor  of  the  Province 
and  on  the  Alcaldes  of  the  Districts  for  a  copy  of  the  last  poll- 
lists  made  for  the  colection  of  the  tax  on  real  property  and* live 
stock. 

Article  4.  In  view  of  these  statements  and  lists,  the  Adminis- 
trator of  Lands,  on  behalf  of  the  Commission,  shall  call  in  writ- 
ing upon  all  the  persons  who  appear  in  said  document,  to  pre- 
sent to  the  Commission  within  a  period  of  thirty  days  from  the 
date  of  the  demand  the  original  titles  upon  which  they  base  their 
rights. 

Article  5.  When  the  duty  to  determine  the  boundaries  of  pri- 
vate property  adjoining  vacant  or  town-grant  lands  is  involved, 
the  Commission  shall  proceed  as  follows: 

1.  It  shall  summon  the  owner  to  present  within  the  period  of 
thirty  days  prescribed  by  the  preceding  article  all  titles  relating  to 
the  land,  beginning  with  the  original  title  of  ownership  to  the  last 
existing  title. 

The  period  may  be  extended  to  the  time  essential  in  order  to 
appoint  the  original  titles  if  they  be  not  in  the  country; 

2.  Upon  the  production  of  the  titles,  the  Commission  on  Lands 
shall  fix  a  day  and  hour  to  begin  an  ocular  inspection  of  the  bounda- 
ries, citing  the  owner  to  be  present  thereat  if  he   so  desires,  and  to 
appoint  an  expert; 


118 

3.  The  inspection  having  being  made,  the  surveyor  of  the  Com- 
mission and  the  expert  appointed  by  the  owner  shall  submit  a 
detailed  report  as  to  the  line  which  in  their  judgement  shall  form 
the  boundary; 

4.  The  owner  shall  be  advised  of  the  reports  in  order  that  he 
may  make  such  remarks  as  he  may  deem  advisable  within  a  period 
of  five  days; 

5.  If  no  remarks  should  be  made  or  if  the  remarks  made  should 
be  rejected  by  the  Administrator  of  Lands,  the  latter  shall  render 
a  decision  within  fifteen  days  fixing  the  boundaries  of  the  property 
and  directing  the  location  of  boundary  marks  at  the  cost  of  the 
owner; 

6.  If  before  rendering  this  decision  the  Administrator  of  Lands 
or  the  owner  should  request  the  Executive  to  call  for  the  opinion 
of  the  Attorney  General  of  the  Nation,  the  petition  shall  be  granted 
in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  article  16  of  the  Law,  and 
the  record  of  proceedings  shall  be  ordered  forward  to  said  official 
for  an  opinion  to  be  rendered  within  a  period  of  ten  days  from  the 
date  of  the  receipt  of  the  record. 

Article  6.  In  examining  the  titles  of  ownership  presented  by 
the  owners  in  pursuance  with  articles  6  and  10  of  the  Law  20  of 
1913,  the  Administrators  of  Lands  must  take  the  following  prin- 
ciples into  consideration. 

1.  That  the  said  Law  on  vacant  and  town-grant  lands  does  not 
repeal  the  civil  legislation  in  force  in  the  country; 

2.  That  said  law  cannot  destroy  rights  acquired  under  pre- 
existing laws,  because  to  ignore  them  would  be  contrary  to  the 
constitutional  principle  that  laws  shall  not  have  a  retroactive  effect; 

3.  That  in  the  examination  of  this  titles  which  have  not  eman- 
ated directly  from  the  sovereign,  the  civil  and  fiscal  laws  in  force 
at  the  time  when  the  title  was  constituted  or  executed  must  be 
taken  into  consideration,  and,  consequently,  titles  which  would  be 
recognized  and  respected  by  ordinary  judges  as  conforming  to  said 
laws  and  the  jurisprudence  of  the  courts  of  justice,  must  be  recog- 
nized and  accepted  as  valid. 

Article  7.  As  soon  as  the  Commissions  on  Lands  are  installed, 
the  Administrator  at  the  head  thereof  shall  address  the  District 
Alcaldes  and  order  them  to  transmit  to  the  Commission  within  a 


119 

reasonable  period  a  list  of  the  heads  of  families  engaged  in  agricul- 
ture and  of  Panamanians  over  twenty-one  years  of  age  engaged  in 
agriculture  not  having  the  full  ownership  of  lands,  who  may  be 
residentes  of  the  District. 

Article  8.  Upon  receipt  of  the  list,  the  Commission  shall  con- 
duct an  ocular  inspection  in  the  District  for  the  double  purpose  of 
studying  the  needs  of  the  towns  as  to  area  and  commons  and  to 
ascertain  the  lands  which  have  not  been  alloted  which  are  suitable 
for  grant  to  heads  of  families  and  other  persons  to  whom  the  law 
grants  gratuitous  allotment. 

Article  9.  In  concurrence  with  the  opinions  of  members  of  the 
Commisiion,  the  Administrator  shall  give  instruction  to  the  Official 
Surveyor  and  to  the  engineer  of  the  technical  service  to  make  a 
plan  of  the  area  and  commons  of  the  towns  entitled  to  such  con- 
cessions and  plans  which  may  be  necessary  of  the  allotted  lands 
which  are  to  be  assigned  in  tracts  of  ten  and  five  hectares  to  the 
heads  of  the  families  and  other  persons  to  whom  the  law  grants 
gratuitous  concessions 

Article  10.  Simultaneously  with  the  preparation  of  the  plans 
referred  to,  the  Surveyors  and  Engineers  shall  proceed  with  the 
preparation  of  the  map  of  the  district,  as  prescribed  by  the  law. 

Article  11.  The  Commissions  on  Lands  shall  keep  a  book  of 
minutes  wherein  a  record  shall  be  kept  of  the  meetings  they  hold 
and  of  the  opinions  the  members  thereof  may  render.  The  Secre- 
tary of  the  Administration  of  Lands  shall  be  the  Secretary  of  the 
Commission. 

CHARPTER  II 

OF  THE  DOCUMENTS  TO  ACCOMPANY  APPLICATIONS  FOR  TITLES  OF  FULL 
OWNERSHIP  OF  LANDS 

Article  12.  The  natural  or  juristic  persons  which  in  accordance 
with  article  17  of  Law  20  of  1913  are  entitled  to  the  issue  of  a 
title  of  full  ownership  to  the  vacant  or  town-grant  lands  of  which 
they  have  possession,  must  submit  with  their  application  the  au- 
thentic documents  establishing  their  rights  as  occupants  or  usufruc- 
tuary possessors  and  the  form  and  manner  in  which  they  obtained 
or  acquired  the  same,  or  the  suppletory  documents  determined  in 
this  decree. 


120 

Article  13.  The  proofs  referred  to  in  the  preceding  article  must 
consist  principally  of  documents  issued  by  authorities  of  competent 
jurisdiction,  showing  the  grant  of  the  possession  or  usufruct  of  the 
land,  or  of  public  deeds  showing  that  the  possessor  or  usufructuary 
obtained  the  right  by  purchase,  donation,  inheritance,  or  under 
any  title  whereby  real  rights  are  conveyed,  or,  in  the  absence  of 
such  means  of  proof,  by  the  testimony  of  three  qualified  and  com- 
petent witnesses  as  to  the  peaceful  enjoyment  of  the  land  with  the 
dwellings  or  cultivation  of  the  property  of  the  occupant. 

Article  14.  Cattle  owners  must  sumit  together  with  the  appli- 
cations they  make  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  subdivision 
9  of  article  17  of  the  Law,  the  following  documents: 

(a)  The  deposition  of  three  witnesses  acquainted  with  natural 
pasture  grounds  upon  which  the  cattle  in  question  graze,  pasture 
and  drink,  and  knowing  the  other  cattle  owners  who  have  cattle 
at  the  same  place  who  may  be  affected  by  the  allotment,  or 
whether  there  is  no  other  cattle  owner  affected; 

(6)  A  certificate  issued  by  the  Collector  of  the  Treasury  of  the 
District  in  which  the  cattle  may  be,  stating  the  number  of  head 
belonging  to  the  applicant  shown  by  the  poll-list  of  1913  for  the 
collection  of  the  tax  on  live  stock; 

(c)  A  certificate  issued  by  the  said  Collector  to  the  effect  that 
the  applicant  has  paid  the  tax  on  live  stock  for  the  past  two  years, 
that  is  to  say  for  1911  and  1912. 

.Article  15.  In  their  applications  cattle  owners  shall  determine 
with  absolute  preciseness  the  place  where  they  pasture  their  cattle 
and  shall  state  what  other  persons  pasture  their  cattle  at  the  same 
place.  An  application  which  fails  to  contain  these  data  and  which 
is  presented  without  the  certificates  and  depositions  required  by 
the  preceding  article,  shall  have  action  thereon  stayed  until  such 
requisites  have  been  fulfilled. 

Article  16.  In  case  of  natural  pastures  used  in  common  by 
cattle  belonging  to  different  owners,  the  Administrator  of  Lands 
shall  hold  a  meeting  of  all  the  owners  and  endeavor  to  have  them 
agree  in  order  that  the  allotment  may  be  made  among  them  in  an 
equitable  manner. 

If  no  agreement  can  be  reached,  the  Administrator  shall  call  a 
meeting  of  the  Commission  on  Lands,  shall  in  addition  appoint  two 


121 

impartial  persons,  and  shall  conduct  an  ocular  inspection  of  the 
lands  for  which  application  has  been  made,  at  fche  expense  of  all  the 
applicants.  After  having  heard  the  opinion  of  the  members  of  the 
Commission  and  of  the  two  persons  appointed,  the  Administrator 
shall  prescribe  the  form  in  which  the  distribution  of  the  lands  is 
to  be  made  arid  shall  add  to  each  applicant  an  authentic  copy  of 
his  resolution. 

Article  17.  To  no  cattle  owner  shall  there  be  allotted  a  number 
of  hectares  in  excess  of  that  to  which  he  may  be  entitled  at  the 
rate  of  one  hectare  per  head  of  cattle  shown  on  the  live-stock 
register  of  the  current  year. 

CHAPTER    III 
OF  TRANSITORY  GRANTS 

Article  18.  Any  individual  or  company  desirous  of  obtaining  a 
tract  of  uncultivated  or  town  grant-lands  for  the  exploitation  of 
the  forest  situated  thereon,  or  for  the  extraction  of  other  products 
in  pursuance  with  the  provisions  of  article  82  of  Law  20  of  1913, 
shall  address  a  petition  to  the  Secretary  of  Finance  and  the 
Treasury,  setting  forth  the  following  circunstances : 

1.  The  number  of  hectares  of  land  which  he  desires  to  obtain 
for  exploitation; 

2.  The  exact  situation  of  the  tracts,  stating  their  metes  and 
bounds,  and  the  Corregimiento  and  District  wherein  they  may  be 
situated ; 

3.  A  statement  of  the  product  or  products  which  the  applicant 
intends  to  remove; 

4.  The  share  of  the  gross  receipts  or  net  profits  of  the  exploita- 
tion which  the  applicant  offers  the  Government. 

Article  19.  A  plan  or  sketch  of  the  land  shall  be  attached  to 
the  application. 

Article  20.  Upon  receipt  of  the  application,  the  Secretary  of 
Finance  and  the  Treasury  shall  direct  its  publication  three  conse- 
cutive times  in  a  local  newspaper  and  shall  stay  action  for  a  period 
of  thirty  days  from  the  date  of  the  last  publication.  During  this 
period  persons  claiming  any  right  in  the  land  for  which  application 
has  been  made  may  file  their  objections. 


122 

Article  21.  If  any. objection  should  be  made,  the  Secretary  of  Fi- 
nance and  the  Treasury,  shall  forward  the  matter  to  the  proper  Pro- 
vincial Administrator  of  Lands  for  hearing  and  determination  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  rules  laid  down  in  Chapter  V.  of  Law  20  of  1913. 

Article  22.  An  objection  having  been  definitely  decided  against 
the  applicant,  the  matter  shall  be  forwarded  to  the  Secretary  of 
Finance  and  the  Treasury  for  file. 

Article  23.  Upon  the  decision  of  an  objection  definitely  against 
the  objecting  party,  the  matter  shall  be  returned  to  the  Depart- 
ment of  Finance  and  the  Treasury  for  the  action  provided  in  the 
following  articles. 

Article  24.  When  no  objection  shall  have  been  made  to  the 
applications  or  when  the  objection  shall  have  been  decided  against 
the  objecting  party,  the  Secretary  of  Finance  and  the  Treasury 
shall  direct  that  an  Official  Surveyor  and  the  Agronomist  in  the 
service  of  the  Government,  if  there  be  such,  or  in  the  absence  of 
such  agronomist,  an  expert  in  the  service  of  forests  and  forest 
products,  make  an  ocular  inspection  of  the  lands  and  forests  for 
the  exploitation  of  which  application  has  been  made,  and  that  they 
render  a  detailed  report  on  the  area  of  the  lands  applied  for,  the 
quality  and  quantity  of  the  woods  and  other  products  thereon, 
the  facilities  which  may  be  encountered  in  the  exploitation  thereof 
and  the  approximate  value  of  the  exploitable  products. 

Article  25.  In  view  of  the  report  rendered,  the  Secretary  of 
Finance  and  the  Treasury  shall  enter  upon  negotiations  with  the 
applicant  to  fix  in  the  respective  contract  the  price  for  the  lease 
of  the  land  per  hectare  and  the  share  of  the  gross  receipts  or  net 
profits  of  the  enterprise  to  be  received  by  the  Government. 

In  the  said  negotiations  the  Secretary  of  Finance  and  the  Trea- 
sury must  take  into  consideration  the  fact  that  the  grantees  for 
the  exploitation  of  the  forest  are  exempt,  by  operation  of  law, 
from  the  payment  of  the  tax  of  removal  established  in  Law  15  of 
1910,  and  that  the  Public  Treasury  must  indemnify  itself  other- 
wise for  the  sacrifice  which  such  exemption  involves. 

Article  26.  The  contract  which  may  be  entered  into  must  be 
approved  by  the  President  of  the  Republic  and  reduced  to  a 
public  instrument. 


123 

Article  27.  The  cost  of  the  transportation  and  maintenance  of 
the  public  employees  and  experts  making  the  ocular  inspections, 
shall  be  born  by  the  applicants. 

Article  28.  In  order  to  obtain  a  license  for  the  exploitation  of 
forests  and  the  extraction  of  forest  products  in  conformity  with 
the  provisions  of  articles  84  a  ad  85  of  Law  20  of  1913,  the  following 
'method  shall  be  pursued. 

The  applicant  shall  appear  before  the  Administrator  of  Lands  or 
before  the  Alcalde  of  the  District,  as  the  case  may  be,  and  make  ver- 
bal or  written  application  for  the  issue  of  the  license  or  permit,  sta- 
ting the  product  which  he  intends  to  extract  and  the  location  of  the 
forest. 

The  employee  shall  fill  out  the  printed  blank,  shall  determine  the 
term  of  the  license,  which  cannot  exceed  three  months,  and  shall  have 
the  applicant  sign  the  stub  and  the  license  itself  as  evidence  of  his 
knowledge  of  the  conditions  subject  to  which  the  license  is  issued- 

Article  29.  The  printed  licenses  or  permits  issued  in  pursuance 
with  the  preceding  articles,  shall  contain  on  their  back  the  indica- 
tions and  prohibitions  which  are  to  be  enforced  according  to  Law 
24  of  1913  relating  to  the  conservation  of  natural  sources  of  wealth. 

These  indications  and  prohibitions  shall  be  prepared  by  the 
Official  Agronomist  in  a  clear  and  concise  manner. 

Article  30.  Any  violation  of  the  provisions  embodied  in  the 
license  shall  be  punished  by  the  Administrators  of  Lands  or  by 
the  Alcaldes,  as  the  case  may  be,  by  the  cancellation  of  the  license 
and  the  imposition  of  a  fine  of  five  to  ten  balboas. 

Article  31.  The  tax  on  the  extraction  of  forest  products  pro- 
vided for  by  Law  15  of  1910,  shall  continue  to  be  levied  according 
to  the  terms  of  said  law,  only  such  persons  or  companies  which 
may  have  entered  into  a  contract  of  exploitation  with  the  Govern- 
ment being  excepted  therefrom. 

When  the  products  subject  to  taxes  are  not  sent  to  the  ports 
of  Panama,  Colon  and  Bocas  del  Toro,  but  are  used  or  trans- 
formed at  the  places  where  they  are  extracted  or  elsew'here,  it 
shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Administrators  of  the  Treasury  and  Col- 
lectors to  collect  the  taxes. 


124 


CHAPTER   IV 
SCHEDULTS  OF  FEES  FOR  THE  MEASUREMENT  OF  LANDS 

Article  32.  The  measurements  made  by  the  Official  Surveyors 
must  be  paid  for  by  the  applicants  for  lands,  as  provided  by  arti- 
cle 96  of  Law  20  of  1913,  according  to  the  following  schedule. 

If  the  land  measured  does  not  have  an  area  in  excess  of  twenty- 
five  hectares,  the  measurement  fees  shall  be  reckoned  at  fifty  cen- 

tesimos  of  a  balboa  for  every  hectare B.    0.50 

From  twenty-six  to  fifty  hectares,  each  hectare  shall  pay         0.45 

From  51  to  100 0.40 

From  100  to  250 0.35 

From  251  to  500 0.30 

From  501  to  1000 0.25 

From  1001  to  5000 0.20 

From  5001  to  10,000 0.15 

From  10,001  upward 0.10 

Let  it  be  communicated  and  published. 

Done  at  Panama  the  fourteenth  day  of  April,  nineteen  hundred 
and  thirteen. 

BELISARIO  PORRAS 

The  Secretary  of  Finance  and  the  Treasury, 

EUSEBIO  A.  MORALES. 


LAW    24    OF     1913 

(  OF  FEBRUARY  10  ) 
(relating  to  the  conservation  of  natural  sources  of  wealth) 

The  National  Assambly  of  Panama, 

DECREES: 

Article  1.  Natural  sources  of  wealth,  the  conservation  of  which 
is  incumbent  upon  the  national  authorities  and  the  exploitation 
of  which  must  be  effected  in  pursuance  with  the  provisions  and 
rules  which  the  Executive  may  enact  in  the  development  of  this 
law,  are  the  following: 


125 

1.  Th  forests  on  vacant  or  town-grant  lands  containg  valuable 
building  or  dye-woods  or  from  which  fruits  are  taken,  such  as  the  ta- 
gua,  or  resins,  such  as  rubber,  liquidamber,  balsam  and  chicle  or 
medicinal  products,  such  as  ipecacuanha  and  sarsaparilla; 

2.  Land,  amphibious  or  aquatic  animals,  useful  for  human  nutri- 
tion or  the  destruction  of  insects  which  are  pernicious  to  agricultu- 
re, horticulture  or  cattle,  or  which  give  forth  valuable  products,  such 
as  pearls,  mother-of-pearl,  tortoise-shell,  whale  oil  and  sponges,  or 
which  are  inoffensive,  as  a  majority  of  the  birds; 

3.  Mines  of  chloride  of  sodium  (common  salt)  and  of  coal, 
and  oil  wells; 

4.  The  waters  of  rivers  at  every  point  where  they  can  be  damm- 
ed or  used  for  the  development  of  motive  power  applicable  to  the 
industries,  or  for  the  establishment  of  a  system  of  irrigtation. 

Paragraph.  The  mines  referred  to  in  subsdivision  3,  when  held 
under  proper  titles,  may  be  redeemed  in  accordance  with  the  provi- 
sions of  the  Mining  Code  in  force. 

Article  2.  The  Nation  reserves  absolutely  the  right  to  exploit 
natural  sources  of  wealth  consisting  of  mines  of  coal  and  chloride 
of  sodium,  or  oil  wells  and  of  waters  which  can  be  used  for  the  de- 
velopment of  motive  power;  but  the  Executive  may  enter  into 
contracts  for  the  exploitation  of  these  sources  of  wealth  subject 
to  the  following  conditions: 

(a)  That  the  term  of  the  contract  in  no  case  exceed  forty  years; 

(b)  That  the  exploitation  be  made  under  the  inspection  of  the 
public  authorities,  with  which  the  prices  of  the  articles  and  the 
charges  for  the  services  shall  be  adjusted  from  time  to  time,  and 
that  a  violation  of  this  principle  shall  constitute  a  cause  for  the 
rescission  of  the  contract; 

(c)  That  the  Nation  share  in  the  gross  receipts  or  in  the  net 
profits  of  the  exploitation  as  may  best  suit  the  fiscal  interests; 

(d)  That  suitable  security  be  furnished  for  the  execution  of 
the  contract  and  the  proper  performance  thereof. 

Article  3.  The  Executive  may  prescribe  regulations  for  mo- 
ther-of-pearl fishing,  determining  the  seasons  of  the  year  and  times 
when  it  is  to  be  allowed  or  prohibited,  and  he  may  enter  into  one 
or  more  lease  contracts  for  the  fishing  of  said  shell  in  all  the  natio- 


126 

nal  seas  or  in  specific  sections  thereof,  for  a  term  not  exceeding 
twenty  years,  the  contracts  to  be  let  at  public  sale. 

Article  4.  The  Executive  shall  issue  as  soon  as  possible  the 
police  decrees  necessary  to  regulate  the  exploitation  of  the  natio- 
nal forests  and  hunting  and  fishing  in  a  manner  most  in  conformity 
with  thespirit  of  this  law,  taking  into  consideration  the  following 
principles: 

1.  The  prevention  of  the  useless  destruction  of  animal  and 
vegetable  species  which  constitute  a  natural  source  of  wealth; 

2.  The  determination  of  the  periods  of  the  year  which  must 
intervene   between  the  exploitation  or  the  extraction  of   certain 
products; 

3.  The  determination  of  the  seasons  of  the  year  when  hunt- 
ing and  fishing  are  to  be  permitted,  the  species  the  hunting  or  fish 
ing  of  which  is  absolutely  forbidden,  and  the  means  which  may  be 
employed  for  hunting  or  fishing; 

4.  The  establishment  for  the  Municipalities  of  the  obligation 
to  plant  shade  trees  alongside  public  roads  and  at  the  sources 
and  along  the  course,  on  both  banks,  of  the  falls  or  rivers  within 
their  jurisdiction,  when  necessary  or  advisable; 

5.  The  prohibition  to  destroy  trees  located  on  the  public  roads, 
at_the  sources  or  on  the  banks  of  rivers  and  springs,  to  a  distance 
of  seventy  meters  from  said  sources  if  they  rise  on  hills,  or  fifty 
meters  if  they  rise  on  level  land; 

6.  The  determination  of  the  fines  and  imprisionment  to  be 
imposed  upon  persons  violating  the  executive  provisions  supple- 
menting and  regulating  this  law. 

Article  5.  The  persons  interested  in  mines  or  oil  wells  acquir- 
ed in  accordance  with  the  laws  in  force  and  the  persons  interest- 
ed in  mines  or  oil  wells  whose  applications  are  awaiting  action 
according  to  the  procedure  upon  the  respective  denunciations, 
shall  advise  the  Executive  within  a  period  of  six  months  from  the 
date  of  the  promulgation  of  this  law  of  their  willingness  to  enter 
into  contracts  with  the  National  Government  for  the  exploitation 
of  the  oil  wells  to  which  titles  have  been  issued,  or  which 
have  been  advised  or  denounced.  The  possessor  of  the  oil  well 
to  which  title  has  issued,  or  the  adviser  or  denouncer,  shall  in 
every  case  have  the  right  to  preference  as  to  the  execution  of 


127 

the  private  contract  relating  to  the  claim  to  which  title  has  issued, 
or  which  has  been  advised  or  denouced.  The  principal  bases  for 
these  contracts  shall  be  those  set  forth  in  article  2  of  this  law. 

Done  at  Panama  the  seventh  day  of  February,  ninteen  hundred 
and  thirteen. 

The  President, 

Cmo  L.  URRIOLA. 
The  Secretary, 

Anto.  Alberto  V aides. 


Republic  of  Panama  —  National  Executive  Power  —  Panama,  Fe- 
bruary tenth,  ninteen  hundred  and  thirteen. 
Let  it  be  published  and  executed. 

BELISARIO  PORRAS. 

The  Secretary  of  Finance  and  the  Treasury, 

EUSEBIO  A.  MORALES. 

(Official  Gazette  of  the  Republic  of  Panama,  April  22.  1913) 

DEIORBE:   NO.  24   1913 


(  OF  APRIL  16  ) 

(whereby  regulations  are  enacted  for  the  application  of  certain  provisions  of  Law  24  de  1913, 
relatin  to  the  conservation  of  natural  sources  of  wealth). 

The  President  of  the  Republic, 
Availing  himself  of  his  legal  powers, 

DECREES: 

CHAPTER    I 
NATURAL  SOURCES  OF  WEALTH  WHICH  THE  NATION  RESERVES 

Article  1.  The  natural  sources  of  wealth  which  the  Nation 
has  reserved  in  pursuance  with  article  2  of  Law  24  of  1913,  con- 
sistin  of  mines  of  coal  and  chloride  of  sodium,  oil  wells  and 


128 

waters  which  can  be  used  for  the  development  of  motive  power, 
may  be  exploited  by  individuals  or  companies  under  contracts 
entered  into  with  the  Executive  in  accordance  with  the  funda- 
mental provisions  of  said  article  and  the  prescriptions  of  this 
decree. 

Article  2.  A  person  or  company  desirous  of  abtaining  the 
right  to  exploit  one  or  more  oil  wells,  or  a  stream  of  water  for  the 
production  of  motive  power  or  the  establishment  of  a  system  of 
irrigation,  or  for  both  purposes,  must  proceed  according  to  the 
following  provisions: 

1.  If  one  of  the  mines  in  question  is  involved  or  an  oil  well,  the 
person  interested  must  give  the  proper  notice  to  the  Alcalde  of  the 
respective  District  as  if  any  other  mine  whatsoever  in  question ; 

2.  With  said  notice,  accompanied  by  a  plan  or  skectch  of  the 
place  where  the  mine  or  petroleum  well  is  located,  the  person  in- 
terested shall  address  in  writting  the  Department  of  Finance  and 
the  Treasury,  within  sixty  days  after  having  given  the  notice, 
applying  for  a  contract  for  the  exploitation  thereof  which  the 
the  law  permits; 

3.  Upon  receipt  of  the  application,  the  Secretary  shall  direct 
its  publication  three  times  in  a  local  newspaper,  summoning  any 
persons  believing  themselves  to  have  a  preferred  right  to  the  cele- 
bration of  the  contract,  to  appear  and  object  within  a  period  of 
thirty  days  from  the  date  of  the  first  publication; 

4.  If  any  objection  would  be  made,  it  shall  be  heard  and  de- 
cided according  to  the  procedure  in  force  with  respect  to  mines ; 

5.  If  ther"  should  be  no  objection,  or  if  the  objection  should 
be  overruled,  the  contract  of  exploitation  shall  be  entered  into 
in  accordance  with  the  stipulations  of  article  2  of  the  law  hereby 
regulated  ; 

6.  When  the  exploitation  of  streams  of  water  is  involved  for 
the  production  of  motive  power  or  the  establishment  of  an  irriga- 
tion system  or  for  both,  the  applicant  shall  submit  to  the  Depart- 
ment of  Finance  and  the  Treasury  a  detailed  statement  contain- 
ng  the  following  data: 

(a)  The  exact  location,  confirmed  by  technical  plans  pre- 
pared by  a  professional  engineer,  of  the  stream  or  water-fall 
which  the  applicant  desires  to  utilize. 


129 

(b)    The  amount  of  energy  which  can  b«  obtained  by  the 
establishment  of  a  modern  plant  and  the  extrem  limit  to  which 
said  energy  may  be  utilized. 

(c)  The  approximate  cost  of  the  installation. 

(d)  The  objects  to  which  the  energy  obtained  may  be  profi- 
tably applied. 

7.  Upon  receipt  of  the  application  the  Secretary  of  finance 
and  the  Treasury  shall  direct  that  the  engineer  in  the  service  of 
the  Government  make  at  the  cost  of  the  persons  interested,  an 
ocular  inspection  and  examination  for  the  purpose  of  confirming 
rectifying  or  impugning  the  statement  of  the  applicant. 

8.  The  contract  shall  then  be  entered  into  in  accordance  with 
the  general  bases  established  in  the  law. 

Article  3.  The  contracts  which  may  be  entered  into  in  accor- 
dance with  the  cases  of  the  preceding  articles,  must  be  approved 
by  the  President  of  the  Republic-  and  reduced  to  the  form  of  a 
public  instrument. 

Article  4.  The  applications  for  coal  and  chloride  of  sodium  mines 
and  petroleum  wells  to  which  titles  have  already  issued,  are  not 
subject  to  the  procedure  established  in  article  2  of  this  decree. 
The  persons  to  whom  they  have  allotted  may  request  the  cele- 
bration of  their  contracts  without  any  other  formality  whatsoever. 

Persons  who  have  given  notice  or  filed  claims  who  have  not  as 
yet  obtained  their  titles,  are  subject  to  said  provisions. 

CHAPTER  n 

MOTHER  OF  PEARL  SHELL  FISHING 

Article  5.  Fishing  or  diving  with  machinery  for  mother-of  pearl 
shells  shall  not  be  permitted  in  the  territorial  seas  of  the  Republic, 
except  in  the  Zones  and  at  the  times  prescribed  herewith,  viz. : 

FIRST   ZONE 

That  comprised  throughout  the  Great  Gulf  of  Panama,  from 
Punta  Mala  in  a  straight  line  to  Punta  de  Garachine,  including 
in  said  Zone  the  Archipelago  of  Las  Perlas  and  all  other  islands 
in  the  Gulf.  In  this  Zone  fishing  shall  be  permitted  from  the  date 
of  this  decree  to  December  31,  1913. 


130 

SECOND  ZONE 

That  comprised  between  Punta  Mariato  and  Punta  Guarida, 
including  the  islands  located  between  said  points,  in  which  Zone 
fishing  shall  be  permitted  from  January  1  to  June  30,  1914. 

THIRD   ZONE 

That  comprised  between  Punta  Guarida  and  Punta  Burica, 
including. the  islands  located  between  said  points,  in  which  zone 
tishing  shall  be  permitted  from  July  1,  to  December  31,  1914. 

FOURTH   ZONE 

That  comprised  between  Punta  Mariato  and  Punta  Mala,  in 
which  fishing  shall  be  permitted  from  January  1  to  March  31,  1915. 

Paragraph.  From  April  1,  1915.  the  cycle  of  the  zones  shall  be 
pereated  in  the  order  indicated. 

Article  6.  Fishing  of  mother-of-pearl  is  prohibited  during  the 
periods  not  determined  for  each  Zone  by  the  preceding  article. 

A  violation  of  this  provision  shall  be  punished  by  the  cancella- 
tion of  the  license  and  by  the  imposition  of  a  fine  of  one  hundred 
to  five  hundred  balboas  to  be  imposed  upon  the  person  violating 
it  by  the  Inspector  of  the  Port  in  command  of  the  National  Re- 
venue Service  of  Panama  (Inspector  del  Puerto  Jefe  del  Resguar- 
do  Nacional  de  Panama). 

Article  7.  The  licenses  or  permits  issued  for  fishing  mother-of- 
pearl  shells  in  accordance  with  articles  3,  4  and  5  of  Law  13  of  1910, 
must  set  forth  the  zones  where  the  holder  of  the  permit  may  fish, 
taking  into  consideration  the  division  and  the  periods  prescribed 
in  article  5  of  this  Decree. 

Article  8.  The  fishing  and  exportation  of  shells  having  a  dia- 
meter of  less  than  thirty-five  milimeters  is  absolutety  prohibited. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Inspector  of  the  Port  of  Panama  to 
see  to  the  strict  fulfillment  of  this  provisions  and  persons  violating 
it  shall  be  subjected  by  him  to  a  fine  of  one  to  five  hundred  balboas 
for  every  violation. 

Article  9.  Fishers  for  mother-of-pearl  shell,  both  those  called 
head  divers  (buzos  de  cabeza)  as  those  who  employ  machine  for 
fishing,  are  obliged  to  throw  into  the  sea  the  residua  of  the  shells 
after  having  opened  them,  and  they  shall  cast  them  into  a  distance 
of  not  less  than  five  hundred  meters  from  the  nearest  shore. 


131 

Persons  violating  this  provision  shall  be  liable  to  the  imposition 
of  a  fine  of  five  to  twenty-five  baiboas  for  every  violation.  These 
penalties  shall  be  imposed  by  the  police  having  jurisdiction  in  the 
place  where  the  offense  is  committed. 

CHAPTER    III 
TURTLE  FISHING 

Article  10.  Turtle  fishing  in  the  territorial  waters  and  on  the 
coasts  or  shores  of  the  Republic  is  forbidden  during  the  months  of 
June,  July,  August,  September  and  October  of  every  year. 

Article  11.  The  fishing  of  female  turtle  which  have  not  as  yet 
reached  the  age  of  reproduction  is  prohibited  at  any  time  of  the 
year. 

Article  12.  No  one  can  engage  in  the  industry  of  turtle  fishing 
without  a  written  permit  or  license  issued  by  the  Alcalde  of  the 
District  where  the  fishing  is  to  be  done.  In  issuing  these  licenses 
the  Alcalde  shall  act  as  the  agent  of  the  National  Government  and 
shall  submit  a  report  of  the  license  he  may  issue  to  the  Governor 
of  the  Province. 

Article  13.  Any  person  who  shall  fish  for  turtle  during  the 
months  that  such  fishing  is  prohibited,  or  who  shall  fish  for  female 
turtles  which  have  not  as  yet  reached  the  age  of  reproduction, 
shall  be  guilty  of  a  police  offense  and  shall  be  punished  by  the 
imposition  of  a  fine  of  twenty  to  one  hundred  baiboas  for  every 
violation.  Each  day's  fishing  shall  be  considered  a  distinct  offense. 

Article  14.  Any  person  who  shall  engage  in  fishing  for  turtles 
without  the  proper  permit,  shall  pay  fine  of  five  to  twenty-five 
baiboas  and  shall  be  forbidden  to  fish  until  he  secures  a  permit. 

Article  15.  The  penalties  referred  to  in  the  preceding  articles 
shall  be  imposed  by  the  Alcaldes  of  the  Districts  in  which  the 
violation  is  committed. 

Let  it  be  communicated  and  published. 

Done  at  Panama,  the  sixteen  day  of  April,  nineteen  hundred 
and  thirteen. 

BELISARIO   PORRAS. 

The  Secretary  of  finances  and  the  Treasury, 

EUSEBIO  A.  MORALES 


REGULATIONS  REGUARDING  WELLS  OR  DEPOSITS  OF 
PETROLEOUM  OR  HYDROCARBON  GASES 

LAW    B     OF     1915 

(  9th  OF  JANUARY  ) 

The  National  Assembly  of  Panama, 

DEGREES: 

Article  1.  The  Nation  reserves  the  exploitation  of  the  natural 
riches  consisting  of  deposits  of  petroleum  or  hydro-carbon  gases 
existing  in  the  territory  of  the  Republic  and  which  have  not  been 
legitimately  acquired  by  private  persons. 

Article  2.  The  Executive  Power  is  authorized  to  concede  per- 
mission to  make  explorations  in  the  subsoil  of  the  lands,  lakes, 
lake  bottoms  which  are  in  the  national  jurisdiction  with  the  object 
of  discovering  the  deposits  of  petroleum  or  hydro-carbon  gases. 

Article  3.  The  Executive  is  authorized  also  to  celebrate  con- 
tracts of  agreement  in  accordance  with  the  present  law  regarding 
the  exploitation  of  oil  deposits  or  those  of  hydro-carbon  gases. 

Article  4.  The  permits  which  shall  be  given  for  these  explora- 
tions in  the  subsoil  shall  be  given  to  persons  or  companies  properly 
organized  and  shall  only  last  one  year,  without  renewal  counting 
from  the  date  of  the  permission. 

Paragraph  1.  During  this  time  no  one  more  than  the  persons 
or  company  in  whose  favor  the  permit  is  issued  will  have  the  right 
to  make  explorations  in  the  zone  to  which  it  refers  which  shall  be 
stated  in  the  said  permit,  giving  the  boundaries  'and  superficial 
extension. 

Paragraph  2.  The  superficial  extension  of  the  land  to  which  the 
permit  refers  for  explorations  shall  in  no  case  extend  more  than  ten 
hectares. 


133 

Article  5.  The  permits  for  explorations  shall  pay  a  tax  of  ten 
cents  of  a  balboa  per  hectare  which  shall  be  paid  into  the  Treasury 
General  of  the  Republic  before  the  permit  is  issued. 

Article  6.  The  private  persons  or  companies  who  by  means  of 
the  permits  conceded  by  the  Secretary  of  Hacienda  and  Treasury 
discover  deposits  of  petroleum  or  hydro-carbon  gases  shall  give 
advice  inmediately  to  the  Secretary's  office  and  state  that  they 
•ire  willing  to  sign  a  contract  accordingly. 

Article  7.  In  the  celebration  of  these  contracts  the  following 
requisites  shall  be  filled : 

1.  The  Secretary  of  Hacienda  shall  name  one  or  more  experts 
to  examine  the  well  or  deposits  of  petroleum  or  hydro-carbon  gases 
which  have  been  discovered  and  give  an  opinion ; 

2.  The  wells  or  pools  discovered  should  be  capable  of  produce 
each  of  them  at  least  1,000  liters  of  petroleum  daily  or  10,000,  in 
the  same  time  of  hydro-carbon  gas  of  good  quality  and  capable  of 
combustion  in  its  natural  state; 

3.  In  compliance  with  the  obligations  which  should  be  con- 
tracted in  accordance  with  the  present  law,  shall  be  duly  guaranteed 
by  a  loan  bound  or  by  a  deposit  made  with  the  Treasury  General 
whose  value  shall  be  fixed  by  rule. 

Article  8.  The  said  contracts  shall  be  celebrated  for  a  period 
of  ten  years  counting  from  the  date  of  the  approval  by  the  Execu- 
tive Power.  This  term  once  finished  the  franks  and  concessions 
given  to  the  explorers  shall  cases  all  other  obligations  contracted 
for  under  this  law  but  extended  contracts  may  be  celebrated  for  ten 
years  more  if  desired  by  the  interested  parties,  as  long  as  the 
Executive  esteems  it  convenient. 

Article  9.  For  every  well  or  deposit  of  petroleum  or  of  hydro- 
carbon gas  a  holding  of  one  thousand  meters  long  shall  be  conceded 
by  400  meters  broad  but  the  concessionaire  cannot  make  use  with- 
out special  authorization  and  by  means  of  compliance  with  legal 
formalities  of  the  woods  and  other  natural  products  which  the 
land  contains  referred  to  in  the  concession. 

Article  10.  The  dicoverers  of  petroleum  or  of  hydro-carbon 
gases  or  those  who  contract  with  the  nation  in  accordance  with 
the  dispositions  of  this  law  shall  have  the  following  benefits: 


134 

1.  Exportation  free  of  all  duty  for  the  natural  refined  or  manu- 
factured products  which  proceed  from  the  exploitation ; 

2.  Import  free  of  import  duty,  one  time  only,  the  machinery  to 
refine  petroleum  or  hydro-carbon  gases  and   to  manufacture  all 
classes  of  products  which  have  crude  petroleum  as  their  base,  the 
piping  necessary  for  these  industries  as  well  as  the  accessories  such 
as  pumps,  iron  or  wooden  tanks,  iron  or  wooden  barrels,  gasometers 
and  materials  destined  to  the  exploitation  as  long  as  these  articles 
remain  subject  to  the  dispositions  and  rules  of  the  Secretary  of 
Hacienda  and  Treasury. 

Article  11.  The  concessionaires  shall  have  preferential  rights  in 
purchase  of  national  lands  which  they  need  for  the  establishment 
of  their  machinery  and  offices  at  tariff  price  at  the  date  of  the 
concession,  besides  the  quantity  of  land  which  as  a  holding  is  allot- 
ted them. 

Article  12.  For  the  same  reason  to  which  the  previous  article 
refers  and  when  private  lands  are  being  treated  of,  the  conces- 
sionaires shall  have  the  right  to  expropriate  private  lands  from 
private  persons  if  they  are  necessarj^  in  the  form  mentioned  in 
this  law. 

Article  13.  They  shall  also  have  the  right  to  carry  pipe  lines 
on  lands  of  private  property  if  indispensable  with  the  object  of 
carrying  the  products  of  their  production  and  thus  aid  the  reali- 
zation as  long  as  no  service  for  the  consumption  of  said  products 
is  established. 

Article  14.  To  make  this  rights  effective,  the  cases  of  expro- 
priation shall  proceed  as  follows: 

The  promoters  shall  present  to  the  Secretary  of  Hacienda  and 
Treasury  the  plan  for  the  works  which  are  to  occupy  the  lands 
necessary  to  be  expropriated  and  all  the  other  proofs  which  may 
justify  the  necessity  of  said  lands. 

The  Secretary  shall  send  said  plans  to  the  Surveyor  General  for 
examination  and  taking  into  account  the  report  of  this  employee 
and  other  data  which  the  authorities  may  esteem  convenient  as 
well  as  the  owners  of  the  land  which  it  is  wished  to  expropriate 
shall  approve  or  refuse  the  plans  presented. 

If  the  said  plans  are  not  approved,  the  interested  parties  shall 
be  informed  in  order  that  they  may  be  duly  modified;  but  if  the 


135 

indications  are  not  attended  to,  the  expropriation  solicited  shall  be 
regarded  as  cancelled. 

If  the  plans  are  approved  with  or  without  modification,  it  shall 
be  considered  by  this  fact  alone,  that  the  expropriation  of  the 
lands  takes  place  with  the  aproval  of  the  plans. 

With  such  plans  and  the  expression  of  their  approval,  the  inte- 
rested parties  shall  demand  their  expropriation  from  the  Circuit 
Judge  who  shall  transmit  and  resolve  in  accordance  with  the  dis- 
positions of  Law  56  of  1890  the  demandants  assuming  the  perso- 
nality which  the  Public  Ministry  concedes  in  the  suits  for  expro- 
priations and  the  other  prerogatives  which  are  conferred  by  the  law. 

Article  15.  Tf  the  owner  of  the  property  shall  be  absent,  a  de- 
fender shall  be  named,  the  precedent  being  established  in  the 
dispositions  of  Law  105  of  the  same  year  and  with  him  the  suit 
of  expropriation  shall  be  carried  out. 

Article  16.  To  commence  an  expropriation  it  is  indispensable  to 
show  that  a  vain  attempt  has  been  made  to  procure  an  arrange- 
ment with  the  owners  of  the  lands  which  it  is  intended  to  expro- 
priate. 

Article  17.  When  it  is  only  intended  to  establish  pipe  lines 
on  a  property  the  proceeding  shall  be : 

1.  The  promoter  or  interested  party  shall  ask  the  Secretary 
of  Hacienda  and  Treasury,  accompanying  a  report  by  a  compe- 
tent engineer  who  shall  declare  the  necessity  for  the  respective 
exploitation,  to  join  the'points  indicated  by  a  pipe  line.  This 
declaration  made,  the  promoters  can  demand  the  land  owners 
over  which  the  pipe  line  has  to  pass,  deliver  it  without  other 
obligation  than  paying  an  indemnity  equivalent  to  the  damage 
which  the  installation  of  said  pipe  line  shall  cause. 

Article  18.  The  Secretary  of  Hacienda  and  Treasury  can  also 
deny  the  request  or  make  the  declaration  in  the  previous  paragraph 
taking  into  account  the  nature  and  importance  of  the  undertaking 
and  the  mercantile  conditions  or  less  facilities  for  communication 
in  the  locality  and  in  general  all  that  may  serve  as  a  foundation  for 
the  necessity  of  the  installation  of  the  pipe  line. 

Article  19.  If  the  land  owner  oppose  resistance  to  the  pro- 
moters and  are  not  in  accordance  with  regard  to  the  place  in  which 


136 

the  tubes  shall  be  placed,  or  the  amount  of  the  indemnity,  the 
promoters  shall  then  go  to  the  respective  Circuit  Judge  who  shall 
dicide  the  question,  taking  into  account: 

1.  The  owners  of  the  lands  have  the  right  to  point  out  where 
the  pipe  line  shall  go; 

2.  That  if  it  is  considered,  by  means  of  an  expert  opinion, 
which  shall  always  be  obtained  in  accordance  with  the  Judicial 
Code,  that  the  placing  of  the  pipe  line  in  the  place  indicated  is 
impracticable  or  damaging  for  the  company,  he  shall  order  the 
land  owners  to  point  out  another  place; 

3.  That  if  this  is  considered  in  the  same  manner,    the  Judge 
shall  select  the  point  which  appear  most   convenient  to  him   in 
order  to  conciliate  the  interests  of  both  parties; 

4.  If  there  should  be  other  parcels  of  land  where  the  pipe  line 
can  pass,  the  obligation  shall  be  to  place  it  where  it  is  less  costly 
and  if  all  places  are  equal,  the  Judge  shall  designate  the  one  where 
the  pipe  line  shall  pass. 

Article  20.  In  order  to  fix  the  amount  of  the  indemnity,  it- 
shall  proceed  in  accordance  with  article  14  of  Law  56  of  1890. 

Article  21.  Against  the  resolution  of  the  Judge  there  is  no 
appeal. 

Article  22.  When  the  patent  of  exploitation  has  been  delivered 
the  Executive  Power  shall  name  an  Official  Inspector  for  each  of 
the  undertakings  which  with  such  motive  shall  contribute  towards 
the  payment  in  the  form  to  be  later  indicated. 

Article  23.  This  inspector,  in  case  the  undertaking  shall  be 
a  limited  company  by  shares  shall  be  considered  a  member  of  the 
Administrative  Council  or  Board  of  Directors  and  shall  have  the 
right  to  examine  the  books  of  accounts  of  the  undertaking  and 
take  data  and  notes  necessary  for  the  information  of  the  Secretary 
of  Hacienda  and  Treasury  which  are  requested. 

Article  24.  If  the  undertaking  is  organized  in  any  other  form 
the  inspector  shall  in  all  methods  have  the  right  to  oversee  the 
accounting,  inspect  the  management  of  the  business  and  the  opera- 
tions which  are  carried  on  the  books  in  order  to  procure  the  best 
result  possible  and  to  safeguard  the  profits  of  the  Republic. 

Article  25.  For  the  payment  of  the  Inspector,  each  private 
person  or  company  which  obtains  a  patent  of  exploitation  shall 


137 

contribute  annually  the  sum  of  B.  1.200,00  which  shall  be  sent  in 
advance  to  the  Treasury.  The  lack  of  this  payment  may  give 
rise  to  the  rescindment  of  the  contract. 

Article  26.  All  the  expenses  of  the  exploration  permits  and 
exploitation  permits,  experts  fees,  drafting  of  plans  and  others 
which  may  take  place  shall  be  for  the  account  of  the  person  or  corn- 
pan}'  in  whose  favor  they  are  made. 

Article  27.  The  undertakings  which  are  established  by  means 
of  this  law  shall  be  obliged  to  render  an  annual  report  to  the 
Secretary  of  Hacienda  and  Treasury  with  reference  to  the  fiscal 
year  regarding  all  and  each  branch  of  the  exploitation  and  the 
statistics  of  its  products;  the  working  expenses,  the  General  Balance 
and  other  points  to  be  designated.  Lack  of  compliance  with  this 
duty  will  be  punished  by  a  fine  of  B.  250,00  according  to  the 
gravity  and  frecuence  of  the  omissions. 

Article  28.  The  promoters  who  obtain  a  patent  of  exploita- 
tion are  obliged,  in  exchange  for  the  privileges  which  the  present 
law  grants  them  to  pay  the  Treasury  General  ten  per  cent  of  the 
total  amount  of  the  dividends  which  are  made  in  favor  of  the 
stokcholders  and  from  the  reserve  funds  in  accordance  with  the 
dispositions  of  the  present  Commercial  Code. 

If  the  undertaking  is  not  organized  in  the  form  of  a  company 
with  shares,  the  sum  which  it  should  pay  the  Treasury  General  as 
provided  for  in  the  previous  paragraph  shall  be  calculated  on  the 
liquid  profits  obtained. 

Article  29.  Land  owners  can  make  explorations  inside  their 
own  properties  giving  previous  advice  to  the  Secretary  of  Hacienda 
and  Treasury  and  reporting  duly  the  discoveries  which  they  make. 
If  a  deposit  of  petroleum  or  hydro-carbon  gas  is  discovered,  they 
shall  be  obliged,  for  its  exploitation,  to  celebrate  a  contract  in  the 
form  and  conditions  shown  in  this  law. 

Article  30.  In  no  case  will  the  opening  of  wells  for  explorations 
for  extraction  of  petroleum  or  hydro-carbon  gases  be  permitted 
within  the  towns  nor  within  a  distance  of  three  hundred  meters. 
Neither  will  it  be  permitted  to  make  them  near  the  wells  made  for 
the  discovery  of  petroleum  or  hydro-carbon  gas  in  land  within 
1,000  meters  long  and  400  broad,  which  as  a  holding  shall  be  given 
to  the  discoverers. 


138 

Article  31.  Those  who  in  conformity  with  the  previous  laws  to 
the  present  have  acquired  rights  to  exploit  deposits  of  petroleum  or 
hydro-carbon  gas  shall  remain  in  possession  of  their  rights,  but  if 
they  prefer  to  submit  them  to  the  prescriptions  of  the  present  law 
they  may  submit  to  the  Secretary  of  Hacienda  and  Treasury  to 
simply  fill  the  formality  of  the  contract  in  which  their  rights  shall 
be  recognized. 

Article  32.  The  Executive  Power  is  authorized  to  concede  the 
permits  treated  of  in  this  law  to  regulate  in  the  form  he  esteems 
convenient  and  in  accordance  with  the  dispositions  to  formulate 
the  models  of  the  contracts  which  should  be  carried  through. 

Article  33.  This  law  annuls  the  dispositions  of  Law  30  of  1909 
and  that  of  24  of  1913  which  treat  of  the  exploitation  of  petroleum. 

Given  in  Panama,  January  9th,  1915. 
The  President, 

CIKO  L.  URRIOLA. 
The  Secretary, 

J.  M.  Fernandez. 

Republic  of  Panama. — National  Executive  Power. — Panama,   Ja- 
nuary 6th,  1915. 

Publish  and  put  into  effect. 

BEL1SAR1O   PORRAS. 
The  Secretary  of  Hacienda  and  Treasury, 

ARISTIDBS  AHJOMA. 


139 
LAW    3S     OF     1915 

(  OF  FEBRUARY  20th  ) 

By   which  modifications  and  additions  are  made  to  the  law  regarding  exploitation  o    welle 
or  deposits  of  petroleum  or  hydro-carbon  gases 

The  National  Assembly  of  Panama, 

DEIOREEIS: 

Article  1.  The  following  have  preference  in  the  concession  for 
the  exploitation  of  petroleum  wells  or  deposits  of  hydro-carbon 
gases,  by  means  of  contracts  with  the  government  in  conformity 
with  this  law : 

1.  The  proprietor  of  the  land  where  the  deposit  is  found,  in- 
demnifying the  discoverer  with  the  tenth  part  of  the  product  of 
the  said  well; 

2.  The  discoverer  indemnifying  the  proprietor  with  the  fifth 
part  of  the  liquid  product ; 

3.  The  third  who  proposes  the  celebration  of  the  respective 
contract  of  exploitation,  indemnifying  the  proprietor  with  a  fifth 
part  of  the  net  product  and  the  discoverer  with  the  tenth  part  of 
the  product. 

Article  2.  He  who,  according  to  the  previous  articles  has  pre- 
ference for  the  exploitation  of  the  deposits  of  petroleum  or  hydro- 
carbon gas,  must  manifest  his  intention  of  exploiting  them  with- 
in six  months  to  the  Executive  Power  on  behalf  of  the  interested 
party,  giving  account  of  the  discovery  to  the  proprietor  of  the 
land  or  informing  the  discoverer  by  the  proprietor  that  he  intends 
to  abstain  from  their  exploitation. 

Article  3.  The  circunstances  which  pass  the  exploitation  right 
of  a  petroleum  deposit  or  hydro-carbon  deposit  by  means  of  said 
contract  to  the  next  in  order  of  preference  are  the  fact  of  not  being 
able  to  or  not  wishing  to  exploit. 

Article  4.  The  right  of  exploiting  a  deposit  of  petroleum  or 
hydro-carbon  gas  passes  also  from  the  proprietor  to  the  discoverer 
when  he  does  not  commence  the  exploitation  after  having  mani- 
fested his  intention  of  doing  so.  For  the  same  cause  and  for  the 
same  term  the  right  of  the  discoverer  ceases  also. 

Article  5.  The  individual  or  company  which  pretend  to  make 
investigations  for  the  dicovery  of  petroleum  deposits  or  those  of 


140 

hydro-carbon  gases  on  private  lands  shall  guarantee  before  ob- 
taining the  permission,  with  a  bond  of  indemnization  all  the  dama- 
ges which  the  explorations  may  cause  to  the  proprietor. 

Article  6.  The  individual  or  company  which  proposes  to  the 
government  to  celebrate  a  contract  to  exploit  a  deposit  of  the  above 
mentioned  by  this  law  must  prove  satisfactorily  that  it  has  the 
means  and  the  capital  sufficient  to  start  the  work  and  satisfy  the 
indemnities  which  the  concession  will  oblige  it  to. 

Article  7.  Those  who  oppose  the  delivery  of  the  permits  and 
the  celebration  of  contracts  under  this  law  shall  put  their  actions 
before  common  tribunals  when  they  are  not  in  conformity  with 
the  decisions  which  the  Executive  Power  shall  deliver. 

Article  8.     The  Law  G  of  1915  remains  modified. 

Given  in  Panama  on  the  19th  of  February,  1915. 
The  President, 

GIRO  L.  URHIOLA. 
By  the  Secretary,  the  $ubsecretary, 

Efrain  Tejada  U. 


Republic  of  Panama. — Executive   National  Power. — Panama    Fe- 
bruary 20th,  1915. 

Publish  and  execute. 

BEL1SARIO   PORRAS. 
The  Secretary  of  Hacienda  and  Treasury, 

AKISTIDBS  AKJONA. 


141 
LAW    ST     OF     1Q1T 

(  OF  MARCH  16  ) 

By  which  certain  faculties  are  given  to  the  Executive  Power  and  additions    and    reform* 
are  made  to  Law  6  of   1915 

The  National  Assembly  of  Panama, 

DEGREES: 

Article  1.  The  Executive  Power  is  authorized  to  make  con- 
tracts of  concessions  of  permission  to  make,  on  any  amounts  of 
uncultivated  or  wild  land,  explorations  for  wells  or  deposits  of 
hydrogen-carbonic  gases  for  a  term  which  shall  not  exceed  three 
years. 

Article  2.  The  prospectors  shall  have  in  preference  the  rights  to 
the  adjudication  of  the  places  which  they  select  within  the  area  of 
their  explorations. 

Article  3.  The  contracts  of  exploitation  can  be  made  for  a 
period  up  to  twenty  years,  prorrogable  for  an  equal  period. 

Article  4.  The  participation  of  the  nation  in  the  exploitation 
of  the  petroleum  wells  and  deposits  of  hydrogen  carbon  gas  shall 
be  50%  of  the  net  entry  or  10%  of  the  profits  of  the  undertaking, 
according  to  Law  6,  article  28,  of  1915. 

Article  5.  Article  2  is  reformed  and  article  28  added  to  the  Law 
6  of  1915. 

Signed  in  Panama,  March  15th,  1917. 

The  President, 

M.  DE  J.  GRIMALDO  P. 
The  Secretary, 

Ezequiel  V aides  A. 

Republic  of  Panama. — Executive  Power. — Panama,  March,   16, 
1917. 

Publish  and  put  into  effect. 

RAMON   M.   VALDES. 

The  Secretary  of  Hacienda  and  Treasury, 

AURELIO   GUARDIA. 


NOTE:       Regulations  regarding  this  matter  are  included  in  the  new  Fiscal  Code  of  the 
Republic. 


ENCOURAGEMENT  OF  NEW  INDUSTRIES 

With  the  object  of  encouraging  the  founding  and  development 
of  new  industries  in  the  Republic,  the  National  Assembly  in  its 
last  sesions  passed  Law  No,  4  of  1917  which  says: 

Article  1.  Any  undertaking,  factory  or  industrial  establish- 
ment which  is  installed  in  the  territory  of  the  Republic  which  is 
specialy  dedicated  to  the  development  of  industries,  arts  and  crafts 
is  worthy  of  the  help  and  protection  of  the  government  in  the 
form  in  accordance  with  the  law  for  the  undertakings  of  public 
utility. 

Article  2.  Any  manufactured  article  which  is  imported  from 
abroad,  whether  of  metal,  wood  or  any  other  material  whose  manu- 
facture shall  be  easy  to  undertake  in  this  country  as  long  as  it  is 
satisfactory  to  the  consumer  shall  have  the  import  duties  increased. 

Article  3.  The  government  of  the  Republic  as  soon  as  the 
production  of  th  enterprises,  factories,  etc.,  shall  be  sufficient  for 
for  local  consumption  and  the  value  and  quality  of  the  products 
shall  be  in  equal  conditions  to  those  imported  from  abroad  shall 
proceed  as  a  protective  measure  to  take  for  its  necessities  that 
which  the  country  produces. 

Article  4.  The  prime  materials  which  are  necessary  for  the 
industries  which  shall  be  necessary  for  these  industries  which  are 
not  produced  in  the  country  shall  retain  in  the  same  customs 
classification  which  they  have  at  present. 

Those  which  are  considered  national  products  and  whose  pro- 
duction in  the  country  shall  be  sufficient  for  the  consumption 
shall  have  their  import  duties  increased  in  accordance  with  the 
quality  in  which  they  are  produced. 

Article  5.  All  new  industries  such  as  manufacture  of  wood 
pulp  and  paper,  buttons,  bottles  shall  be  exempt  for  the  importa- 


143 

tion  of  its  machinery  and  apparatus  as  well  as  the  prime  materials 
which  they  use  in  the  manufactures  in  which  they  are  engaged. 

Article  6.  As  soon  as  the  national  production  and  the  fiscal 
situation  of  the  country  permits,  the  Executive  Power  shall  en- 
courage and  aid  the  organization  of  exhibitions,  fairs,  meetigns, 
etc,  for  national  productions  only,  especially  those  of  an  agricul- 
tural nature  in  the  principal  towns  where  it  is  considered  conve- 
nient in  order  to  stimulate  agriculturists,  artisans,  industrialists, 
professional  and  national  works. 

Article  7.  To  destine  the  sum  of  at  least  B.  2,000  every  two 
years  which  will  be  destined  to  the  compliance  of  the  previous 
article  which  can  be  added  to  later  by  means  of  the  development 
of  agriculture,  industries,  etc.,  and  as  the  fiscal  situation  of  the 
country  permits. 

Article  8.  All  previous  dispositions  which  conflict  with  the 
present  law  are  annulled. 

Signed  in  Panama,  28  th,  December  1916. 

The  President. 

ANDRES  MOJICA. 

Secretary. 

D.  S.   Villareal.   V. 

Republic  of  Panama — Executive  Power — Panama,  January  fourth 
ninteen  hundred  and  seventeen. 
Publish  and  put  into  effect. 

RAMON  M.  VALDES. 
The  Secretary  of  Hacienda  and  Treasury. 

AUBELIO    GUARDIA. 

LAVS/    30    OF     1Q1T 

(OF  FEBRUARY  3rd) 
By  which  an  automation  is  confered. 

The  National  Assembly  of  Panama, 

DECREES: 

Article  1.  To  authorise  the  Executive  Power  to  celebrate  leas- 
ing contracts  for  public  lands  for  the  period  which  he  thinks  in- 


144 

dispensable  when  it  is  intended  to  bring  the  establishment  of  a 
new  industry  of  evident  future. 

Signed  in  Panama,  the  twenty  ninth  day  of  January,  1917. 

The  President. 

(•mo   L.    URRIOLA. 

Secretary. 

Fabrido  A.   Arosemeno. 

i 

Republic  of  Panama — National  Executive  Power- — Panama,  Feb- 
ruary third,  ninteen  hundred  and  seventeen. 
Publish  and  put  into  effect. 

RAMON  M.  VALDES. 
Secretary  of  Hacienda  and  Treasury. 

AURELIO     GUARDIA. 

ENCOURAGEMENT  OF  BREEDING  AND  KILLING  CATTLE 

In  order  to  assist  the  development  and  the  betterment  of  cattle 
breeding,  as  this  is  one  of  the  principal  industries  of  the  country 
and  in  which  the  country  has  the  greatest  future.  Law  5  of  1917 
was  passed  in  the  following  terms: 

The  Notional  Assembli/  of  Panama, 

DEOREEIS: 

Article  1.  The  Executive  Power  is  hereby  authorized  to  en- 
courage the  establishment  in  the  country  of  undertakings  which 
engage  in  the  killing  of  beef  cattle  or  hogs  and  the  preparation 
and  keeping  of  meat  in  refrigerating  plants  for  internal  consum- 
tion  or  for  export. 

Artic.e  2.  The  Executive  Power  can  contract  with  the  pro- 
moters contracts  in  which  the  following  concessions  can  be  made. 

Exemption  from  import  duty  on  all  machinery,  utensils,  sup- 
plies, vehicles,  materials  and  chemical  products  necessary  for  the 
construction,  maintenance,  service  and  complete  equipment  of 


145 

the  slaughter  plants  and  refrigerators;  also  exemption  on  steam, 
oil  or  electrical  propelled  ships  which  these  companies  may  ac- 
quire provided  they  are  placed  under  the  Panamanian  flag. 

Exemption  from  all  national  or  municipal  taxes,  existing  or  to 
be  created  with  the  exception  of  road  and  bridge  tolls,  for  these 
plants  and  on  the  ships  and  vehicles  of  the  undertakings. 

The  companies  will  not  be  exempt  from  paying  slaughterhouse 
taxes  but  if  the  meat  is  destined  for  export  or  for  the  government 
of  the  Canal  Zone  the  corresponding  taxes  will  be  refunded. 

The  free  adjudication  of  the  national  territory  which  the  under- 
takings shall  consider  necessary  for  the  installation  of  their  plants 
and  the  cattle  yards  adjoining,  as  long  as  these  do  not  extend  over 
than  50  hectares. 

Exemption  from  all  export  duty  which  at  present  exists  or 
which  may  be  established  in  the  future. 

Article  3.  In  case  that  the  enterprises  devote  themselves  also 
to  the  breeding  of  beef  cattle,  goats  or  hogs,  the  Executive  Power 
can  sell  them  for  cash  and  at  a  legal  price  the  lands  which  are  need- 
ed from  1,000  hectares  but  not  more  than  1,500,  without  the  neces- 
sity of  previous  legislative  approval. 

In  this  case  the  Executive  Power  can  allow  the  importation  of 
cattle  without  the  necessary  duties  as  follows:  Five  hundred  heifers 
yearly  for  each  undertaking  and  all  the  goats  and  hogs  which  they 
bring  in.  In  this  case  a  financial  guaranty  must  be  deposited  with 
the  National  Bank  to  assure  that  the  cattle  brought  in  will  not  be 
given  to  consumption  before  the  time  to  be  fixed  by  the  Executive 
Power  in  each  case  of  importation. 

Article  4.  After  being  established  twenty  years,  the  industries 
which  are  protected  by  means  of  the  present  law  shall  pay  the 
duties  and  taxes  which  are  exonerated  in  the  previous  articles. 

Signed  in  Panama,  29th,  December  1916. 
President, 

ANDRES  MOJJCA. 
Secretary, 

F.    Arosemena. 


INDUSTRIES 

Notwithstanding  that  it  offers  great  advantages  for  the  deve- 
lopment of  a  number  of  industries,  not  only  for  local  necessity 
but  also  for  export  to  other  Central  American  countries  and  the 
West  coast  of  South  America  where  there  are  magnificent  steam- 
ship services,  Panama  is  very  far  from  being  an  industrial  nation 
and  has  not  been  so  during  the  last  few  years  in  which  the  com- 
mencement of  industrial  activity  has  been  taking  place,  of  which 
we  shall  briefly  speak. 

SUGAR 

The  Santa  Rosa  mill,  belonging  to  Messrs  Delvalle  Henriquez 
and  Company,  situated  near  Aguadulce,  in  the  Province  of  Code, 
although  relatively  small  compared  with  those  of  Cuba  and  the 
United  States,  represents  a  great  industrial  effort  which  is  one  of 
those  of  greatest  future  for  the  country. 

This  mill  cost  half  a  million  dollars;  its  machinery  is  modern 
and  produces  sugar  of  very  fine  quality.  It  also  has  a  magnifi- 
cent plant  for  the  distilation  of  liquor.  The  sugar  product  in  1916 
was  21,000  sacks  and  it  is  calculated  that  this  year  it  will  reach 
to  35,000. 

In  the  Province  of  Herrera,  in  the  Pese  district,  there  is  a  small 
mill,  called  San  Isidro,  whose  annual  production  is  7,000  sacks  of 
sugar.  This  is  the  property  of  Messrs.  Arjona  and  Varela  and  has 
large  amount  of  land  for  sugar  cane  planting.  At  present  it  takes 
its  owns  cane  and  that  of  other  persons  which  it  buys  at  good 
rates. 

In  the  Province  of  Panama,  in  the  Darien  region,  there  is  ano- 
ther mill,  erected  only  a  few  months  ago,  which  produces  very  good 


147 

sugar  and  it  is  calculated  that  the  product  this  year  will  be  10,000 
sacks. 

TOBACCO  AND  CIGARRETTES 

In  the  city  of  Panama  there  is  an  excellent  tobacco  and  cigarette 
factory  known  as  the  "Canal  Tobacco  Company,  Inc".  which 
makes  the  King  Bee  and  Needle  Point  cigarettes.  At  present 
this  factory  turns  out  five  million  cigarettes  monthly  and  the  ow- 
ners expect  to  double  this  production  this  year. 

BEER 

The  Panama  Brewing  and  Rrefrigerating  Company  is  one  of  the 
principal  and  most  productive  industrial  undertakings  of  the  coun- 
try. The  beer  which  it  makes — Balboa  and  Tropical — are  of  ex- 
cellecnt  qual  ty  and  have  an  excellent  and  well  deserved  reputation 
in  the  Panamanian  market,  almost  supersidirig  the  foreign  beers. 

More  than  30,000  barrels  of  32  gallons  each  are  produced  an- 
nually. The  Tropical  is  another  Brewery  which  exists  in  the  city 
but  some  time  ago  was  acquired  by  the  abovementioned  with  the 
object  of  avoiding  competition.  At  present  the  Tropical  Brewery 
is  not  working  as  the  Balboa  Plant  has  capacity  sufficient  for  the 
manufacture  of  both  Balboa  and  Tropical  beers. 

ICE 

The  Panama  American  Corporation  which  supplies  electric  light 
to  the  capital  produces  practically  all  the  ice  which  is  consumed 
in  this  city. 

Worthy  of  special  mention  also  is  the  ice  plant  of  Mressrs  Her- 
bruger  and  Tarte  which  was  founded  in  1908  and  whose  produc- 
tive capacity  is  25  tons  daily. 

This  same  firm  has  a  small  ice  plant  in  the  city  of  Chitre. 

Ice  is  also  made,  in  smaller  quantities,  by  Messrs  McNish  and 
Co.  and  in  the  "Esperanza"  of  this  city. 

In  Colon  there  is  a  magnificent  ice  plant  which  not  only  pro- 
duces all  that  is  needed  in  that  city  but  also  has  a  capacity  of 
producing  large  quantities  for  the  ships  which  pass  through  the 
Canal. 


148 

ICE  CREAM 


The  "Esperanza"  factory  produces  a  large  quantity  of  ice  cream 
as  does  also  the  "La  Imperial"  plant  which  is  the  property  of  Mr. 
Luis  C.  Herbruger.  Both  of  these  produce  goods  of  excellent 
quality. 

STEAM  LAUNDRY 

A  steam  laudry  exists  with  modern  machinery  called  "La  Espe- 
ranza"  which  cost  about  $150,000.00  and  which  can  attend  to  the 
needs  of  the  entire  city. 

LIQUORS  AND  AERATED  WATERS 

The  liquor  factories  and  those  of  aerated  warers  are  as  numerous 
in  Panama  as  in  Colon,  so  that  the  greatest  part  of  the  liquor 
consumed  in  the  country  is  of  native  production. 

PASTRIES 

"La  Estrella"  is  an  industrial  company  which  is  dedicated  to  the 
manufacture  of  these  and  also  of  bread  for  the  sale  of  which  it 
has  a  good  factory.  Its  products  are  excellent. 

BRICKS  AND  CEMENT  BLOCKS 

Near  the  city  is  a  factory  for  the  manufacture  of  bricks  and 
another  for  cement  blocks  which  are  employed  in  the  construction 
of  houses,  etc. 


COMMERCIAL  TAXES 
L.AW    39     OF     1915 

(OF  FEBRUARY  25) 

Regarding  Comercial  taxea 

The  National  Assembly  of  Panama, 
DECREES: 

Article  1.  Foreign  merchandise  or  articles  of  commerce  which 
are  imported  for  sale  or  consumption  in  the  Republic  shall  be  sub- 
ject to  the  payment  of  a  tax  which  is  called  "Commercial  Tax". 

Article  2.  Merchandise  or  articles  of  commerce  which  are  im- 
ported from  other  countries  or  which  are  bought  from  ships  which 
touch  at  our  ports  voluntarity  or  otherwise,  shall  be  considered 
as  of  foreign  origin. 

Article  3.  All  merchandise  or  article  of  commerce  which  is 
imported  into  the  Republic  from  another  country  should  come 
supported  by  the  following  legalized  documents  from  Panamanian 
consuls.  The  Bill  of  Lading  or  Manifest  made  out  by  the  captain 
of  the  ship,  the  purser  or  by  the  agency  of  the  company  to  which 
the  ship  belongs ;  the  details  of-  the  embarkation  of  the  cargo  and 
a  detailed  invoice  of  the  merchandise. 

When  the  ship  shall  be  dispatched  by  American  authorities  for 
the  ports  of  Cristobal  or  Balboa,  even  when  these  ships  carry  mer- 
chandise or  effects  of  any  class  destined  for  Colon  or  Panama,  the 
manifests  or  bill  of  lading  shall  always  be  presented  to  such  officials 
in  Cristobal  or  Balboa,  but  a  copy  of  thse  manifests  or  bills  of 
lading  which  shall  be  sent  to  the  port  authorites  of  Panama  shall 
serve  for  a  notation  and  advice  of  the  cargo  consigned  to  these  ports. 


150 

Article  4.  Foreign  articles  which  are  introduced  shall  only  pay 
the  Commerical  tax  once  on  arriving  at  the  port  of  introduction  in 
conformity  with  the  tariff  which  this  law  establishes. 

Article  5.  In  order  to  arrange  the  collection  of  the  said  tax, 
merchandise  and  articles  are  divided  into  four  classes,  thus: 

Firts  class.     Articles  exempt  form  the  payment  of  the  tax. 

Second  class.     Articles  graduated  with  10%  to  20%. 

Third  class.     Articles  under  a  special  tariff. 

Fourth  class.     Articles  of  prohibited  importation. 

Article  6.     To  the  first  class  belong: 

Mineral  coal,  live  animals  of  selected  sotck  which  are  introduc 
ed  for  breeding  as  must  be  proved.  Ploughs,  harrows,  hoes  and 
other  useful  modern  machnery  for  the  direct  and  exclusive  use 
in  agriculture. 

Sugar  cane,  coffee,  cacao,  rice  rubber  and  tobacco  machinery. 

Machinery  destined  for  the  preservation  of  fruits  prepared  in 
the  Republic  for  exportation,  for  the  preserving  of  meat  and  hams 
and  generally  all  kinds  of  industrial  refrigerators. 

Machinery  for  sawmills,  brickyards  and  potteries;  for  the  exca- 
vation and  extraction  of  mineral  oils;  for  the  excavation  of  arte- 
sian wells  or  tabular  ones  and  for  opening  or  conserving  navigation 
or  irrgation  channels. 

Machinery  and  prime  materials  for  the  manufacture  of  woven 
goods,  soap,  candles,  matches,  and  electric  light. 

Shoe  machinery  and  also  that  employed  in  the  extraction  of 
dyes  and  inks.  Locomotives,  machines  rails  an  other  rolling  stock 
and  belongings  for  the  construction  and  maintenance  of  railroads; 
also  stone  crushers  and  rollers  for  the  construction  and  up  keep  of 
roads. 

Ships,  entire  or  in  sections,  to  navigate  the  waters  of  the  Repu- 
blic under  the  national  flag. 

Guano  and  all  natural  and  artificial  manures  employed  in  agri- 
culture; asphalt  or  bitumen;  sulphate,  bisulphate  and  bisulphate 
of  carbon. 

Special  insectides  and  apparatus  for  ant  extinction. 
Seeds,  orchids  and  all  kinds  of  live  plants  of  any  use. 


151 

Hard  wheat  which  is  used  to  manufacture  vermicelli. 

Ice  and  vaccine  (pus) 

Iron,  steel  or  other  metal  machinery  for  lightining  conductors. 

Gasometers  or  electrical  measuring  machinery,  lamosts  for  public 
use  and  other  apparatus  for  public  lighting;  monuments,  statutes, 
masoleums  and  stone  fountains,  marble  bronze  or  other  metals  if 
they  are  to  be  used  for  the  beautifying  of  parks,  plazas,  streets, 
cemeteries  and  public  roads. 

The  objects  which  the  municipal  councils  introduce  for  the  beau- 
tifying use  or  public  benefit. 

Objects  for  teaching  purposes  which  the  directors  of  private 
schools  require  with  the  approval  of  the  Secretary  of  Public  Ins- 
truction, as  long  as  these  establishments  work  in  accord  with  the 
programs  and  legal  prescriptions. 

Articles  destined  to  the  charity  establishments  and  public  be- 
nefits when  the  orders  have  been  previously  approved  by  the  Se- 
cretary of  Fomento  at  the  request  of  the  presidents  of  the  direc- 
tors of  these  bodies,  who  shall  state  under  oath  that  the  articles 
which  are  imported  will  not  be  applied  to  any  other  use  than  that 
indicated. 

Articles  which  the  National  Government  shall  introduce  and 
those  for  the  exclusive  personal  use  of  the  President  of  the  Repu- 
blic and  diplomatic  agents  accredited  in  this  republic. 

Tools  and  supplies  for  printshop,  bookbinding,  paper  ruling, 
lithography  photo  engraving,  zinc  plate  engraving  and  ink  and 
paper  for  newspapers  and  printed  books. 

Drains  and  other  materials  destined  for  aqueducts  and  sewage 
works  of  public  use. 

Books,  newspapers  and  printed  matters  v/hich  come  by  means 
of  the  post  office. 

Samples,  advertisements,  almanacs  and  other  printed  matter 
without  commercial  value. 

Scientific  instruments  when  they  are  for  the  sole  use  of  those 
who  import  them  and  are  not  in  any  case  for  specualtion.  Machi- 
nery, wheat  and  prime  materials  for  the  manufacture  of  flour. 

Articles,  which  the  American  government  shall  introduce  in 
accordance  with  the  treaty  of  November  18th,  1903. 


152 

Articles  exempt  from  payment  of  duty  in  virtue  of  contracts 
celebrated  with  the  government;  but  the  orders  for  these  articles 
should  first  be  submitted  to  the  Secreatary  of  Hacienda,  for  consi- 
deration who  shall  be  persuaded  that  these  correspond  to  the  neces- 
sities of  the  firm  asking  them  and  shall  cause  them  to  be  examin- 
ed on  arrival  in  order  to  see  that  they  are  not  others  than  those  ar- 
ranged for. 

Passengers  baggage:   By  baggage  is  understood: 

a)  The  objects  which  a  traveller  may  bring  with  him  for  this 
personal  use  in  the  ship  in  which  he  arrives,  linen  ,shoes,  jewellery, 
bed,  arms  and  instruments  and  tools  of  his  profession  with  a  total 
wieght  up  to  150  kilos. 

b)  Objects  already  used  which  inmigrants  may  bring  besides 
baggage  such  as  the  furnishings  of  a  house  and  similar  objects  are 
free  of  duty,  except  articles  of  commerce. 

In  order  to  enjoy  this  exemption  the  immigrant  must  present 
a  certificate  from  a  consul  in  which  it  is  stated  that  he  has  been 
living  in  a  foreign  country  and  has  come  to  establish  himself  in 
this.  A  consular  invoice  should  be  attached  to  this  detailing  the 
effects  in  the  previous  paragraph. 

The  baggage  of  liric,  dram  tic,  equestrian  or  other  travelling  com- 
panies, 

Scientific  collections  of  Natural  History,  coin  collections  and 
antiquities  and  objects  of  art  generally  destined  for  public  exhi- 
bitions and  forcing  merchandise  destined  to  industrial  exhibitions 
which  will  be  held  in  this  country. 

These  franks  will  not  be  conceded  unless  the  party  interested 
deposits  the  value  of  the  duties  which  the  mentioned  articles  may 
cause  or  gives  bond  for  the  same  in  due  form. 

The  amount  of  said  duties  shall  enter  the  Public  Treasury  defi- 
nitely if  within  the  stipulated  time,  which  may  be  prorogued  rea- 
sonably, said  objects  are  not  re-embarked  integrally  and  it  can 
be  proved  that  they  have  disappeared  through  use  of  death,  ac- 
cording to  their  nature. 

Article  7.  All  merchandise  and  articles  of  commerce  not  spe- 
cified in  the  first  or  third  classes  belong  to  the  second  class  and  are 


153 

divided  into  two  groups;  Group  A,  which  pays  10  per  cent  ad  va- 
lorem and  Group  B,  which  pays  20  per  cent  ad  valorem  also. 

Rice,  flour,  beans,  alfalfa,  brans,  pottages,  potetoes,  onions  and 
all  kinds  of  vegetables,  olive  oil,  condensed  milk  not  skimmed; 
petroleum  of  150  degrees,  gasoline,  cement,  barbed  wire  for  fenc- 
ing, hachets,  machetes,  and  other  tools  for  laborers,  books  and  print- 
ed matter  which  do  not  come  by  postal  routes,  jute  and  hemp  eloth 
for  sacks  and  bags. 

Articles  or  effects  of  any  class  which  enter  into  the  manufacture 
of  other  such  prime  meterials  are  exonerated  will  also  pay  10  per 
cent  ad  valorem  if  they  are  not  included  in  a  special  tariff. 

All  other  articles  belong  to  Group  B. 

Article  8.  The  increase  of  20%  which  is  mentioned  in  the  pre- 
ceding paragraph  will  not  be  put  into  effect  without  taking  into 
consideration  article  11  of  the  Constitution  and  after  having  ar- 
rived at  an  arrangement  with  United  States  Government  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  Taft  Agreement. 

Article  9.     The  following  belong  to  the  third  class: 

Common  liquors,  alcohol,  distilled  liquors,  bay-rum,  wines,  beers, 
fermented  liquids,  soda  water,  lemonades  and  gaseous  drinks, 
sirops,  bitters,  elixirs  and  appetisers,  essences  for  making  liquors, 
articles  graded  for  protection  to  the  national  industries  and  the 
baggage  of  passengers  when  their  wieght  exceeds  that  established 
in  this  tariff. 

For  thse  articles  the  following  duties  shall  be  paid : 

For  each  liter  of  liquor  and  its  parts  up  to  21  degrees  by  the 
Cartier  aerometer,  such  as  Rum,  Brandy,  Gin,  Whisky,  Anisado 
(refined  or  not)  Rosoii,  Naranjito  and  others B.  1.50 

For  each  liter  of  aguardiente  or  liquor  from  21  degrees  to  42 
prepared  in  the  form  of  Chartreuse,  Creme  de  Cacao,  Peppermint 

Father  Kerman,  Kummel,  Absinthe,  etc B.  2.00 

For  each  liter  of  aguardiente  or  liquor  not  prepared  or 

more B.  2.00 

For  each  liter  of  condensed  liquor  or  essence  for  the  man- 
ufacture of  liquors 5.00 

For  each  liter  of  bitters  or  aggetisers  such  as  Angostura 

bitters,  Fernet,  Branca,  Coca,  etc 1.00 


154 

For  each  liter  of  table  wine,  white  or  red 0.10 

For  each  liter  of  ordinary  such  as  Vermouth,  Port,  Malaga, 
Moscatel,  Jerez,  (with  or  without  quinine)  Pajarete, 
Madeira,  Angelica  de  Consagrar  or  other  similar  ones.  0.20 

For  each  liter  of  Champagne 1.50 

For  each  liter  of  cider  or  sparkling  wine 0.50 

For  each  liter  of  beer 0.15 

For  aerated  waters,  elixirs,  patent  medicinal  wines  when 
they  come  in  packages  and  with  the  usual  receipts 

of  drug  stores,  25%  ad  valorem 

For  each  liter  of  Ginger  Ale,  Kola  Champagne  and  simi- 
lar drinks 0.20 

For  each  liter  of  Cocktail,  T  Cocktail,  Pope  Rum,  Gallo, 

Ron  Crema,  Ponche  Crema,  etc 0.40 

For  each  liter  of  wines  or  cordials  of  Kola  or  fruits  such 

as  cherries,  etc 0.40 

For  each  liter  of  essences  for  the  manufacutre  fo  perfumes       2.00 
For  each  head  of  vacine  cattle  which  shall  be  introduced, 
live  or  dead  for  consumption,  for  those  which  are  im- 
ported for  fattening  and  those  which  are  not  intend- 
ing for  the  betterment  of  the  breed 20.00 

For  an  ox,  when  introduced  cut,  four  parts  are  understood 
if  the  introduction  is  made  in  less  than  fourths,  400 
pounds  is  to  be  taken  as  the  base  of  the  calculation 
for  the  collection  of  the  duty. 
For  every  kilogram  of  ordinary  soap,  white  yellow  or  mottled       0.07 

For  scented,  soaps,  fine,  35%  ad  valorem 

For  each  kilogram  of  stearine  candles 0.07 

For  each  kilogram  of  coffee  in  grain,  raw,  roasted  or  miled       0.10 

For  every  ten  kilograms  of  common  salt 0.25 

For  every  ten  kilograms  of  refined  sugar,  all  domestic 

sugars  being  included  in  this  class 0.25 

For  every  kilogram  of  honey,  cane  sweet,  sweet  paste  with 
paste  with  the  name  of  raw  sugar  or  any  other  name 
under  which  may  be  introduced  including  white  sugar 
when  introduced  for  the  manufacture  or  distillation 
of  aguardiente  or  alcohol,  it  will  pay 0.06 


155 

For  every  kilogram  of  tobacco  in  cigar  cut  or  rolled 2.00 

For  each  kilogram  of  tabocco  in  leaf  or  pressed  in  tablets 

for  smoking  or  chewing 0.75 

For  every  kilogram  of  cigarettes 1.50 

For  every  kilogram  of  wax  matches 0.50 

For  every  kilogram  of  wooden  matches 0.15 

The  collection  of  the  duty  on  tobacco  and  matches  shall 
be  made  on  the  wieght  resulting  from  the  deduction 
of  the  wooden  boxes  or  metal  cases  which  cover  the 
merchandise  outside. 
For  every  liter  of  Bay  Rum 0.20 

Article  10.     The  following  belong  to  the  fourth  class. 

Opium,  with  the  exception  of  that  used  in  medicene,  which 
orders  must  be  made  with  the  permission  of  the  Secretary  of 
Hacienda.  Any  quantity  which  is  introduced  without  the  permis- 
sion of  that  official  will  be  seized  by  the  Government. 

Arms  and  elements  of  war. 

False  or  base  money  and  instruments  or  apparatus  which  may 
be  brought  in  for  coining  money  without  express  legal  authority. 

Sparkling  wines  with  the  name  of  Champagne. 

Article  11.  The  duty  of  10  per  cent  and  that  of  20  per  cent 
to  which  merchandise  of  the  second  class  is  subject  will  be  collect- 
ed on  the  values  expressed  in  the  consular  invoices,  viseed  by  of- 
ficial valuers  or  on  the  value  which  these  fix  when  they  consider 
that  the  invoice  price  is  not  in  accordance  with  the  merchandise 
in  the  time  and  port  of  embarkation. 

All  declarations  will  be  made  therefore  based  on  the  consular 
invoice  viseed  by  the  official  valuer  or  on  a  valuation  made  by  him. 

Article  12.  The  introducer  of  the  articles  who  has  paid  the 
tax  which  this  law  provided  has  the  right  to  demand  the  return 
of  a  proportional  part  if  he  can  prove  satisfactorily  to  the  Secret- 
ary of  Hacienda  and  Tresaury  with  a  certificate  from  the  chief 
of  the  Customs  and  other  documents  which  may  be  necessary, 
that  for  some  reason  these  articles  have  decreased  in  quantity,  by 
robbery,  by  breaking,  decomposition  or  if  for  any  other  motive 
they  are  not  complete. 


156 

Article  13.  When  merchandise,  liquors  or  articles  of  any  class 
are  re-exported  within  six  months  of  their  introduction  into  the 
Republic  and  by  the  sale  of  these  articles  to  ships  which  pass  the 
canal  at  any  time  the  merchant  shall  be  returned  95  %  of  the  duty 
which  he  paid  at  the  time  of  the  importation. 

Article  14.  Import  duties  will  not  be  returned  when  the  re- 
exportation is  made  six  months  after  the  importation  or  when  the 
value  of  the  articles  re-exported  is  less  than  fifty  balboas. 

Article  15.  In  order  to  re-export  the  interested  party  should 
ask  the  Treasurer  General  of  Republic  or  the  Administrator  of 
Hacienda  for  the  permission  with  the  proval  of  the  Secretary  of 
Hacienda  or  the  Governor  as  the  case  may  be. 

Article.  16  When  the  permission  is  given,  if  there  has  been 
nothing  inconvenient,  advise  must  be  given  to  the  Inspector  of 
the  Port  and  the  ambarkation  of  the  merchandise  must  be  made 
in  his  presence  or  that  of  one  of  his  subalterns  or  of  an  employee  of 
the  office  of  Hacienda  which  gave  the  permission. 

Article  17.  The  Treasurer  General  or  the  administrators  of 
Hacienda,  as  it  may  be,  will  extend  a  guide  with  the  details  of  the 
merchandise  or  articles  which  are  to  be  re  exported  showing  their 
procedence,  date  of  importation,  in  what  ship,  and  name  of  the 
captain,  and  express  the  port  of  destination  the  consignee,  the 
number  of  packages,  contents,  value,  marks,  name  of  shipper 
and  of  the  person  responsible  for  the  exportation,  name  of  the 
ship  and  captain. 

This  document  should  be  signed  by  the  consignee  at  the  port 
of  destination  and  the  Consul  or  Consular  Agent  of  the  Republic 
of  Panama  shall  authenticate  the  signature. 

The  Treasurer  General  in  Panama  and  the  Administrators  of 
Hacienda  in  Colon  and  Bocas  del  Toro,  as  the  case  may  be,  shall 
indicate  the  exporter  the  time  in  which  such  documents  should  be 
returned  taking  into  account  the  distance  of  the  place  to  which 
the  embarkation  is  being  made. 

Article  18.  The  Consuls  and  Consular  Agents  of  the  Republic 
shall  collect  for  the  National  Treasury  one  dollar  for  the  authentica- 
tion of  each  signature. 

Article  19.     To  obtain  the  return  of  the  95%  of  the  duties  treat- 


157 

ed  of  in  Article  13,  an  account  must  be  presented  against  the  Na- 
tional Treasury  for  the  sum  of  said  duties.  The  account  must  be 
vouched  for  with  the  previous  receipts  for  import  duties  and  with 
the  custom  house  receipt  spoken  of  in  Article  17.  This  account 
will  be  passed  upon  by  the  inspector  of  the  port  and  in  Panama 
the  payment  will  be  ordered  by  the  Secretary  of  Hacienda  and 
Treasury  or  the  Governors  of  Colon  or  Bocas  del  Toro. 

Article  20.  In  case  it  shall  become  a  well  known  public  fact 
that  the  vessel  in  which  the  reembarkation  is  made  has  sunk  and 
that  the  merchandise  has  been  lost,  the  95%  will  be  returned.  The 
loss  or  sinking  shall  be  proven  with  the  testimony  of  three  com- 
petent witnesses. 

Article  21.  If  the  merchandise  for  which  permission  to  reex- 
port has  been  asked  are  once  more  returned  to  the  Republic,  new 
import  duties  must  be  paid,  except  in  case  of  force  of  circums- 
tances. If  it  is  discovered  that  malicious  intent  in  asking  permis- 
sion to  re-export  merchandise,  covering  the  proposition  to  fraudent- 
ly  obtain  the  return  of  the  duties,  the  merchandise  will  be  confiscat- 
ed and  a  fine  of  double  the  value  of  them  will  be  levied  on  the  person 
seeking  permission  for  their  re-exportation. 

Article  22.  Merchandise  which  arrives  on  the  Isthmus  under 
direct  consignment  for  abroad  is  not  subject  to  the  payment  of 
commercial  tax.  Outside  of  these  only  the  following  will  be  consi- 
dered in  transit  for  the  exemption  of  the  payment  of  duty,  those 
articles  which  arrive  to  persons  or  merchants  established  in  ports 
of  the  Republic  to  be  sent  to  other  countries  immediately  after 
having  arrived  when  they  have  come  under  these  conditions. 

Article  23.  In  the  cases  provided  for  in  the  preceding  article 
the  consignee  of  the  effects  will  give  immediate  advice  of  the  ar- 
rival of  the  goods  and  at  the  same  solicit  the  permission  for  their 
embarkation  accompanying  this  with  the  consular  documents 
which  show  that  the  goods  have  come  in  transit.  When  the  per- 
mission is  given,  the  value  of  the  duties  shall  be  deposited  in  the 
Treasury  of  the  Republic  by  way  of  bond  and  this  will  be  returned 
on  the  presentation  of  the  customs  house  receipt  that  the  goods 
have  arrived  at  their  destination. 

Article  24.     The  documents  to  effect  the  embarkation  of  mer- 


158 

chandise  in  transit  shall  be  made  in  accordance  with  the  form 
prescribed  in  article  17  of  this  law. 

Article  25.  The  importations  of  straw  hats  which  are  made  in 
the  port  of  Panama  which  for  good  cause  do  not  come  accompanied 
with  consular  documents  are  simply  subject  to  the  payment  of 
the  consular  rights  besides  the  commercial  tax  and  no  declaration 
will  be  accepted  which  tends  to  consider  that  this  merchandise 
is  in  transit. 

Article  26.  The  persons  who  introduce  or  attempt  to  clandes- 
tinely introduce  merchandise  provided  for  under  this  law,  or  who 
present  invoices  or  sworn  statements  in  which  the  value  of  the 
goods  has  been  changed  or  in  which  one  article  has  been  substitut- 
ed for  another,  or  in  any  way  attempt  to  evade  the  payment  of 
the  duties  which  they  should  pay,  or  attempt  to  introduced  or 
trade  with  any  goods  of  prohibited  importation,  shall  be  subjected 
to  the  following  penalties. 

Double  duties,  a  fine  of  five  hundred  balboas  and  the  seizure 
of  the  merchandise. 

Article  27.  The  penalties  provided  for  in  the  foregoing  article 
shall  be  imposed  administratively  by  the  emploeyees  of  the 
collection  of  the  commercial  tax  when  the  fraud  or  attempt  to 
fraud  is  proved  without  any  appeal  except  to  the  Secreary  of  Ha- 
cienda and  Treasury.  Revised  by  the  Suprior  the  papers  created 
by  the  imposition  of  the  penalty  and  hearing  the  complaint  of 
the  person  punished  he  shall  approve,  reform  or  disallow  the  pe- 
nalty. 

Article  28.  The  penalty  of  double  duties  and  proportional  fine 
shall  be  placed  in  all  case  of  fraud  or  attempt  to  defraud.  Besides 
and  also  the  loss  of  the  merchandise  and  the  boat  or  other  vehicle 
in  which  it  is  brought  when  clandestinely  introduced  from  a  dif- 
ferent port  in  accordance  with  the  bill  of  lading  or  for  points  or 
time  distinct  from  those  shown  or  without  the  necessary  documents. 
In  the  cases  of  extraction  embarkation  or  condution  of  foreign 
merchandise  or  in  cases  of  recurrence  or  subordnation,  the  same 
penalty  shall  be  applied. 

Article  31.  All  dispositions  which  conflict  with  the  present 
law  are  revoked. 


159 

Given  in  Panama,  the  twentysecond  day  of  February,  1915. 
The  President. 

GIRO  L.  URRIOLA. 
The  Secretary, 

J.  M.  Fernandez. 


Republic  of  Panama — Executive  National  Power — Panama,  Feb- 
ruary 24th,  1915. 

BELIASRIO  PORRAS. 
Secretary  of  Hacienda  and  Treasury. 

ARISTIDES  ARJONA. 


NOTE:  Articles  29  and  30  of  the  above  law  have  been  suppressed  because  they  have  been 
modified.  The  Consular  fees  are  paid  now  at  the  Treasury  General  in  Panama  City 
and  at  the  Administrations  of  the  Treasury  of  the  ports  of  Colon  and  Bocas  del  Toro, 
at  the  rate  of  9  per  thousand. 


THE  PRINCIPAL  MUNICIPAL  TARIFFS  OF  THE 
CAPITAL 

RESOLUTION  No.  27  OF  1916 

(OF  30th    DECEMBER) 
Regarding  taxes  and  contributions  in  the  District  of  Panama 

The  Municipal  Council  of  Panamd, 
AGREES: 

TRAVELLING  AGENTS 

Article  1.  Agents  of  commercial  houses  and  of  foreign  facto- 
ries who  do  commission  business  in  the  District,  whether  with 
samples  or  without  them  shall  pay  the  sum  of  twenty  five  balboas 
(B.  25)  for  every  time  they  come  from  abroad  unless  their  stay 
shall  be  more  than  thirty  days.  After  this  time  they  shall  pay  an 
equal  sum  for  the  period  to  run.  The  agents  who  come  to  place 
stock  on  foreign  lands  shall  pay  the  same  contribution  and  are 
subject  to  the  same  rules  as  the  other  commission  agents. 

Advertisements  or  announcements. 

Article  2.     Those  who  fix  advertisements  or  announcements  in 
the  kiosks  of  the  city  shall  pay  to  the  Municipality  when  it  enters 
into  possession  of  them,  the  following  tariff: 
For  advertisements  which  occupy  one  eight  of  each 

kiosk .B.       3.00 

For  advertisements  which  occupy  ha^  of  one  eight  of 

each  kiosk 2.00 

For  advertisements  which  occupy  one  quarter  of  each 

kiosk.  1.50 


161 

For  death  notices  or  any  others  which  occupy  less  than 

a  quater  of  one  eight  of  each  kiosk 1.00 

The  payment  of  this  tax  includes  the  fixing  of  the  advertise- 
ments on  all  the  kiosks  of  the  city,  and  advertisements  shall  re- 
main posted  for  seventy  two  hours. 

The  advertisements,  resolutions,  which  are  of  an  official  cha- 
racter shall  not  pay  any  tax  and  shall  remain  fixed  for  the  time 
fixed  by  the  authority  which  orders  the  advertisement. 

For  permanent  advertisements  a  fixed  tariff  shall  be  establised 
which  shall  be  arranged  by  the  president  of  the  Council,  the  Ma- 
yor and  the  Municipal  treasurer. 

.The  Municipal  treasurer  shall  let  out  by  bid  the  running  of  the 
kiosks  which  at  present  exist  in  the  city  for  the  commercial  uses  to 
which  they  are  at  present  put. 

In  the  municipal  offices  a  list  of  charges  shall  be  made  to  serve 
as  a  base  for  this  renting  out. 

The  renting  shall  be  paid  yearly,  subject  to  prorogation  at  the 
option  of  the  Council. 

For  advertising  cards  in  the  street  cars  fifty  cents  will  be  charged 
(B.  0.50.) 

For  posters  which  represent  cinematograph  scenes,  placed  for- 
not  longer  than  three  days,  ten  cents  each  will  be  charged  B.0.10 

For  cards  which  later  may  be  placed  in  the  carriages  of  the  city, 
two  dollars  each  (B.  2.00.) 

A  similar  sum  will  be  collected  for  any  card  placed  on  the  out- 
side of  the  street  cars. 

It  is  understood  that  the  foregoing  tariffs  are  for  advertise- 
ments in  Spanish  and  those  which  are  in  Spanish  and  any  other 
language,  but  those  which  are  in  some  other  language  only  shall 
pay  a  double  rate. 

From  the  date  of  the  effect  of  this  resolution,  the  placing  of 
movable  hoardings  for  posters  is  prohibited  in  public  places  or 
in  common  use  in  the  perimeter  of  the  city  and  the  construction 
and  exploitation  by  private  persons  of  kiosks  and  hoardings  for 
advertisements  or  announcements,  except  in  case  of  an  agreement 
with  the  Municipa.ity. 


162 

LEASING  OF  BEACHES  AND  LANDS 

Article  3.  The  leasing  of  lands  or  municipal  beaches  shall  be 
charged  for  in  conformity  with  the  rules  established  in  the  Reso- 
lution 36  of  1907  and  in  other  cases  the  prices  indicated  in  the  res- 
pective contracts  made  with  legal  formalities. 

SAND,  ROCK  AND  GRAVEL 

Article  5.  For  every  cartload  of  sand  or  gravel  which  is  ex- 
tracted from  the  beaches  of  the  district,  ten  cents  shall  be  paid. 
(B.0.10.) 

For  every  cart  load  of  rock  extracted  from  the  beaches  of  the 
district  (B.  0.20.) 

Stone,  rock  or  gravel  which  is  sold  in  the  city  brought  from  the 
Canal  Zone  shall  pay  the  same  as  though  extracted  from  the 
District  beaches. 

BUILDINGS  AND  REBUILDINGS 

Article  6.  The  buildings  or  rebuildings  which  are  done  in  the 
city  and  its  suburbs  are  subject  to  the  payment  of  five  cents  for 
every  square  meter  of  land  on  which  they  are  constructed  (B.  0.05) . 

Every  fraction  of  a  meter  shall  be  considered  as  a  meter  for 
the  purposes  of  this  tax. 

The  constructions  in  the  Correctional  districts  shall  pay  one 
balboa  (B.  1.00)  and  two  balboas  (B.  2.00)  according  to  whether 
the  house  is  one  story  or  more. 

PAWN  SHOPS 

Article  7.  The  houses  which  are  dedicated  to  the  pawning  of 
objects  of  any  class,  and  also  those  which  buy  jewellery  or  other 
objects  with  an  agreement  of  re-sale,  or  any  other  formula,  shall 
pay  fifty  balboas  (B.  50.00)  or  one  hundred  balboas  (B.  100.00) 
according  to  importance. 

COMMISSION  AGENTS 

Article  8.  Commission  agents  or  agents  of  foreign  houses  or 
factories  who  have  permanent  residence  in  the  district  shall  pay 


163 

from  ten  balboas  (B.  10.00)  to  one  hundred  balboas  (B.  100.00) 
according  to  importance  of  their  business  monthly. 

CIGAR  AND  CIGARRETTE  FACTORIES 

Article  9.  The  cigar  and  cigarette  factories  with  steam  or 
electric  power  shall  pay  from  ten  balboas  (B.  10.00)  to  fifty  bal- 
boas (B.  50.00)  monthly  according  to  class  judging  by  the  import- 
ance of  their  business. 

TOBACCO  FACTORIES 

Article  10.  Tobacco  factories  run  by  steam  or  electricity,  which 
are  employed  in  making  cut  tobacco,  Virginia  tobacco  or  similar 
shall  pay  from  one  hundred  to  five  hundred  balboas  monthly. 

FOOD  PASTE  FACTORIES 

Article  11.  Food  paste  factories  shall  pay  five  balboas  monthly 
each  (B.  5.00). 

FOREIGN  FRUIT  STANDS 

Article  12.  Foreign  fruit  stands  shall  pay  from  one  balboa  to 
five  balboas  each,  monthly. 

PUBLIC  SPECTACLES 

Article  13.  Public  spectacles  which  take  place  in  the  district, 
if  entrance  is  charged  shall  pay  a  tax  as  follows: 

For  each  cinematograph  function,  two  and  a  half  balboas  B.2.50. 

For  each  cinematograph  function  in  which  the  reading  matter 
is  not  in  Sapnish,  five  balboas,  (B.  5.00). 

For  each  cinematograph  function  with  dance,  song  or  other 
diversion  B.  5.00. 

For  each  representation  whether  lyric,  dramtic  or  comedy  from 
five  to  ten  balboas. 

For  each  boxing  match  from  ten  to  one  hundred  balboas. 

For  each  bull  fight  in  which  entrance  has  to  be  paid,  from  twenty 
to  thirty  balboas. 

Relative  to  the  boxing  matches,  the  promoters  must  comply 


164 

with  the  rules  of  Resolution  25  of  1913,  except  that  the  deposit 
of  B.  5.00  mentioned  in  article  8. 

Any  other  spectacle  not  specified  in  this  resolution  shall  pay 
a  tax  to  be  fixed  by  the  Mayor  of  the  district,  the  treasurer  and 
the  keeper  of  the  Municipal  taxes. 

BILLIARD  PARLORS 

Article  14.  Public  billiard  parlors  shall  pay  monthly  tax  of 
five  balboas,  (B.  5.00),  to  ten  balboas,  (B.  10.00)  each. 

PEDDLERS 

Article  15.  The  hawkers  or  peddlers  in  dry  goods  shall  pay 
two  and  a  half  balboas  monthly. 

Those  who  sell  foreign  jewellery  of  silver  or  gold  shall  pay  five 
balboas  monthly. 

Those  who  deal  in  ornaments  which  are  not  of  these  metals, 
even  though  they  contain  pearls  or  precious  stones  shall  pay  one 
balboa  monthly. 

Excluded  from  this  are  fruit  sellers,  sellers  of  hens,  eggs,  coal 
and  other  native  or  manufactured  products  of  the  country  such  as 
sweets  and  bread  in  general. 

SADLE  ANIMALS 

Article  16.  The  owners  of  saddle  animals,  whether  for  private 
use  or  for  rent  shall  pay  a  monthly  tax  of  one  balboa. 

MUSICALS  INSTRUMENTS  AND  PHOTO GRAPHC  APPARATUS 

Article  17.  Music  boxes,  organs  and  travelling  photographic 
apparatus  shall  pay  one  balboa  monthly. 

Article  18.  Music  boxes  with  views  shall  pay  seven  and  a  half 
balboas  monthly. 

LODGING   HOUSES 

Article  19.  Lodging  houses  shall  pay  a  monthly  tax  of  one 
balboa  to  five  balboas. 


165 

CLEANING  AND  PRESSING  ESTABLISHMENTS 

Article  20.  Cleaning  and  pressing  establishments  run  by  steam 
or  electricity  shall  pay  monthly  the  sum  of  ten  to  thirty  balboas. 

Article  21.  Those  operated  by  hand  are  divided  into  two  clas- 
ses: 

The  first  class  which  shall  pay  five  balboas  monthly. 

The  second  class  which  shall  pay  two  and  a  half  balboas  monthly 

Exempt  from  payment  are  those  establishments  which  have 
not  special  places  and  the  laundires  which  carry  out  their  work 
in  the  courtyards,  gardens  and  streams  of  the  district. 

SWEET  MEAT  AND  PASTRY  COOKS 

Each  pastry  shop  established  or  which  shall  be  established  in 
the  city  shall  pay  a  monthly  tax  of  one  balboa  to  five  balboas. 

MINERAL  WATERS 

Article  25.  The  mineral  water  factories  or  any  other  non  al- 
coholic producing  establishment  shall  pay  from  two  and  a  half 
balboas  to  five  balboas  monthly. 

MATCHES 

Article  26.  Match  factories  shall  pay  a  monthly  tax  of  from 
five  to  twenty  five  balboas. 

BREWERIES 

Article  27.  Breweries  of  any  class,  if  not  declared  free  of  taxes 
by  the  National  Government  shall  pay  a  monthly  tax  of  ten  to 
fifty  balboas  according  to  capacity  and  consumption. 

EXPLOSIVES  AND  SIMILAR    MATERIALS 

Article  28.  Factories  of  any  kind  of  explosives  or  similar  ma- 
terials shall  pay  a  tax  of  five  to  twenty  five  balboas  monthly,  ac- 
cording to  the  productional  capacity  of  the  establishment. 

CANDLE   FACTORIES 

Article  29.  Candle  factories,  whether  of  stearine  or  other  subs- 
tance, shall  pay  a  monthly  tax  of  five  to  twenty  five  balboas. 


166 

ICE   PLANTS 

Article  30.  The  artificial  ice  factories  shall  be  taxed  with  a 
monthly  contribution  of  from  five  to  fifty  balboas. 

SOAP  FACTORIES 

Article  31.  Soap  factories  shall  pay  a  monthly  contributions 
of  seven  and  half  balboas. 

BRICKS  AND  TILES 

Article  32.  Brick  and  tile  factories  shall  pay  five  balboas 
monthly. 

ICES    AND  SOLF  DRINKS 

Article  34.  Ice  cream  parlors  and  establishments  where  soft 
drinks  are  sold  shall  pay  from  one  to  five  balboas  monthly. 

HOTELS   AND  RESTAURANTS 

Article  35.  Hotels  and  restaurants  shall  pay:  the  first  from 
seven  a  half  balboas,  to  fifteen  balboas,  and  the  second  from  one 
balboa  to  seven  and  a  half  balboas,  monthly. 

TRUCK  GARDENS 

Truck  gardens  shall  pay,  according  to  importance  from  one  to 
five  balboas  each  montly. 

FOODSTUFFS 

Foodstuffs  imported  from  abroad  for  local  consumption  and 
which  do  not  come  legally  consigned  to  the  orders  of  merchants 
of  this  market  shall  pay  as  follows:  Potatoes,  onions,  peas  and 
beans  of  any  kind  shall  pay  25  cents  for  each  case  or  sack  unless 
its  weight  exceeds  or  reaches  two  hundred  pounds  and  for  each 
case  or  bundle  of  less  than  that  weight,  one  balboa. 

Figs,  twenty  five  cents  per  sack;  raisins,  twelve  and  a  half  cents 
per  sack,  for  each  case;  cabbage  and  cauliflower,  one  cent  each; 
anise  in  berry  for  every  sack  which  does  not  exceed  two  hundred 
pounds,  one  balboa;  apples  and  grapes  25  cents  each;  water  melon, 


167 

five  cents  each;  oranges  over  fifty  in  number,  ten  cents  for  every 
hundred;  pineapples  from  half  a  dozen  upwards,  ten  cents  a  dozen; 
birds  of  any  kind,  fifteen  cents  a  dozen.  Other  unspecified  articles 
shall  pay  according  to  the  concept  of  the  Municipal  treasury. 

SLAUGHTER   HOUSE 

Article  38.  For  every  beef  steer  which  is  brought  into  the  cor- 
ral at  the  salughterhouse  and  is  killed  in  that  place  a  tax  of  one 
balboa  shall  be  paid. 

LICENSES 

Licenses  shall  be  issued  to  the  conductors  of  wheeled  vehicles, 
conductor  or  steers  of  small  boats,  inclusive  of  "panga"  boatmen 
and  messengers. 

The  value  of  each  license  shall  be  half  a  balboa  for  vehicle  con- 
ductors and  for  messengers  one  balboa  counting  from  January 
1st,  to  June  30  and  from  July  1st,  to  December  of  each  year. 

FINES 

Article  40.  The  fines  of  the  correctional  or  urban  police  shall 
enter  the  municipal  treasury.  They  shall  be  imposed  by  the  legal- 
ly authorized  officials. 

PLAYING  CARDS 

The  tax  on  cards  shall  be  ten  cents  of  a  balboa  for  each  pack, 
whether  Spanish  or  English,  of  ordinary  quality  and  twenty  cents 
for  every  pack  either  English  or  Spanish,  of  fine  quality. 

Each  pack  shall  carry  a  seal  with  this  inscription  D.  M.  P.,  and 
shall  be  placed  in  the  Mayor's  office  where  it  shall  be  taken  for 
registry  when  the  interested  party  can  prove  that  he  has  paid 
the  duty. 

BAKERIES 

Article  42.  The  bakeries  established  or  which  shall  be  esta- 
blished in  this  district  shall  pay  a  monthly  tax  of  five  to  twelve 
balboas  according  to  class. 


168 

TRAVELLING  REFRECHMENT  STANDS 

Article  44.  Travelling  refreshment  stands  shall  pay  a  monthly 
tax  of  two  dollars.  Other  articles  sold  in  itinerant  manner  shall  pay 
the  same  tax. 

RAFFLES 

Article  45.  Raffles,  if  their  value  is  not  more  than  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  balboas  shall  pay  ten  per  cent  of  the  value  of  the 
objects  raffled. 

PERSONAL  SUBSIDIARY  SERVICE 

Article  47.  Personal  subsidiary  service  of  the  district  shall  be 
collected  according  to  the  ruling  of  Law  1  of  1915. 

WIEGHTS  AND  MEANURES 

Article  48.  The  weights  and  measures,  scales  and  balances  of 
the  establishements  which  sell  by  wholesale  or  retail  shall  be  veri- 
fied and  sealed  by  the  Municipal  weihgman  by  means  of  a  previous 
payment  of  two  balboas. 

Those  which  use  weights  of  more  than  one  hundred  pounds  shall 
pay  one  a  balboa  and  those  which  use  from  one  to  twenty-five 
pounds,  shall  pay  half  a  balboa. 

Measuring  sets  for  liquors  and  milk  shall  be  verified  and  seal- 
ed by  the  same  employee  by  means  of  a  payment  of  a  tax  of  fifty 
cents. 

DYE  WORKS 

Article  49.  Dye  works  on  general  all  establishments  which 
clean  clothes  shall  pay  from  one  to  five  balboas  monthly. 

AUTOMOBILES 

Article  50.  Automobiles  shall  pay  the  following  monthly 
contributions :  Those  for  private  use  shall  pay  six  months  in  ad- 
vance, two  balboas  monthly.  Those  five  passenger  cars  which  are 
for  rent  shall  pay  four  balboas  monthly,  six  months  in  advance. 
Seven  passenger  cars  for  hire  shall  pay  five  balboas  monthly  in 


169 

advance,  and  those  which  carry  more  than  ten  persons  shall  pay 
in  advance  the  sum  of  ten  dollars,  six  months  in  advance. 

Automobiles  used  for  cargo  shall  pay  in  according  to  their  capa- 
city as  follows :  One  ton  or  less,  four  balboas  amonth ;  from  one  to 
two  tons,  six  balboas  monthly;  from  two  tons  to  three,  eight  balboas 
monthly. 

When  the  cargo  automobiles  are  for  private  use  they  shall  pay 
in  accordance  with  their  capacity  as  follows :  Those  of  one  ton  or 
less,  two  balboas  monthly;  those  of  more  than  one  ton  up  to  two, 
three  balboas  monthly;  from  two  to  three  tons,  four  balboas  month- 

ly. 

Automobiles  belonging  to  private  persons  in  the  Canal  Zone 
shall  pay  in  advance  one  balboa  yearly. 

Automobiles  for  rent,  belonging  to  persons  in  the  Canal  Zone 
shall  pay  annually  in  advance  the  sum  of  twelve  and  a  half  balboas. 

Cargo  automobiles  from  the  Canal  Zone  shall  pay  yearly  in 
advance,  fifteen  balboas. 

Only  the  automobiles  for  private  use  whose  owners  are  emplye- 
es  of  the  American  Government,  although  they  are  working  in 
Panama,  shall  pay  the  tariff  above  stated  for  Canal  Zone  auto- 
mobiles. 

All  the  owners  of  garages  established  in  the  district  are  under 
obligation  to  send  to  the  Municipal  Treasury,  between  the  first 
and  fifth  of  each  month,  a  detailed  list  of  the  automobiles  which 
their  respective  garages  contain,  giving  the  make  of  car,  number 
or  numbers  of  badges  carried,  factory  number  of  the  car  and  the 
name  of  its  proprietor.  Infraction  of  this  order  will  be  punished 
with  a  fine  of  ten  balboas  for  the  first  offense  and  twenty  balboas 
for  succeeding  ones. 

In  the  case  of  discussion  or  claim  regarding  the  capacity  of  any 
vehicle  to  which  this  article  refers,  it  shall  be  submitted  to  a  com- 
mission composed  of  the  Municpal  treasurer,  the  engineer  in  chief 
of  the  Municipal  public  works  and  the  inspector  of  wheeled  vehi- 
cles. The  decisions  of  this  body  shall  be  definite. 

MOTOR  CYCLES 

Article  51.  The  motor  cycles  shall  pay  annually  in  advance, 
six  balboas. 


170 

Motor  cycles  belonging  to  the  Canal  Zone  shall  pay  annually 
in  advance,  one  balboa. 

The  motor  cycles  belonging  to  employees  of  the  American  govern- 
ment, even  if  in  Panama,  shall  pay  the  same  tariff  as  those  owners 
on  the  Canal  Zone. 

OMMNIBI,  COACHES,  BUGYS,  CARTS  AND  TRUCKS 

Article  52.  Private  coaches  shall  pay  one  balboa  and  a  half 
monthly. 

Coaches  for  hire  shall  pay  three  balboas  monthly. 

Ommnibi  for  hire  shall  pay  four  balboas  monthly. 

Buggys  and  carts  for  commercial  purposes  shall  pay  one  balboa 
monthly 

Buggys  and  carts  for  private  use  shall  pay  fifty  cents  of  a  bal- 
boa monthly. 

Two  wheeled  carts  for  hire  shall  pay  two  balboas  monthly. 

Large  four  wheeled  carts  for  hire  shall  pay  four  balboas  monthly. 

Small  four  wheeled  carts  for  hire  shall  pay  two  balboas  monthly. 

Private  carts  with  two  wheels  shall  pay  one  balboa  monthly. 

Large  private  carts  with  four  wheels  shall  pay  two  balboas 
monthly. 

Small  private  carts  with  four  wheels  shall  pay  one  balboa 
monthly. 

HAND  CARTS 

Article  53.     Hand  carts  shall  pay  one  balboa  monthly. 

BICYCLES 

Bicycles  shall  pay  monthly  a  tax  of  fifty  cents  each. 

Establishments  which  have  the  renting  of  bicycles  as  a  business 
shall  pay  the  same  monthly  tax  with  a  discount  of  25%  if  the  num 
ber  of  vehicles  is  more  than  fifteen. 

FUNERAL  CARS 

Article  55.     Funeral  cars  of  the  first  class  shall  pay  five  bal- 
boas monthly. 
Funeral  cars  of  the  second  calss  shall  pay  four  balboas  monthly. 


171 

Funeral  cars  of  the  third  class  shall  pay  two  balboas  monthly. 

Children  funeral  cars  shall  pay  two  balboas  monthly. 

Article  56.  All  drivers  of  wheeled  vehicles  of  any  class  must 
carry  a  numbered  badge  which  they  will  buy  in  the  Municipal 
Treasury  for  one  balboa. 

All  vehicles  must  carry  a  number  plate  in  a  visible  spot  with  a 
number. 

This  is  to  be  bought  in  the  Municipal  treasury  for  one  balboa. 

Both  coaches  and  automobiles  which  use  the  streets  after  ten 
o'clock  at  night  must  pay:  ten  cents,  the  first,  and  twenty  five 
cents,  the  second. 

Article  57.  Vehicles  in  the  service  of  the  Republic,  the  Province 
or  the  Municipality  are  exempt  as  are  those  belonging  to  foreign  or 
native  undertakings  which  have  also  received  a  special  contract. 

AUCTIONS 

Article  58.  Auctions  shall  pay  as  tax,  one  per  cent  of  the  total 
value  of  the  effects  and  the  persons  who  fill  this  office  shall  send 
the  sum  to  the  Municipal  treasury,  the  following  day  after  the 
sale,  in  accordance  with  the  sales  book  which  they  are  obliged  to 
present  each  time  to  the  Treasury. 

The  omission  of  any  of  the  articles  sold  in  the  book,  will  cause 
a  fine  of  twelve  and  half  balboas,  and  also  the  payment  of  the  tax 
on  the  article  omitted. 

PIGSTYES  AND  GOAT  PENS 

The  tax  on  hog  raising  in  this  city  is  as  follows :  for  the  import 
of  each  head  of  hogs  boar  or  sow,  ten  cents  of  a  balboa.  For  the 
ringing  of  the  same  one  and  one  quarter  cents.  For  killing,  clean- 
ing and  conduct  of  goats  to  the  public  market,  twenty  five  cents. 
For  killing,  cleaning  and  conduction  of  hogs  to  the  public  market, 
one  balboa.  For  the  killing,  cleaning  and  conduction  of  sheep  to 
the  public  market,  fifty  cents. 

FIRE  ARMS 

Article.  60  Permission  to  carry  fire  arms  is  subject  to  the  fol- 
lowing tariff:  for  hunting  weapons  of  any  class,  five  balboas  per 
year. 


172 

This  contribution  is  paid  for  one  year  in  advance  and  employees 
of  command  and  jurisdiction  are  exempt. 

The  Mayor's  office  of  the  district  shall  keep  a  special  register 
giving  the  name  of  the  owner  of  the  arm,  class  of  weapon  and 
other  details  which  the  Mayor  may  think  convenient,  so  that  light 
may  be  shed  if  any  criminal  attempt  is  made.  The  Mayor  shall 
fine  those  who  are  found  carrying  arms  without  permission,  with- 
out prejudice  to  their  payment  of  the  above  tax. 

STRAY  ANIMALS 

Article  61.  For  the  catching  of  horses,  mules  or  cattle  which 
are  stray  in  this  district  and  which  shall  be  conducted  to  the  pound, 
fifty  cents  per  head  shall  be  collected. 

For  the  catching  of  hogs,  goats,  sheep  and  dogs,  twenty  five 
cents  a  head  shall  be  paid. 

The  food  of  the  animal  according  to  its  class  will  also  be  collect- 
ed in  accordance  with  a  tariff  of  the  Municipal  Treasurer. 

Article  63.  All  monthly  payments  must  be  paid  in  the  office 
of  the  district  treasurer  in  the  first  ten  days  of  each  month.  After 
this  date  a  surcharge  of  twenty  five  per  cent  on  the  value  of  the 
contribution  will  be  levied  and  the  Treasurer  may  take  action  with- 
in the  law. 

For  wheeled  vehicles  the  date  of  payment  will  be  up  to  the  tenth 
of  each  month,  after  this  date  they  will  be  subject  to  50%  super- 
charge as  fixed  in  the  resolution  29  of  1909.  In  the  word  monthly, 
it  is  understood  the  present  month. 

Article  64.  This  resolution  commences  to  be  in  force  with  its 
sanction  and  cancells  all  dispositions  contrary  to  it.  Given  in 
Panama,  December  29  th.  1916. 

President. 

E.  T.  LEFEVRE. 
Secretary, 

L.  P.  Antepara. 


173 

Municipal  Mayor's  office — Panama,  Dedember  30th,  1916. 
Approved:   Publish  and  comply  with  it. 
The  Mayor 

EDUARDO  F.  DE  IA  GUARDIA. 
Secretary. 

Pedro  J.  de  Ycaza  M. 


TARIFFS  OF  MAIL 

FORKING  SERVICE 

Letters,  5  cents  for  the  first  20  grammes  and  three  cents  for 
every  20  grammes  additional,  or  fraction  thereof. 
Postcards,  two  cents. 

Printed  Matter,,  one  cent  for  every  50  grammes  or  part  thereof. 

Business  papers,  one  cent  for  every  50  grammes  or  part  thereof; 
but  never  less  than  5  cents  for  fifty  grammes. 

Samples  of  no  value,  one  cent  for  every  50  grammes  or  part, 
but  not  less  than  2  cents  per  packet  and  no  more  than  350  grammes. 

INTERIOR  SERVICE,  CANAL  ZONE  AND  UNITED  STATES 

Letters,  two  cents  for  every  20  grammes  or  part  thereof. 

Postcards,  one  cent  a  piece. 

Printed  matter,  papers  or  commercial  samples,  half  a  cent  for 
every  50  grammes  or  part  thereof,  but  the  least  collected  is  two 
and  a  half  cents  for  business  papers  and  one  cent  for  samples 
without  value. 

REGISTRED  MAIL 

For  the  interior  and  for  the  Canal  Zone,  10  cents  for  the  first 
460  grammes  and  two  and  a  half  cents  for  every  460  grammes  or 
fraction  thereof. 

For  the  United  States,  Costa  Rica,  Nicaragua  and  Venezuela, 
12  cents  for  every  460  grammes  or  part  thereof. 

Argentine,  28  cents  per  kilo  or  part  thereof. 

Spain,  from  one  to  five  kilos,  60  cents. 

France,  from  one  to  five  kilos,  55  cents. 


175 

Italy,  from  one  to  five  kilos,  60  cents. 

Germany  up  to  one  kilo,  55  cents,  more  than  one  kilo  up  to 
five  kilos,  50  cents. 

England,  up  to  one  kilo  55  cents,  more  than  one  kilo  up  to  three 
kilos,  75  cents. 

Denmark,  up  to  one  kilo,  55  cents;  more  than  one  and  up  to 
five  kilos,  65  cents. 

PROPERTY  TAX 

In  the  city  of  Panama  the  houses  pay  an  annual  tax  of  three 
per  cent  on  the  rent  produced;  in  the  city  of  Colon  two  and  a 
half  per  cent  and  in  the  rest  of  the  Republic  three  and  a  half 
per  cent. 

For  buildings  lots,  in  the  cities  of  Panama,  Colon  and  Bocas  del 
Toro,  the  taxes  are  divided  into  four  categories  as  follows:  First 
class,  4  cents  per  square  meter;  second  class  2  cents;  third  class 
one  cent,  and  fourth  class  half  a  cent. 

For  uncultivated  land,  with  property  title,  5  cents  per  hectare, 
for  wild  land  without  title,  10  cents  per  hectare,  and  for  cultivat- 
ed land  of  any  kind  15  cents.  Land  sown  in  cocoa,  sugar  cane, 
coffee,  vanilla,  cacao,  and  rubber  pay  no  taxes. 

For  cattle  horses  and  mules  seven  and  a  half  cents  is  the  yearly 
tax.  Cattle  which  are  used  for  working  purposes  pay  no  taxes, 
and  neither  do  hogs,  goats  and  sheeps. 


NATIONAL  NAVIGATION  COMPANY 

FREIGHT  TARIFF 

General  merchandise  and  furniture  not  included  in  above  tariff 
at  usual  prices. 

Note:   Prices  for  Chitre  alone. 

QUANTITI          BALBOAS 

Rice  and  Maiz 100  pounds  0.15 

Foodstuff "         "  0.15 

Coconuts  with  shells 1  thousand  5.00 

"       without  shells 1  thousand  4.00 

Wood 500  feet  3.75 

Bricks,  heaped 10,000  5.00 

"    double 10,000  7.50 

PASSAGE  TARIFF 


Panama  to  New  Gorgona 

1st.  Class 

B.  2.00 

2nd.  Class 

B    1  50 

"   San  Carlos.... 

B.  250 

B.  1.50 

"  Port  Obaldia  

3.00 

2.00 

"  Port  Posada  

4.00 

2.50 

Aguadulce 

4  00 

2  50 

"  Chitre  

4.50 

3.00 

"         "  MensabS  

5.00 

3.00 

"       "  Puerto  Mutis  

10.00 

7.50 

"       "  Sona. 

11.00 

5.00 

"  Bucaro  

10.00 

7.50 

"       "  Remedies  

17.50 

6.00 

"       "   Pedregal 

17  50 

6.00 

Pedregal  Suite  B.  22.50  one  way  and  return  .  .  . 
Capira,  Chame  and  Chorrera.  adults  .  . 

30.00 
2.00 

177 

Children  over  6  years B.    2,00 

Children  from  3  to  6  years 1.00 

Others  (one  to  each  f amilily)  free 

Chorrera,  Adulto  and  children  over  6  years 1.00 

Children  from  3  to  6  years .50 

Younger  (one  to  each  family)  free 

Taboga,  adults 0.60 

Children  over  6  years 0.60 

Children  from  3  to  6  years 0.25 

Others  (one  to  each  family)  free 

FREIGHT  RATES  OF  HALPHEN  AND  COMPANY 

First  Class  Passage  to  Pedregal B.    12.50 

Second  Class  Passage  to  Pedregal 5.00 

Freight  to  Pedregal  per  ton 4.00 

"        to  Remedies  per  ton 8.00 


178 


NATIONAL  NAVIGATION  COMPANY 


CLASS  0*  GOODS 

DARIEN    BUCARO    REMEDIO8     PEDREGAL 

HUTIS  Y  PTO. 
SONA   POSADA,  AGUA- 

DULCE  Y  CHITRE 

Steers,  each  

B.  5.00  B.  4.00  B.  4.00         B.5.00 

B.3.00     B. 

2.00 

Cows  

6.00        5.00        5.00 

5.00 

4.00 

2.50 

Horses,  mules,  etc.,  

5.00        5.00        5.00 

5.00 

3.50 

2.50 

Goats,  each  

1.50        1.50        1.50 

1.00 

1.00 

1.00 

Deer       "    

1.00        1.00        1.00 

0.75 

0.75 

0.75 

Goats  

1.00        1.00        1.00 

0.75 

0.75 

0.75 

Dogs  (leashed)  

1.00        1.00        1.00 

1.00 

1.00 

1.00 

Monkeys,  each  

1.00        1.00        1.00 

1.00 

0.75 

0.75 

Fine  cocks  

0.50        0.50        0.50 

0.50 

0.50 

0.50 

Ordinary  poultry  

0.10        0.10        0.10 

0.10 

0.10 

0.10 

Chicken  

0.07)4    0.07)4    0.07)3 

0.07)4 

0.05 

0.05 

per  100  pounds  

0.50        0.50        0.50 

0.50 

0.50 

0.50 

Hides          •  "            ""      

0.50        0.50        0.50 

0.50 

0.50 

0.50 

Ordinary  hats  

0.50        0.50        0.50 

0.50 

0.50 

0.50 

Rubber,  per  100  pounds  

0.40        0.40        0.40 

0.50 

0.50 

0.50 

Powder,     "     "         "      

1.50        1.50        1.50 

1.25 

1.25 

1.25 

Rice  and  corn  

0.25        0.25        0.25 

0.20 

0.20 

0.20 

Foodstuff,  etc  

0.25        0.25        0.25 

0.20 

0.20 

0.20 

Cocoanuts  in  shelll   per  1,000 

6.00        6.00        6.00 

6.00 

6.00 

6.00 

Cocoanuts  shelled      "     " 

5.00        5.00        5.00 

5.00 

5.00 

5.00 

Bricks    in  heaps  of   1,000.  .  .  . 

4.00        4.00        4.00 

4.00 

4.00 

7.50 

Bricks  by  double,  1,000  

5.00        5.00        5.00 

6.50 

6.50 

12.50 

Aguardiente  barrels  full  

1.50        1.00        1.00 

1.00 

1.00 

1.00 

Aguardiente  barrels  empty.  .  . 

0.25        0.25        0.25 

0.25 

0.25 

0.25 

Barrels,  to  return  empty  

1.75        1.25        1.25 

1.25 

1.25 

1.25 

Full  demijohns  

0.50        0.50        0.50 

0.50 

0.50 

0.20 

Emtpy                     

0.25        0.25        0.25 

0.25 

0.75 

0.10 

Gallons  empty  

0.07>£    0.07)3    0.07)4 

0.07)4 

0.05 

0.05 

Gallons  full  

0.15        0.15        0.15 

0.15 

0.10 

0.10 

Bales  of  4'  which  do  not  wieght  100  Ibs.,  are  charged 

B.  4.00  per  ton  of  40  c. 

Gold  or  silver  in  bars  ; 

%  %  of  its  value. 

Silk,  fine  hats  ate.,  K 

%  ad  valorem. 

Tobacco,  100  pounds  

0.50        0.50        0.50 

0.50 

0.50 

0.50 

Cattle  hides  each  

0.12)4    0.12)4    0.12)4 

0.12)3 

0.12)4 

0.12)4 

Mats  

0.37)4    0.37)4    0.37)4 

0.37)4 

0.37)4 

0.37)4 

Kerosene  cans  of  eggs  

0.20        0.20        0.20 

0.15 

0.15 

0.15 

Eggs  in  ham  cases  

0.10        0.10        0.10 

0.10 

007)3 

0.07)4 

Cases,  tomato  size  

0.12}4    0.12)$    0.12)3 

0.10 

0.10 

0.10 

OFFICIAL  AN°  COMMERCIAL 
-  DIRECTORY  - 


181 
GOVERNMENT  OF  THE  REPUBLIC 

PRINCIPAL  OFFICIALS 
1Q1T 

President  of  the  Republic,  Dr.  Ramon  M.  V  aide's 
First  Vice-President,  Dr.  Giro  L.  Urriola 
Second  Vice-P resident,  Don  Ramon  F.  Acevedo 
Third  Vice-President,  Don  Pedro  A.  Diaz. 
CABINET  MEMBERS: 

Secretary  of  Government  and  Justice,  Dr.  Eusebio  A.  Morales 

Assistant  Secretary,  Don  Julio  Arjona  Q. 

Secretary  of  Foreign  Affairs,  Don  Narciso  Garay 

Assistant  Secretary,  Don  Evenor  Hazera 

Secretary  of  Finance  and  Treasury,  Don  Aurelio  Guardia 

Assistant  Secretary,  Don  Luis  E.  Alfaro 

Secretary  of  Public  Instruction,  Don  Guillermo  Andreve 

Assistant  Secretary,  Don  Cristobal  Rodriguez 

Secretary  of  Public  Works,  Don  Antonio  Aguizola 

Asistant  Secretary,  Dr.  Gil  R.  Ponce. 

Attorney  General  of  the  Republic,  Dr.  F.  Rodriguez  Camarena. 


GOVERNORS  OF  THE  PROVINCES: 

Panama,  Don  Pedro  A.  Diaz 
Colon,  Don  Ramon  L.  Vallarino 
Bocas  del  Toro,  Don  Fabio  Bravo 
Chiriqui,  Don  David  Alvarado 
Code,  Don  Eladio  Guardia 
Veragnas,  Dr.  Milciades  Rodriguez 
Herrera,  Don  Leopoldo  Arosemena 
LOS  Santos,  Don  Justo  P.  Espino. 


Chief  of  the  National  Police,  Don  Santiago  Anguizola. 


General  Administrator  of  Public  Lands,  Dr.  J.  J.  Garcia. 


182 


OF  THE  PANANA  ASSOCIATION  OF 

AND  PRINCIPAL  COMMERCIAL  HOUSES 


PANAMA  CITY 


Banco  Nacional 
Panama  Banking  Company 
International  Banking  Corporation 
Commercial  National  Bank 


ADDRESSES 

6th.  Street 
8th.  Street  No,  11 
Central  Ave.  No.  19 
Cathedral  Park  and  6th  St. 


BANKING    BUSINESS 


The  Maduro  Company 
Antonio  Guerra 


North  Ave.  and  8th.  St.  N9  17 


MONEY     EXCHANGE 


Central  Ave.  N9  8 


IMPORTERS  OF  DRY  GOODS  AND  NOTIONS 


Eisenmann  &  Eleta 
C.  W.  Muller 
Cardoze  &  Pereira 
Heurtematte  &  Co.,  Inc 
The  Maduro  Company 
The  Maduro  Company 
Piza  Piza  &  Co. 
Quelquejeu,  Jimenez  &  Co. 
Cohen,  Acrich  &  Co. 
S.  !„  Toledano  &  Sons 
Maduro  Fidanque  Hnos. 
M.  D.  Cardoze 


Heurtematte  &  Co.,  Inc. 
The  Maduro  Company 
The  Maduro  Company 
F.  C.  Herbruger  &  Co.,  Inc. 
Piza  Piza  &  Co. 
Quelquejeu,  Jimenez  &  Co. 
L,uria  &  Co. 
I<indo  &  Louis 
Maduro,  Fidanque  Hnos. 
S.  I,.  Toledano  &  Sons 
Cohen,  Acrich  &  Co. 
Toledano  &  de  Lemos 


Sing  Kee  &  Co. 
Tay  Hing  &  Co. 
Chong  Kee 
Chong  Tai  &  Co. 
Yit  Sum  &  Co. 


MEN'S     OUTIFTTER3 

•American  Bazaar* 
•La  Mascota. 
•The  Palais  Royal» 
•French  Bazaar* 
•La  Ville  de  Paris. 


•El  Cielo» 

«Au  Bon  Marche. 


•  La  Dalia» 

LADIES    OUTFITTERS 

•French  Bazaar* 
•La  Ville  de  Paris. 


•TheTokio  Bazaar. 


ORIENTAL    GOODS 


Cetitral  AvenueN925 

Central  Avenue  N9  37 

Central  Avenue  and  9th  St  N9  13 

8th.  and  Sosa  Sts.  N9  10 

Central  Avenue  N9  21 

North  Ave.  and  8th  St.  N9  17 

Central  Ave.  and  8th  St.  N9  12 

North  Ave.  N9  24 

Central  Ave.  N9  54 

Central  Avenue 

B  Ave.  and  6th  St.  N9  13 

B  Avenue  and  8th  St.  N9  13 


B  Avenue  and  Sosa  St.  N9  If 

Central  Ave.  N9  21 

North  Ave.  and  8th.  St.  N9  17 

North  Avenue  N9  19 

8th  St.  and  Central  Ave.  N9  12 

North  Ave.  N9  24 

B  Avenue  N9  14 

Central  Ave.  and  9th  St.  N9  8 

B  Avenue  and  6th.  St.  N9  13 

Central  Avenue 

Central  Avenue  N9  54 

Cathedral  Park  N9  28 


13th.  East  St.  N9  11 

13th  East  St.  N9  14 

B  Avenue  and  6th  St.  N9  8 

Central  Avenue  and  H  St.  N?  1 

Central  Ave.  and  21  St.  East  N  9 1 


183 


IMPORTERS  OF  GROCERIES,  PROVISIONS,  LI  IUO3S  AN  GI  NEPAL  MERCHANDISE 


Isnac  Brandon  Bros..  Inc. 

American  Trade  Developing  Co. 

C.  Quelquejeu 

Eduardo  Icaza 

Fidanque  Brothers  £  Sons 

Antonio  Gainbotti 

Nicanor  Villalaz 

Pascal  Canavaggio 

Toledano  &  De  L,emos 

Heurtematte  &  Co.,  Inc. 

Thomas  McNish  &  Co. 

Antonio  Guerra 

A.  Jacobs 

Simons  &  Hart 

Fidanqne  &  Ue  Castro 

Frank  Ulrich 

Fat  &  Co. 

Po  Chong  &  Co 

Kito  Chen 

Yee  Chong  &  Co. 

Kwong  Mee  Ivong  &  Co. 

Tuck  Wo  King  Ivung  Kee  &  Co. 

Hop  Hing  Iyung  I,td. 


ADDRESSES 

8th.  vSt.  N9  9 

Central  Avenue 

Sosaand7th.  St.  N9  9 

A  Avenue  N9  53 

6th.  Street  N9  18 

North  Ave.  and  llth.  St. 

11  Street  N9  123 

Central  Avenue 

Cathedral  Park  N<?  28 

Sosa  and  8th .  St.  N9  1 

Central  Avenue  N9  53 

Central  Ave.  and  8th.  St.  N9  8 

B  Avenue 

Central  Avenue  N9  22 

6th.  Street  N9  19 

B  Street  N9  1 

13th.  East  St.  N95 

North  Ave.  and  13  East  St.  N9  1 

llth.  St.  and  North  Ave.  N9  11 

North  Avenue 

13th.  Kast  St.  N9  10 

13th.  Ea.st  St.  N9  8 

North  Avenue 


GENERAL   HARDWARE,    PAINTS.    BUILDI  iG    MATERIALS    AND    CONTRACTORS'    SUPPLIES 

Emanuel  rayons  Central  Avenue  N9  14 

M.  D.  Cardoze  (Panama  Hardware)  Sosa  Street  N9  4 

Chiari  &  Kohpcke 
Duque  &  Co 


+    Bertoli  Hermanos 

A. Jacobs 
Jose  D.  Rumler 


Central  Avenue  N9  93 

Central  Ave.  and  Arango  Square 

N9  14 
North  Avenue  N9  33 


FEE:D  DEALERS 


B  Avenue 

North  Avenue  N9  60 


STATIONER,    BOOK    SELLERS,    PO3T   CARDS,     NOVELTIES,    i    SOUVENIRS 


Benedetti  Hermanos 
I.  I,.  Maduro,  Jr. 
Vibert  &  Dixon 
Alberto  Undo 
John  G.  Gill  &  Co. 
+     Y.  Preciado  &  Co. 


Central  Avenue  and  3rd  St. 
Central  Ave.  and  5th.  St.  N9  24 
Central  Avenue  No  23 
Central  Avenue  N9  175. 
Central  Avenue  and  H  St.  N9  2 
Central  Avenue  N9  35 


Moran  &  Ford 

Scadron  Optical  Company 

H.  Wilmson 


Benedetti  Hermanos 
Manuel  Espino-a  B. 
J.  Van  der  Hans  &  Co. 
O.  Chapman 
+    F.  Bertoli 


•  RUGGISTS 

•TyH  Union* 
•  Farmacia  Central* 
«Botica  Inglesa* 
«Botica  Nacionalu 


Central  Avenue  and  8th  St.  N9  7 
Central  Avenue  N9  23 
Anc6n  Avenue  N9  100 


Central  Avenue  N9  17 
Avenida  Central  v  Calle  10  N9  4 
Avenida  Central  N9  27 
Central  Avenue  N9  20 


«Botica  Internacional»      Calle  12  Oeste  N9  57 


184 


IMPORTERS   OF  TOBACCO,   CIGARS    AND   CIGARETTES 

ADDRESSES: 


Isaac  Brandon  Bros.,  Inc. 

Jos£  Pndr6s 

Vibert  &  Dixon 

American  Trnde  Developing-  Co. 

Alberto  Ivindo 

I.  I,.  Maduro,  Jr. 


8th.  Street  N9  9 
Arango  Square  NO  3 
Central  Avenue  N<?  23 
Central  Avenue 
Central  Avenue  N9  175 
Central  Avenue  N<?  161 


LUMBER    DEALERS    AND    BUILDING    MATERIALS 


C.  Quelquejeu 

Robert  Wilcox 

American  Trade  Developing:  Co. 

A.  B.  de  O'^arrio 

Juan  de  la  Guardia 

Duque  &  Co. 


Delvalle  Henrlquez  &  Co. 

Thomas  McNish  &  Co. 

Justo  Arosemena 

P.  Canavagifio 

The  Panama  Coca-Cola  Bottling: 

Co.  Inc. 
The  Cement  Tile  Co. 


R.  lyince  A  Co, 

I .  I,.  Maduro  Jr. 

Eisenman  y  Eleta 

C.  W.  Muller 

The  Maduro  Company 

The  Maduro  Company 


Thomas  McNish  &  Co. 
Simons  &  Hart 


The  I^evy  Furniture  Co.,  Inc. 
Guillermo  Cowes 
R.  Pulignani 


Central  Avenue  N9  96  A. 
North  Avenue  (P.  R.  R.  Yard) 
Central  Avenue 

Herrera  Square  and  9th  St  N9  11 
North  Ave.  and  15  East  St.  N9  65 
Norh  Avenue  (P.  R.  R.  Yard; 


MANUFACTURERS 


«Suj?ar  Mill  Sta.  Rosa* 


9th.  Street  N9  14 


Aerated  waters  and  ice  I  Street  N9  20 

Iyiquors  Calidonia  N9  42 

Aerated  waters  and  liquors  Central  Avenue  N9  102 

Central  Ave.  and  T7th  East 
Aerated  waters  and  liquors       St.  N9  2 
Manufacturers  of  cement 
blocks,  etc.  B.  Street  No  4 


PANAMA    HATS 


•American  Bazaar» 
•I,a  Mascota* 
«Iya  Ville  de  Paris* 


COLO  STORAGE 


FURNITURE     DEALERS 


Central  Avenue  N?  31 
Central  Avenue  Nos.  24  y  161 
Central  Avenue  N<?  25 
Central  Avenue  N9  37 
Central  Avenue  N9  21 
North  Ave.  and  8th  St.  N9  17 


Central  Avenue  N9  53 
Central  Avenue  N9  22 


Central  Avenue  N9  97 
Central  Avenue  N9  28 
Central  Avenue  N9  86 


STEAMSHIP  COMPANIES   AND    AGENCIES 


United  Fruit  Company 
Panama  Agencies 


INSURANCE    COMPANIES 


Compafila  Internacional  de  Sesruros 
Pan- American  I<ife  Insurance  Co. 


(Fire 
(Ufe) 


BREWERIES 

Panama  Brewing  and  Refrigerating;  Co. 


23rd  East  Street 

B  Street  and  A  Street  N9  2 


Central  Ave.  and  A  Street  N9  2 
Cathedral  Pnrk  N9  24 


North  Avenue 


185 


ELECTRICAL    SUPPLIES 


S.  H.  Salmon 
M.  D.  Cardoze 
Emanuel  I<yons 


ADDRESSES: 

Central  Avenue  N9  18 
Sosa  Street  N9  4 
Central  Avenue  N9  14 


Panama  Automobile  &  Supply  Co. 
Compania  Unida  de  Duque 


A.  B.  de  Obarrio 
Arias  &  Schaff 


CONTRACTORS 


I  Street  N9  4 
1st.  Street  NO  20 


Herrera  Square  and  9th  St.  N9 11 
B  Street  N9  4 


Manuel  Espinosa  B. 
Ricardo  Arias 


I.  Halman 

Fidanque  Bros.  &  Sons 

Isaac  Brandon  &  Bros.,  Inc. 

Panama  Agencies 

J.  P.  Arango  &  Co.,  Inc. 

Stark  &  Co. 


COMMISSION    AGENTS 


Central  Ave.  and  10th.  St.  N9  4 
North  Avenue  N9  9 


A  Avenue  N9  9 

6th.  Street  N  9  18 

8th.  Street  N9  9 

B  and  A  Streets  N9  2 

Avenida  Norte  and  6th.  Street. 

A  Avenue  N9  20 


PRINTERS     AND    PUBLISHERS 


Central  American  Printing:  Company,  Inc. 


A  Avenue  and  6th  St.  N9  9 


ELECTRIC   LIGHT    *    ICE    PLANTS 


Panama  American  Corporation 
lyuis  C.  Herbruger 
Panama  Electric  Company 
Thomas  McNish  &  Co. 


Compania  Unida  de  Duque 
Carlos  Berguido 


L,uis  C.  Herbrugrer 


GENERAL    BUSINESS 


ICE    CREAM    PARLORS 


REAL    ESTATE    AGENTS 


South  Ave.  and  9th.  Street  N9  1 
Calidonia  Street 
Central  Avenue  N9  34 
I  Street  N  9  20 


A  Avenue  N9  18 

Jose  de  Obaldia  Street  N9  9 


Central  Ave.  and  12th  St.  N9  22 


Navarro  &  Arosemena 
Diaz  &  Quijano 


Herrick,  Reeder  £  James 
John  J.  Gill  &  Co. 
The  Panama  Gas  GV 


23rd.  Street  (Chorrillo)  N9  64 
Ainador  Square  N9  1 

PHYSICIANS    AND    SURGEONS 

Central  Avenue 

TYPEWRITERS    AND    SUPPLIES 

Central  Ave.  and  H  St.  N9  2 

GAS   COMPANIES 

Central  Avenue  N9  76 


186 


PLUMBING     COMPANIES 


-f     Central  American  Plumbing  &  Supply  Co. 


ADRESSES: 

Central  Avenue  N9  58 


Fidanque  Henriquez  &  Co. 
Robert  Wilcox 

Smiflt  &  Co. 
James  Hyatt 
Max  Freundlich 


COLON 

Importers  of  general  merchandise  and  liquors. — 

Exporters. 
Importers    of    lumber  and    building  materials, 

hardware,  paints  and  Exporters. 
Importers  of  General  merchandise. 
Exporter  of  mineral  products  etc. 
Commission  Agent. 

BOCAS   DEL  TORO 


Carl  Friese  &  Co. 

The  Guabito  Banking  &  Mercantile  Co. 


Importers  of  general  merchandise. 

Importers  of  merchandise  and  banking  business' 


IN   THE    PROVINCES 


Delvalle  Henriquez  &  Co. 


PROVINCE  OF"  COCLE 

AGUADULCE 

Sugar  manufacturers.    Sugar  Mill  "Santa  Rosa." 


Boston-Panama  Co. 


Enrique  Halphen  &  Co. 


PROVINCE    OF"  VERAGUAS 

MARIATO 

Agricultural  enterprise  (Coconut  plantantions.) 
PROVINCE  OF"  CHIRIRUI 

DAVID 

Importers  and  Exporters  in  general 


EXPORTERS  OF  TIMBER,  SHELLS,  PEARLS,  SUGAR,   RAW-HIDES,   RUBBER,   BALATA,  IVORY 
NUTS,    AND  OTHER  NATIONAL  PRODUCTS 


Piza  &  Piza  &  Co. 

Antonio  Guerra 

Shung  Hing  &  Co. 

M.  D.  Cardoze 

F.  C.  Herbruger  &  Co.,  Inc. 

Isaac  Brandon  Bros.,  Inc. 

Maduro,  Fidanque  Hnos. 

Delvalle  Henriquez  &  Co. 

Halphen  &  Co. 

The  Maduro  Company 


8th.  Street  and  Central  Ave.  N9  12 

Central  Ave.  and  8th.  St.  N9  8 

North  Avenue  NO  42 

B  Avenue  and  8th.  St.  N9  13 

N'-.rth  Ave.  N9  19 

8th.  St.  N9  9 

B  Avenue  and  6th  St.  N9  13 

9th.  Street  N9  14 

North  Avenue  N9  11 

North  Avenue  and  8th.  St,  N9  17 


NOTE:  Those  establishments  marked  with  a  c.-oss  (+)  are  not  members  of  the  Association' 


187 

PANAMA  BANKING  COMPANY 

PANAMA    AND    COLON 


REPUBLIC    OK 


The  Panama  Banking  Company  is  one  of  the  first  pioneer  American 
banks  doing  business  in  Latin  America.  It  is  the  outgrowth  of  the  banking 
department  of  the  firm  of  Merchant  Bankers,  Messrs.  Isaac  Brandon  & 
Bros.,  Panama  and  New  York,  founded  in  1868.  It  is  incorporated  under 
the  laws  of  the  State  of  West  Virginia,  and  its  capital  stock  is  owned  and 
controlled  by  Messrs.  Isaac  Brandon  &  Bros.,  Incorporated,  a  New  Jersey 
corporation  with  a  paid  up  capital  of  $750,000  United  States  Gold. 

Under  the  direction  of  Messrs  Isaac  Brandon  &  Bros.,  and  with  their 
financial  resources  at  its  command,  the  Panama  Banking  Company  is  one 
of  the  strongest  financial  institutions  in  the  Republic  of  Panama.  The 
officers  are  Isaac  Brandon,  President,  New  York;  Nathaniel  Brandon, 
Vice  President,  New  York;  V.  I.  Brandon,  Treasurer,  New  York;  and 
P.  G.  Eastwick,  General  Manager,  Panama. 

Back  of  the  Panama  Banking  Company  stands  an  element  of  strenght  that 
few  banks  possess,  the  unwritten  but  powerful  guarantee  of  family  yride 
and  honor,  dating  from  1868  when  Isaac  Brandon,  its  President,  founded 
in  the  Republic  of  Panama  the  present  business. 

The  Panama  Banking  Company  has  branches  in  the  cities  of  Panama 
and  Colon  —at  both  entrances  of  the  Panama  Canal  (Balboa  and  Cristobal, 
Canal  Zone) —  that  do  a  general  banking  business  and  are  fully  equipped 
for  the  transaction  of  all  financial  business  in  the  Republic  of  Panama  and 
the  Canal  Zone.  It  also  has  special  facilities  for  the  payment  of  tolls  and 
disbursements  for  vessels  using  the  Panama  Canal. 

It  is  the  aim  of  the  Panama  Banking  Company  to  meet  the  constantly 
enlarging;  demands  of  present  day  business  by  prompt  and  efficient  service, 
and  it  offers  cordial  cooperation  with  banks  and  commercial  firms  at  home 
and  a  ;road  to  bring  about  closer  financial  and  commercial  relations  with 
Latin  America.  It  offers  complete  and  direct  banking  service  to  bankers 
and  11  erc.intilj  Loaves  desirous  of  extending  business  with  the  Republic 
of  Panama. 


188 

THE  COMMERCIAL  NATIONAL  BANK 


The  branches  of  The  Commercial  National  Bank  of  Washington,  D.  C., 
on  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  were  opened  in  Panama  City,  R.  P.,  and  Cris- 
obal,  Canal  Zone,  early  in  1915. 

When  the  Federal  Reserve  Bank  Law  was  passed  by  the  United  States 
Congress  in  1914,  it  conferred  upon  United  States  National  banks  the  privi- 
lege of  establishing  foreign  branches.  Previously,  this  had  not  been  possi- 
ble under  the  law. 

The  National  Banking  L/aws  of  the  United  States  had  brought  into  exis- 
tence a  class  of  banking  institutions  which,  from  the  viewpoint  of  depositors' 
protection,  were  ideal.  The  Treasury  Department  of  the  United  States  had 
developed  an  organization  for  the  control  of  these  National  banks,  which 
was  extremely  efficient.  Every  transaction  undertaken  by  a  National  bank 
was  subject  to  the  watchful  inspection  of  a  Bank  Examiner. 

Frequent  reports  on  all  details  of  their  business  must  be  rendered,  under 
oath,  by  National  banks,  and  the  slightest  indication  of  unsoundness  or 
improper  banking  methods  brings  active  intervention  on  the  part  of  the 
Treasury  authorities  for  the  protection  on  the  bank's  depositors.  Mereover, 
every  stockholder  of  a  National  bank  is  liable  for  the  debts  of  his  bank,  to 
an  amount  double  the  value  of  his  stock. 

The  Federal  Reserve  Act  permitted  these  National  banks  to  establish 
foreign  branches,  which  branches  were  subject  to  exactly  the  same  restric- 
tions and  supervision  as  the  parent  banks.  Every  foreign  branch  of  a 
United  States  National  bank,  located  in  whatever  part  of  the  world,  ren- 
ders its  sworn  reports  to  the  Comptroller  of  the  Treasury  and  is  inspected 
by  National  Bank  Examiners. 

The  Isthmian  branches  of  The  Commercial  National  of  Washington  have 
had  a  rapid  growth.  Their  policy  has  been,  not  merely  to  obtain  local 
deposits,  but  to  use  their  resources,  as  far  as  possible,  in  assisting  and 
fostering  local  business.  The  management  feels  that  they  are  a  part  of  the 
commercial  life  of  the  Isthmus,  and  that,  in  the  growth  and  development 
of  Isthmian  commerce  and  trade,  there  lies  a  brilliant  future.  And  the  part 
in  bringing  such  prospects  to  a  realization,  which  may  be  taken  by  a  sound 
yet  progressive  bank,  can  not  be  over  estimated. 

The  Isthmian  branches  of  The  Co  nmercial  National  are  depositaries  for 
the  United  States  Government,  the  Panama  Railroad,  and  The  Panama 
Canal.  They  have  been  designated  by  the  Bank  of  Naples  as  its  corres- 
pondents for  the  issue  of  Italian  vaglia,  and  their  foreign  connections,  are 
such  as  to  enable  them  to  transact  business  with  any  part  of  the  world. 

The  deposits  have  shown  a  stead v  growth  since  the  day  the  branches 
were  opened,  and  are,  at  present,  over  three  million  dollars  gold. 


189 

INTERNATIONAL  BANKING  CORPORATION 


The  International  Banking  Corporation  which  has  its  Head  Office  in  the 
National  City  Bank  Building,  N<>  55  Wall  Street,  New  York  City,  was  the 
first  American  bank  to  establish  itself  on  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  The  Pa- 
nama Branch  was  opened  in  1904  and  the  Branch  at  Colon  two  years  later. 
It  acts  as  the  Government  depository  for  the  Collector  of  the  Panama  Canal 
and  maintains  a  highly  efficient  special  department  for  handling  the  payment 
of  Canal  Tolls  and  disbursements  for  ships  transiting  the  Panama  Canal. 

The  International  Banking  Corporation  is  closely  affiliated  with  the  Na- 
tional City  Bank  of  New  York  and,  in  conjuction  with  that  institution,  thirty 
four  direct  foreign  branches  are  maintained  at  the  following  important  bus- 
iness centres: 

Bahia  Kobe  San  Francisco 

Bombay  Condon  San  Pedro  de  Macoris 

Buenos  Aires  Manila  Santiago  de  Cuba 

Calcutta  Medellin  Santo  Domingo 

Canton  Montevideo  Santos 

Caracas  Moscow  Sao  Paulo 

Cebu  Panama  Shanghai 

Colon  Peking  Singapore 

Genoa  Petrograd  Tientsin 

Hankow  Puerto  Plata  Valparaiso 

Havana  Rio  de  Janeiro  Yokohama 
Hongkong 

Foreign  representatives  for  commercial  investigation  are  also  stationed 
at  Copenhagen,  Denmark,  and  Milan,  Italy. 

This  affiliated  system  of  direct  branch  banks  and  close  working  arrange- 
ments with  correspondents  in  every  important  market  of  the  world  enables 
the  International  Banking  Corporation  to  offer  unequalled  facilities  for  the 
transaction  of  banking  business  of  every  description. 

The  condensed  published  statement  of  the  condition  of  the  International 
Banking  Corporation  on  June  30th,  1917,  is  as  follows: 

RESOURCES  U.  S.  Cutrency 

Securities  and  Investments $    3,444,258.97 

Time  &  Demand  Loans 20,409,258.22 

Bills  and  Remittances  in  Transit 23,349,708.23 

Cash  on  hand  and  in  Banks,  Bullion,  etc.  etc 14,958,138.47 

Commercial  Credits 6,076,616.70 

$  68,237.980.59 


LIABILITIES  U.  S.  Currency 

Capital,  Surplus  &  Undivided  Profits $    7,848,576.84 

Dividend  Payable  October  1st 97,500.00 

Deposits 27.695.741 .13 

Bills  Payable 25,559.431.92 

Notes  in  circulation 960,114.00 

Commercial  acceptances 6,076,616.70 

$  68,237,980.59 


190 

BANCO  NACIONAL  DE  PANAMA 


The  National  Bank  of  Panama  was  founded  in  the  year  1904, 
shortly  after  the  independence  of  the  Republic,  with  a  total  paid 
up  capital  of  $750,000.00.  It  acts  as  a  depository  for  the  go- 
vernment funds,  is  official  holder  of  sums  which  the  law  requires 
should  be  deposited  in  Panama  as  guarantees  on  concessions  etc., 
and  has  been  extremely  useful  in  aiding  the  development  of  the 
country  by  lending  money  on  well  secured  mortgages  on  real 
estate. 

The  deposits  of  the  National  Bank  amount  to  $386,870.05, 
it  has  loans  outstanding  to  the  amount  of  $  1.264,322.58  and 
accrued  unpaid  dividends  amounting  to  the  sum  of  $127,790.69. 
It  conducts  a  general  bankirg  business  and  is  in  the  capable  hands 
of  Mr.  Ramon  F.  Acevedo,  who  has  been  Manager  for  the  past 
four  years. 

The  directors  of  the  bank  are  Messrs.  Federico  Boyd,  Manuel 
Espinosa  B.,  Horacio  F.  Alfaro,  Prospero  Pinel  and  Francisco 
Jimenez,  all  men  of  first  class  standing  in  the  community  and 
business  men  of  no  mean  ability. 

The  bank's  premises,  which  have  recently  been  remodelled, 
are  situated  on  the  lower  floor  of  the  presidential  residence  at 
the  comer  of  Sixth  Street  and  North  Avenue. 

Mr.  Acevedo  is  assisted  in  his  managerial  duties  by  a  corps 
of  extremely  efficient  employees  who  have  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  banking  business  and  its  ramifications  and  are  always 
willing  to  attend  to  patrons  and  clients  with  the  utmost  cordia- 
lity and  dispatch. 

The  Natiodal  Bank  of  Panama  is  indeed  a  national  institution 
and  a  great  factor  in  the  bussiness  life  of  the  republic  as  well  as 
an  important  institution  engaged  in  building  up  a  future  for  the 
country  and  for  itself. 


191 


This  influential  company  is  under  the  management  of  Mr.  T.  Crempien 
Velasquez,  who  was  its  founder  in  march,  1910.  The  firm  insurances 
against  fire,  marine  risks,  and  accidents  and  is  backed  by  reciprocal  con- 
tracts for  reinsurance  with  the  following  companies: 

Companfas  Unidas  de  Seguros  del  Peru,  with  a  capital  of  ^"500,000, 

Compania  General  de  Seguros  de  Colombia,  with  a  capital  of  $2.000,000.00. 

Compania  Nacional  de  Seguros  de  Costa  Rica,  with  a  capital  of  650,000.00 
colones  ($275,000.00). 

Some  of  these  companies  were  founded  by  Mr.  Velasquez.  Besides  its 
associations  with  the  above,  the  Compania  Internacional  de  Seguros  has 
business  of  four  European  companies,  which  are  as' follows: 

«L/a  Catalana»  of  Barcelone,  Spain. 

«I/a  Polao  of  Bilbao,  Spain. 

«Iv'Europeenne»  of  Paris. 

«Norske  L/loyd»  of  Christiania,  Norway. 

The  guarantees  which  are  offered  by  the  Compania  Internacional  de  Se- 
guros to  its  cl.ents  are  so  evident  that  it  has  been  able  to  attain  a  position 
by  which  it  practically  monopolizes  the  entire  insurance  business  on  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama.  Its  credit  is  excellent  and  is  further  backed  by  the 
fact  that  in  the  short  period  of  it's  existence  it  has  paid  out  more  than 
$460,000  00  gold  for  fire  insurance  claims  alone. 

The  affairs  of  the  company  in  Panama  are  in  the  capable  hands  of  Mr. 
Jose  Antonio  Zubieta,  an  extremely  efficient  business  man  who  is  also  a 
real  estate  and  property  owner  in  the  Republic. 

The  Board  of  Directors  which  controls  the  company  is  composed  of  pro- 
minent men  in  Panama's  commercial  life,  who  are  well  known  and  belong 
to  the  leading  business  circles  here. 

President:  EDUARDO  ICAZA. 
Vice-President:  C.  QUELQUEJEU. 
Directors:  E.  T.  LEFEVRE. — ANGEL  DE  CASTRO F.  H.  AROSB- 

MENA. 


(•     In  Colon:    J.  J. 
Agents  in  the  Republic:     < 

In  David:     ENR 


Auditors:  J.  GABRIEL  DUQUE. — M.  M.  DE  YCAZA  B. 

ECKER  Sr. 

ENRIQUE  HAI.PHEN  &  Co. 
Postal  Address:     Box  1036,  Panama, 

Office  Address:     Central  Avenue,    Panama, 

Cable  Address:     «Seguros»,  Panama. 


192 


THE  PANAMA  HOSPITAL 


Amongst  the  institutions  of  this  kind,  the  Panama  Hospital  enjoys  the 
greatest  credit  in  South  America  and  in  a  way  it  can  be  compared  to  any 
one  in  the  United  States.  To  prove  this,  it  is  only  necessary  to  say  that 
the  fame  of  this  hospital  has  spread  to  such  an  extent  that  a  large  number 
of  patients  daily  come  there  from  neighbouring  countries  to  receive  medi" 
cal  attendance.  The  medical  staff  of  this  establishment  is  composed  of 
very  efficient  physicians  and  surgeons  and  the  patients  are  taken  care  of 
by  well-trained  American  graduate  nurses.  The  methods  used  are,  of 
course,  the  most  modern  in  science  and  the  hygienic  conditions  could  hardly 
be  bettered. 

Since  the  Government  of  the  United  States  undertook  the  great  task  of 
building  the  Panama  Canal,  it  was  decided  to  furnish  the  Ancon  Hospital 
with  all  the  necessary  requirements  and  with  a  selected  personnel  of  doc- 
tors and  nurses  in  order  to  be  able  to  successfully  fight  all  kinds  of  disea- 
ses and  to  provide  the  best  possible  attendance  to  the  employees.  This 
measure  was  taken  with  such  skill  and  care  that  complete  success  was 
attained  and  the  hospital  referred  to  soon  began  to  acquire  well  deserved 
fame  all  over  the  world. 

Some  of  the  principal  doctors  from  the  Ancon  Hospital  who  are  conside- 
red of  real  eminence  in  their  profession,  soon  became  aware  of  the  advan- 
tages offered  in  this  city  for  the  establishment  of  a  private  hospital  and 
they  obtained  the  cooperation  of  some  of  their  colleagues  in  Panama  City  and 
of  a  few  capitalists  with  whom  they  formed  a  company  which  to-day  is  the 
owner  of  the  Panama  Hospital.  The  said  hospital  is  at  present  under  the 
direction  of  the  following  surgeons: 

Dr,  A.  B.  Herrick,  graduate  of  Johns  Hopkins  University,  Baltimore, 
Md.  for  twelve  years  Chief  Surgeon  at  Ancon  Hospital,  where  he  won  a 


193 

just  reputation  and  renown  for  the  operations  performed  on  thousands  and 
thousands  of  patients  from  the  most  difficult  to  the  most  simple  cases. 

Dr.  August  S.  Boyd,  graduate  of  the  Columbia  University,  New  York, 
Chief  Surgeon  at  the  Santo  Tomas  Hospital  for  ten  years  and  who  also 
enjoys  a  high  reputation  as  a  physician. 

Dr.  D.  F.  Reeder,  from  the  University  of  Kentucky,  for  ten  years  Chief 
of  the  Eye,  Ear  and  Throat  Department  of  the  Anoon  Hospital. 

Dr.  W.  M.  James,  graduate  of  the  University  of  Virginia,  former  Assistant 
Chief  of  the  medical  clinic  at  the  Ancon  Hospital  and  specialist  in  tropical 
deseases. 

Other  doctors  are:  Dr.  Alfonso  Preciado,  Dr.  M.  E.  Velasquez,  Dr.  Harry 
Strunz  and  Dr.  Nicolas  Solano,  who  also  render  their  professional  services 
to  that  institution. 

The  presence  of  Doctors  Herrick,  Reeder  and  James  in  the  Panama  Hos- 
pital and  the  cooperation  of  the  other  surgeons  before  mentioned  has  given 
the  hospital  a  very  good  name  since  its  foundation  and  has  attracted  there 
the  greater  part  of  the  Panamanian  and  foreign  patients  that  used  pre- 
viously to  goto  the  Ancon  Hospital.  The  very  delicate  surgical  operations 
and  the  fine  treatment  received  at  the  Panama  Hospital  are  increasing  its 
already  wide  fame,  so  much  so  that  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  enlarge 
the  premises  by  building  an  annex  for  the  accomodation  of  numerous  pa- 
tients that  cannot  be  taken  in  under  the  present  circumstances. 

The  Panama  Hospital  is  located  in  the  most  modern,  pretty  and  sanitary 
suburb  of  the  city  and  it  is  connected  with  the  rest  of  the  town  by  a  tram- 
way line.  The  building  is  neat,  elegant  and  quite  comfortable.  It  is  one 
hundred  and  thirty  six  feet  long  by  forty  feet  wide  and  it  has  a  basement 
and  three  floors.  In  the  basement  can  be  found  the  kitchen,  the  pantry 
and  the  laundry.  In  the  first  floor  are  installed  the  offices,  the  reception 
rooms  and  the  obstetrical  department  as  well  as  the  residence  of  the  Chief 
Surgeon  and  the  nurses  quarters.  In  the  other  two  floors,  which  are  cons- 
tructed in  a  similar  manner,  are  the  rooms  for  the  patients.  The  furniture 
is  elegant,  the  ventilation  is  splendid  and  cleanliness  is  the  keynote  of  the 
entire  building.  The  corridors,  the  doors  and  windows  are  screened  to 
prevent  insects  from  coming  in. 

As  a  kind  of  branch  of  the  Panama  Hospital  a  clinic  has  been  established 
in  the  city  by  doctors  Herrick,  Reeder  and  James  in  which  almost  all  the 
patients  who  desire  to  go  to  the  hospital  are  previously  examined. 


194 

THE  MADURO  COMPANY 


THIS  COMPANY   IS   THE   OWNER   OF  DEPARTMENT  STORES  IN  THE   CITY    OF   PANAMA 

WHICH  ARE  OF  THE  MOST  UP  TO  DATE  BUILDINGS  OF  THEIR  KIND  IN  THE  REPUBLIC 

AND  WHICH  CARRY  A  VERY  FINE  AND  RICH  STOCK  OF  GOODS. 


The  most  complete  assortment  of  articles  is  handled  at  the  Maduro 
Company's  main  stores  at  the  corner  of  Eighth  Street  and  North  Avenue, 
comprising  household  furnishings,  piece  materials,  silks,  trimmings,  chil- 
drens's  and  infants  wear  and  sporting  goods.  A  specialty  is  made  of  wearing 
apparel  for  the  stylish  women,  a  complete  line  of  dresses,  shirt-waists,  ball 
room  frocks,  negligees,  etc.,  being  carried  in  stock.  Shoes  form  a  separate 
department  and  an  up  to  date  selection  of  the  latest  American  and  Euro- 
pean models  is  always  on  hand. 

Toilet  articles  and  a  large  assorment  of  various  smalle  necessies  are 
handled. 

For  the  young  man  who  wishes  to  dress  in  a  snappy  style,  or  for  the  one 
with  more  sedate  tastes,  a  visit  to  the  Maduro  Company's  store  on  Central 
Avenue,  «L/a  Ville  de  Paris»  near  the  Cathedral  Plaza,  is  bound  to  be  of 
interest  and  profit.  Just  what  is  wanted  by  the  most  exacting  taste  is  certain 
to  be  found  at  this  branch  store,  which  specializes  in  men's  wear,  although 
stocking  a  variety  of  other  articles. 

FRENCH    BAZAAR 

Founded  in  the  year  1870,  this  well-known  establishment  is  an  important 
part  of  Panama's  commercial  life.  Arranged  and  equipped  in  American  style, 
it  ocupies  three  large  buildings,  one  of  which  is  exclusively  dedicated  to  lad- 
ies wear.  Here  beautiful  gowns,  fine  cloths,  and  all  classes  of  feminine  wear 
may  be  found,  in  the  latest  American  and  European  models. 

Another  building  is  used  for  men's  furnishings,  in  which  are  to  be  found 
everything  for  men,  of  the  best  quality  and  well-known  makes. 

The  third  building  is  given  over  to  fancy  articles  and  perfumes.  This  is 
without  doubt  the  finest  and  most  luxurious  department  store  in  the  republic 
and  makes  a  Specialty  in  Parisian  goods. 

It  is  the  property  of  Messrs.  Heurtemate  &  Co.,  Inc.  who  also  own  stores 
in  Paris.— P.  O.  Box  876.— Phones  551-872-184. 

E:  i_    o  i  E:  i_o 

This  is  one  of  the  most  accredited  stores  in  town  for  the  wholesale  and 
retail  of  all  kinds  of  dry  goods  imported  from  Europe,  the  United  States 
and  the  Orient,  especially  ladies  outfitters. 

It  has  a  varied  and  rich  assortment  of  silk,  cotton,  and  woollen  stuffs  as 
well  as  fancy  goods  and  shawls,  handkerchiefs,  hats,  socks  and  stockings 
of  different  kinds. 

This  store  is  the  property  of  Messrs.  Qnelquejeu,  Jimenez  &  Co.  who  are 
known  as  merchants  of  great  experience  in  Panama,  and  is  located  at  North 
Avenue  and  Amador  Plaza. 

Telephone  Corporation  312  bis.--lsthmian  50.— P.  0.  Box  891.— PANAMA,  R,  of  P, 


195 


EL     DIABL.O 


Undoubtedly  this  is  one  of  the  best  furniture  stores  in  Central  America. 
It  enjoys  a  great  reputation,  both  for  the  quality  of  the  furniture  which  is 
sold  there  and  for  the  courtesy  used  by  the  proprietor  and  all  employees 
towards  clients  and  also  the  moderate  prices.  This  store  has  a  magnificent 
stock  of  all  kinds  of  furniture,  from  the  finest,  artistically  decorated  for  the 
most  exacting  taste,  down  to  the  simplest  styles  within  reach  of  the  worker. 

This  establishment  occupies  a  magnificent  building  specially  constructed 
for  the  purpose,  situated  on  Central  Avenue,  which  is  composed  of  three 
ample  stories  with  an  area  of  more  than  two  thousand  six  hundred  square 
meters. 

Here  is  a  real  exhibition  of  every  variety  of  furniture;  beautiful  drawing 
room  sets  in  American,  French  or  Italian  style;  dining  room  and  boudoir 
sets;  pictures,  frames  and  many  varied  ornaments,  besides  furnishings  for 
an  office  or  for  an  entire  house  if  desired. 

The  proprietor  of  this  warehouse  is  Mr.  Roberto  Pulignani,  a  well  este- 
emed gentleman  who  has  acquired  a  great  number  of  customers  by  his 
reputation  as  a  competent  business  man. 

LA     EIXPOSICION 

This  well  known  furniture  store  enjoys  a  fame  which  is  not  confined  to 
Panama  alone  as  it  is  one  of  the  best  in  Central  America  and  carries  one  of 
the  largest  stocks  in  these  countries. 

It  occupies  an  elegant  building  well  situated  at  No.  146,  Central  Avenue. 
This  magnificent  establishment  is  the  property  of  Mr.  Carlos  A.  Cowes  and 
an  excellent  assortment  of  all  kinds  of  furniture,  directly  imported,  is  always 
kept  on  hand,  especially  suites  for  bedroom,  boudoir,  drawing  room,  or  for 
office  use. 

In  «I,a  Exposici6n»  can  be  found  absolutely  everything  necessary  to  thor- 
oughly fit  out  a  house  in  an  up  to  date  style  at  moderate  prices,  to  suit  the 
purposes  of  all. 

P.  O.  Box  117,  Telephone  386. —PANAMA. 

EL     DIABLITO 

This  well  known  Central  Avenue  furniture  store  possesses  an  excellent 
stock  of  house  furnishings  from  complete  sets  to  single  pieces,  and  ranging 
from  the  most  expensive  imported  goods  to  the  local  manufactured  and  ther- 
efore article  cheaper.  Office  furniture  is  carried  in  stock  at  moderate  pri- 
ces, and  credit  terms  can  be  arranged  on  montly  or  weekly  payments. 

A  visit  to  the  establishment  will  convince  the  intending  purchaser  that  in 
this  store  there  is  a  great  assortment  to  choose  from,  for  every  thing  to 
furnish  a  house  completely  is  to  be  found  at  «E1  Diablito». 

GHERQUES,  LEVITT  &  KAMIDGHER,  Prop. 

Central  Avenue,  No.  91.— Phone  303.— P.  O.  Box  268,  PANAMA. 


196 

THE  "PALAIS  ROYAL" 

J.  S.   F»EREIRA,  Proprietor. 

This  is  the  fashion  store  for  men  in  Panama.  The  ((Palais  Royal»  carries 
a  large  and  excellent  assortment  of  every  thing  of  the  best  for  men. 

Ready  made  clothing  of  best  serges,  tweeds  and  linens  are  found  there, 
and  in  its  tailoring  department,  under  the  direction  of  very  good  tailors,  the 
most  fashionable  gentlemen  of  Panama  get  their  clothing  made  to  order. 
Goods  for  tropical  wear  of  the  latest  patterns  and  styles  are  always  kept  in 
stock.  THEY  are  Agents  for  the  world  renown  aSOCIKTY  BRAND 
CLOTHES. » 

It  is  situated  in  Central  Avenue,  Corner  9th  Street. — P.  O.  Box  786. 

l_  U  R  I  A     &,     CO. 

Proprietors  of  one  of  the  best  ladies  stores  in  Panama  City. 
They  import  and  always  keep  in  stock  a  large  and  varied  assort- 
ment of  ready  to  wear  ladies'  underwear.  They  specialize  in 
laces,  Swiss  embroideries  and  silks  and  their  assortment  of  woolen 
twee4s  is  unsurpassed. 

Messrs  L,uria's  is  one  of  the  stores  most  frequented  by  ladies, 
as  they  keep,  in  great  varieties,  all  kind  of  merchandise  for 
them,  and  their  prices  are  very  reasonable.  It  is  situated  at 
No.  14  Avenue  B — Panama  City. 

ISAAC  BRANDON  &  BROS.  INC. 

One  of  the  best  trading  and  commission  houses  in  Central  America  where 
there  are  so  many  engaged  in  these  lines.  They  are  agents  of  the  well 
known  Commission  house  which  bears  the  same  name  at  17,  Battery  Place, 
New  York,  as  well  as  the  ((Scottish  Union  and  National  Insurance  Company 
of  L/ondon  and  Rdinburgo;  sub-agents  of  the  Royal  Mail  Steam  Packet  Co. 
and  are  representatives  of  the  following  firms,  «Nestles  Condensed  Milk», 
W.  A.  Gilbey,  (wines  and  liquors).- -James  Hennesey  &  Co.  (cognac). — J. 
and  J.  Colman  I^td.  (mustard  etc.)  -Philip  W.  Heyman  (Danish  butter). — 
J.  Petersen  (Danish  butter). — Nestor  cigarettes. — Robert  Porter  &  Co.  (Bui- 
dog  stout). — Win.  M'Evan&Co.  (stout). — Corn  Products  refining  Co.  (corn 
oil  and  corn  products  and  the  Kansas  Milling  Co.  (flours). — The  Petroleum 
Products  Company  of  San  Francisco,  Cal. — Oasoline  and  Kerosene. 

CANAVAGGIO  HERMANOS 

IMPORTERS  OF  ALL  CLASSES  OF  PR3-ISIOHS,  WINES  AND  LIQUORS  IN  GENERAL  OF  CHINA  AND  GLASSWARE 
ARTICLES  AND  OF  ARTISTIC  OBJECTS. 

Their  store  situated  on  Central  Avenue  in  the  most  elegant  in  the  city  and 
always  carries  an  extremely  varied  stock  of  elegant  objects  appropriate  for 
wedding  gifts. 

Messrs  Canavaggio  Brothers  have  also  a  large  liquor  and  aerated  water 
factory  in  which  they  produce  a  large  part  or  the  native  liquors  sold  in  the 
country,  many  of  which  have  a  great  reputation. 


197 
TOLEDANO  &  DE  LEMOS 

IMPORT  AND  EXPORT  MERCHANTS. -LIQUORS  AND  PROVISIONS. 


Agents  in  Panama  for  the  "Gold  Medal"  and  "P.^lcma"  flours  -"Budweiser"  beer,  "Malt  Nutrine  tonic"— "Haig 

and  Haig  Whiskey".  -White  Label  Whiskey". -"Green  River  a id  Canatian  Club  whiskeys. -"White 

Rock",  mineral  water— "Oso"  Swiss  milk— Meet  and  Chandon  champagne. 


This  house  also  attends  to  commission  business  and  makes  pur- 
chases for  its  clients  under  the  best  circumstances,  always  sending 
the  original  vouchers  and  charging  only  2%%  commission.  Pri- 
ces submitted  and  all  information  given  on  request. 

FAT    AND    COMPANY 


One  of  the  most  important  commercial  houses  in  Panama,  successors  of  the 
firm  of  Po  Yuen  &  Co.,  which  has  always  had  great  prestige  in  this  country 
and  abroad.  This  firm  engages  in  the  importation  and  sale  both  wholesale 
and  retail  of  provisions,  groceries,  canned  goods  and  liquors  and  especially 
rice,  flour,  sugar,  coffee,  and  soaps  at  the  most  moderate  prices  in  the  market. 
All  orders  are  promptly  and  carefully  executed. 

Messrs  Fat  and  Company  are  also  general  commission  merchants  and  ge- 
neral agents  for  the  H.  A.  Manufacturing  Co.  (chemists  and  perfumers), 
Shanghai  and  San  Francisco,  California. 

Cable  Address  «Poyuen»,  Panama,  R.  P.  East  Thirteenth  street.— P.  O. 
Box  344. — Phone.  Corporation  No.  19. — Isthmian  Phone.  No.  68. 

LA      D  A  l_  I  A 

Important  store  owned  by  M.  D.  Cardoze,  well  known  merchant  who  many  years  has  been 
engaged  in  the  import  and  export  of  all  kinds  of  foreign  articles  which  are  sold  by  wholesale 
and  retail.  In  «I,a  Dalian  there  is  always  a  great  stock  of  all  kinds  of  woven  goods,  etc. 

Mr.  Cardoze  has  also  a  department  for  buying  hides,  skins,  rubber,  nispere  and  other  pio 
ducts  which  the  country  exports  to  the  United  States. — Avenue  «B»  and  Eighth  Street. 


HENRIQUEZ    &    Co. 


Owners  of  the  magnificent  refinery  «Santa  Rosa»,  situated  in  the  Pro- 
vince of  Cocle,  at  a  short  distance  from  Aguadulce.  This  was  the  first  re- 
finery installed  in  the  country  and  is  the  best;  its  machinery  is  most  modern 
and  well  installed. 

Its  capacity  is  300  tons  of  cane  daily  and  the  next  harvest  it  is  calculated 
that  more  than  30,000  sacks  of  sugar  of  good  quality  will  be  produced. 
L/arge  quantities  of  alcohol  are  also  produce. 

The  principal  office  of  Messrs  Delvalle  Henriquez  &  Co.  is  in  9th  Street, 
Panama  City. 


198 

MISTELI  JEWELRY  STORE 

THE  MISTELI  JEWELRY  STORE  IS  THE  LARGEST  AND  MOST  IMPORTANT 
OF  ITS  KIND  IN   PANAMA. 

Occupyng,  as  it  does,  an  extremely  advantageous  frontage  in  Central 
Avenue,  the  city's  main  thoroughfare,  it  has  a  first  class  display  in  two 
large  plate  glass  windows  which  give  an  opportunity  to  passers  by  to  inspect 
part  of  its  artistic  stock. 

Diamonds,  rubies,  emeralds,  sapphires,  pearls,  topazes,  amethysts,  corals 
and  many  other  precious  stones  glitter  there  on  artistic  backgrounds  of 
velvet. 

Gold,  platinum  and  massive  settings  are  carefully  arranged  and  give  the 
best  impression. 

Toilet  sets  and  silver  mounted  glassware  form  an  important  part  of  the 
stock  of  this  establishment.  Watches  of  the  most  widely  known  makes  are 
carried  and  repairing  is  performed  by  skilled  workmen.  The  optical  branch 
of  the  business  is  equally  important.  An  excellent  stock  of  lenses  and 
frames  of  every  pattern  are  to  be  obtained  and  expert  advice  is  always  avail- 
able. 

The  proprietor  of  this  flourishing  store  is  Mr.  Jose  Misteli,  one  of  Pana- 
ma's best  known  business  men.  He  was  born  in  Switzerland,  has  been  es- 
tablished in  Panama  for  many  years  and  represents  it  his  country  as  Consul 
to  this  Republic,  where  he  is  much  esteemed  by  Panamanians  and  foreig- 
ners alike. 

Spanish,  French,  English  and  German  are  spoken  in  this  store  and  all 
goods  are  guaranteed  by  many  years  of  high  commercial  integrity. 

MULLER'S  JEWELERY  STORE 


This  magnificent  establishment  carries  a  very  varied  stock  of 
fine  jewelery,  specially  diamonds  and  the  best  quality.  Metal 
and  crystal  art  objects  are  also  a  specialty,  and  are  frequently 
purchased  for  wedding  presents. 

Swiss  and  American  watches.  The  optical  department  is  one 
of  the  best  in  the  city. 

This  iewelery  is  situated  at  No.  10  Central  Avenue,  Panama, 
P.  O.  Box  No.  7. 

CENTRAL      PHARMACV 


This  pharmacy  has  the  largest  reputation  of  any  in  the  Republic.  It  has 
been  established  in  1881  and  under  the  direction  of  competent  chemists,  of- 
fers the  best  of  guarantees  to  the  public. 

It  has  a  magnificent  Prescription  Department  in  which  it  gives  excellent 
service.  It  has  an  excellent  and  varied  stock  of  drugs,  large  numbers  of 
the  best  patent  medicines,  medicinal  waters,  toilet  articles,  etc.,  all  of  first 
class  quality  and  also  an  Exporting  Department. 

Its  proprietor  is  Mr.  Manuel  Espinosa  B.,  one  of  the  merchants  and 
financiers  who  have  the  greatest  prestige  in  the  country  and  who  is  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Panama  Association  of  Commerce. 


199 


is  the  name  associated  with  HARDWARE  in 
Panama  for  50  YEARS.  Our  up  to  date  store 
is  the  Home  for  your  requirements  in  the 

HARDWARE  LINE. 

Prompt  and  courteous  treatment.  -14  and  98  Central  Ave. 

EMANUEL  LYONS. 

D  u       u  E:    &,    co. 


The  Hardware  and  Lumber  firm  of  DUQUE  &  Co.,  was  established  in  the  year  1912 
and  although  still  a  young  business  is  considered  one  of  the  most  reliable  firms  in  the 
Fepublic. 

Their  newly  reconstructed  Hardware  Store,  situated  on  Central  Avenue  and  llth 
Street,  ranks  as  one  of  the  most  modern  of  its  class  in  Central  America.  The  interior 
fxtures,  ?nd  the  display  of  the  goods  demonstrates  thst  this  firm  has  dedicated  a  good 
deal  of  b.ains  and  money  to  make  shopping  with  them  a  pleasure  and  saving  of  their 
customers  time. 

They  carry  on  hrnd  at  all  times  a  large  and  varied  stock  of  Hardware,  Tools,  Arms. 
Ammunition,  E  ectrical  Supplies  and  Appliances,  Paints,  Varnishes,  Brushes  and  House- 
hold Furnishings.  At  their  Lumber  Yard  and  Warehouse,  situated  on  North  Av.nue, 
will  also  be  found  large  stocks  of  Cypress,  Yellow,  Red  and  White  Pine  Lumber,  Cement, 
Steel  &  Iron  Bars  £nd  Sheets,  in  fact  ail  material  for  the  Building  trade. 

F,  BKRTOLI  &  Co. 

SUCCESSORS     TO     E.     BERLIN  O. 

LONG  ESTABLI3HED  AND  WEL  .  KNOWN  HARQWA&-.  SI  OR-  WITH  A  WIDE  AND  WELL  SELECTED  STOCK. 

Messrs  F  Bertoli  are  importers  on  large  scale  of  all  kinds  of  tools  and 
construction  materials  and  make  a  specialty  of  marine  goods  and  paints, 
oils,  and  American  and  English  varnishes. 

Sales  are  effected  by  wholesale  and  retail  at  the  most  moderate  prices  in 
the  market. 

The  firm  of  Bertoli  and  Company,  owing  to  its  long  and  honorable  trading 
in  Panama  has  a  reputation  second  to  none  for  uprightness  and  square  deal- 
ing. It  possesses  excellent  credit,  not  only  locally  but  also  in  foreign  markets, 
and  its  members  are  highly  esteemed  members  of  the  community. 

CHIARI    &    KOHPCKE 


Proprietors  of  up-to-date  Hardware  Store,  Central  Avenue  No.  93.  Always 
keep  a  large  assortment  of  all  kinds  of  Building  materials,  Paints,  Varnishes 
and  Oils.  Specialty  Savage,  Winchester  &  Colts  Arms  and  ammunitions. 
Great  variety  of  all  kinds  of  tools  for  every  purpose.  Largest  assortment 
of  Plumbing  materials  and  Coach  Building  materials.  Owing  to  their  very 
polite  treatment  and  reasonable  prices  they  count  with  a  large  number  of 
:ustomers  in  Panama  and  amongst  the  military  and  civilian  popultion  of 
he  Canal  Zone. 


200 

"PANAMA    HARDWARE:" 

M.    D.    OARDOZE: 

One  of  the  principal  hardware  stores  of  the  country.  Sole  Proprietor,  M.  D.  Cardoze.  Sales 
by  wholesale  and  retail.     Situated  on  Cathedral  Plaza  and  Branch  at  125,  Central  Avenue, 

ENRIQUE    HALPHEN    &    Co.    Inc. 


This  important  commercial  house  is  well  known  both  in  Panama 
and  abroad  and  enjoys  an  excellent  reputation. 

The  firm  is  the  owner  of  a  big  store  in  David,  Province  of 
Chiriqui,  known  as  «E1  Bazar  Frances)),  and  also  engages  in 
banking  business. 

They  are  also  dealers  in  cattle  to  large  extent  and  purchase 
and  export  native  products. 

They  maintain  an  office  in  Panama  City  at  No.  11  North  Avenue. 

C.  QUELQUEJEXJ 


Imported  on  large  scale  of  all  kinds  of  provisions  of  which  good 
stocks  are  always  kept  on  hand  for  sale  both  by  wholesale  and 
retail,  at  most  reasonable  prices. 

Mr.  Quelquejeu  has  also  established  the  import  and  sale  of 
lumber  on  a  large  scale  and  also  deals  in  construction  material. 

His  principal  store  is  situated  on  Avenue  B  and  8th  Street. — 
P.  O.  Box  N9471.  -  Phone  Corporation  N^  150.— Cable  Address: 
«Quelquejeu»,  Panama. 

THE    MODEL    GROCERY 

The  only  grocery  store  of  its  kind  in  Panama,  equipped  in  the  American  stile,  There  are 
alwaya  in  stock  large  quantities  of  the  best  provisions,  "Quality"  being  the  motto  of  the 
proprietors  who  are  Messrs  Simmons  and  Hart,  merchants  of  great  ability  and  high  standing 
in  the  community  and  who  always  endeavor  to  procure  the  best  makes  that  are  renowned, 

English  Jams  and  Pickles,  French  Petit-pois  and  Fruitg  in  syrup,  Spanish  Amontillado  Sher- 
ry, Holland  Cheeses,  Portugese  Malaga  and  Port  Wines  and  high  grade  American  Groceries, 

Notwithstanding  the  war,  Messrs  Simmons  and  Hart  are  still  receiving  their  Christmas  sup- 
plies of  Santa  Claus  Stockings,  Lowney's  Candies,  in  fancy  boxes,  Crystallized  Fruits,  Xmas, 
Trees,  a  magnificent  assortment  of  toys  and  other  things  too  numerous  to  mention.  Both 
phones, — Free  and  prompt  delivery. 

The  Model  Grocery  is  situated  22  Central  Avenue,  adjoining  the  Amador  Theatre,  Panama, 
Call  &  place  your  Xmas,  orders  Early, 

VIRGILIO  CAPRILES Commission  Agent,  representative  of  foreign  factories  and  expor- 
ter of  native  products Phone.  No.  759  Corporation— P    O.  Box  No.  303 9th.  St — 

Panama. 


201 

THE  PANAMA  GOOA-GOLA  BOTTLING  COMPANY 


This  Company  has  for  the  last  seven  years  operated  a  modern  and  sani- 
tary bottling  plant  in  Panama  City,  their  products  being  of  the  highest 
quality.  They  manufacture  in  addition  to  COCA-COIvA  and  Hires  Root 
Beer  several  different  kinds  of  soda  waters  including  L/emon,  Cream,  Sar- 
saparilla,  Kola  Champagne  and  Strawberry  flavors. 

With  the  installation  of  new  machinery  in  a  very  adequate  building 
specially  constructed  for  that  purpose,  the  capacity  of  their  plant  has  now 
being  increased  to  one  thousand  dozens  daily,  their  products  being  exported 
to  Central  and  South  America  in  addition  to  their  local  trade  which  has 
had  a  very  high  increase  lately  in  the  Republic  of  Panama  and  the 
Canal  Zone. 

They  are  also  importers  of  some  of  the  best  liquors  for  wholesale  in  the 
Republic. 

Visitors  are  at  all  times  welcome  to  this  establishment. 

P.  O.  Box  263  Panama,  R.  P.  and  No.  28,  Ancon,  Canal  Zone.— Both 
telephones. 

I_A     IMPERIAL 


Up-to-date  Ice  Cream  Parlor,  the  best  in  the  city.  The  only  modern 
establisment  in  Panama,  where  all  kinds  of  ice-creams,  refreshments  and 
cakes  are  served.  It  has  two  elegant  parlors  visited  daily  by  the  best  ele- 
ments of  the  Panamanian  society. 

Special  and  prompt  service  of  home  delivery.  L/a  Imperial  has  its  own 
ice  and  ice-cream  factory  and  produces  its  own  electricity. 

Luis  C.  Herbruger,  Prop. 

Central  Avenue  and  Santa  Ana  Square. 

PAN  AMERICAN  SHOE  REPAIR  Co. 

The  only  up-to-date  quick  repair  shops  on  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama,  provided  with  modern  machinery  both  for  the  making 
of  boots  and  shoes  to  order  and  for  all  kind  of  repairs  of  shoes. 
College  boys,  business  men  and  every  body  needs  to  have  their 
shoes  repaired  at  the  right  places,  which  are  the  shops  of  this  com- 
pany, where  the  best  oak  tanned  English  and  American  leathers 
are  used.     All  materials  are  of  first  class  vairety. 
12th.  Street  and  Plaza  de  Arango — Phone  880 
Branch  18  «J»  Street,  near  Ancon  Post  Office— Phone  840  B. 


202 
MECHANICAL   CARPENTRY 

OWNER:     ENRIQUE      RIGUEROA 

This  carpentry  is  considered  as  the  best  in  its  class  in  Panama  City.  It 
has  modern  machinery  moved  by  electric  power  and  all  sorts  of  wooden 
works  are  performed  there.  Specialty  in  fine  furniture  making  and  in  the 
installation  of  stores  and  offices,  moldings  for  constructions  etc.  Quickness 
and  good  work  guaranteed. 

ENRIQUE    FIGUEROA, 

P.  O.  Box  N<?  20,  PANAMA.  Telephone  N<>  806,  Corporation. 

BULL     DURHAM 


If  you  wish  to  roll  your  own  cigarette,  use  Bull  Durham 
smoking  tobacco,  the  smoke  of  the  United  States  army. 
For  sale  wholesale  by  the  British  American  Tobacco  Co. 
Ltd.,  whose  principal  office  is  situated  at  «B»  Avenue, 
opposite  P.  R.  R.  Freight  Station. 

LA     TIJERA     DE     ORO 

The  best  establishment  for  cleaning 
and  pressing  clothes  of  all  kinds  by 
4>         use  of  steam  machinery.     Excellent         f 
service   to    your    house.  —  Central 
Avenue,   number  26. — Phone.  789. 

COMPANIA  DE  PRESTAMOS  Y  FIANZAS 


This  establishment  lends  money  on  all  kinds  of  docum- 
ents and  negotiable  goods  and  does  a  money  exchange 
business. — Central  Avenue,  Opposite  the  Cable  Office. 
—Telephone  716  B. 


203 

—  F ATI  MA 


Exquisite  cigarettes  of  Turkish  blend,  sold  by  wholesale  by  the 
British  American  Tobacco  Company  Ltd.,  owner  of  a  famous  ci- 
garette factory,  modernly  equipped,  in  Panama  City,  and  whose 
monthly  production  exceeds  five  million  cigarettes.  This  comp- 
any proposes  to  extend  its  factory  greatly  in  order  that  it  may  at- 
tend to  the  growing  demand  for  its  products. 

AUREILIO  Q.  GALLOL 

Dean  of  the  Panamanian  dentists.  Commenced  his  studies  in 
the  dental  art  in  Railway,  New  Jersey,  in  1875  and  afterwards 
went  to  New  York  to  finish  his  education  in  that  line.  He 
came  to  Panama  in  1877,  since  then  he  has  exercised  his  pro- 
fession in  this  city. 

His  office  and  dental  parlors  are  situated  at  the  corner  of  Cen- 
tral Avenue  and  Ninth  Street. 

DIAZ    6»    QUIJANO 

This  firm  are  real  estate  agents,  contractors  and  builders  and 
general  commission  merchants.  They  have  been  established  in 
Panama  for  a  number  of  years  and  have  their  offices  at  N?  1, 
Amador  Plaza.  They  also  have  a  branch  house  in  Colon  at  Na- 
rifio  Avenue,  between  9th  and  10th  Streets. — Cable  adress:  «Juan» 
Corporation  telephone. 

NAVARRO  &  AROSEMENA 


This  agency  has  been  established  in  Panama  City  for  several 
years  as  contractors,  real  estate  dealers  and  general  commission 
agents.  Their  offices  are  situated  at  Chorrillo  Avenue  N<?  64  and 
their  phone.  N°  is  Corporation  765.  They  collect  rents  and  ad- 
minister many  properties  in  this  city. 


204 

HATS   STORES 


T>      LTNCE  &  Co.  The  largest  importers  of  Panama  Hats,  both  from  Montecristi,  Ecua- 
•M»«   dor,  and  Colombia — Always  keep  large  stocks  of  all  kinds  of  Panama  Hats,  from  $  16 

gold  per  dozen  up  to  $  50  per  hat — Central  Ave.  No.  31  P.  O.  Box  483,  Panama,  and 

2004  Ancon,  C.  Z. 

AMADEO  C.  LUPL— Importer  of  the  best  silk,  felt  and  straw  hats  from  Italy,  England 
and  the  United  States  and  also  of  Panama  hats  from  Montecristi — Ecuador—and  Colom- 
bia—Retail and  whalesale.— Central  Ave.  No.  135. 

BA.  GORDILS.— Importer  of  all  kinds  of  hats.     Great  variety  of  Panama  hats.     Whole- 
•  sale  and  retail.     Central  Ave.  No.  41  (135). 

ALBERTO  SUBIA— Importer  and  exporter  of  Panama  bats  of  all  grades,  both  from  Ecua- 
dor and  Colombia.  Speciality  in  cleaning  and  blocking  all  kinds  of  hats.  Dealer  in 
precious  stones.  Central  Avenue  No.  57. 

TIPA  PANAMA  HAT  STORE— Juan  Ateortua,  Proprietor— The  only  hatter  who  gives  to 

**    Panama  hats  the  most  modern  shapes.—  Especially   in  Montecristi  hats East  12  Street, 

No.  15,  opposite  Eldorado  Theatre,  Panama. 

FRENCH  HAT  STORE.-  Eug.  Duffo  &  Co.- Paris  and  Panama.  Sole  specialists  in  Pa- 
nama for  cleaning  and  blocking  all  kinds  of  hats.  Varied  assortment  of  genuine  Monte- 
cristi hats.  69  B  Street— Chomllo— Panama. 

DENTISTS 

DR.  J.  M.  ARIAS Surgeon  Dentist,  graduate  of  the  University  of  Medico-Chirurgica 
Pensylvania  of  dental  work. —Office  at  No.  34  Central  Avenue,  fronting  Santa  Ana  Park 
Phone  No.  228. 

.  .1ULIO  ALEMAN — Surgeon  Dentist  of  the  University  of  Pensilvania Magnificent 

dental  ofice  modcrnly  equipped — Office  Hours:  8  to  12  a.  m.  and  1.30  to  5.30  p.  m — 
Central  Avenue  and  Eleventh  Street. 

~T)R.  ALEJANDRO  VASQUEZ Surgeon  Dentist,  graduate  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 

-*--'  vania — Has  the  cooperation  of  expert  dental  mechanics — Office  at  No.  20,  East   12th 
Street,  corner  of  Santa  Ana  Park. 

PHYSICIANS 

HARRY  STRUNZ Physician  and  Surgeon Clinic:  National  Pharmacy,  Santa  Ana 

Park. 

MARIO  GASTEAZORO Physician  and  Surgeon Clinic:  6th.  Street  and  Cathedral 

Park. 

DR.  ALFONSO  PRECIADO Physician  and  Surgeon Clinic:  5th.  Street  and  Cathedral 
Park. 

J)R.  A.  S.  BOYD Physician  and  Surgeon Clinic:    9th.  and  Fabrega  Streets. 

Jj]ZEQUIEL  ABADIA.— Physician.— Surgeon.— No.    42  Central  Avenue,  Italian  Pharmacy. 

JJ.  MORENO  PONCE.— Physician  and  Surgeon.— Clinic.  Italian  Pharmacy,  42  Central 
•   Avenue Medical  consultations  at  all  hours. 

CONTRACTORS 

MORALES  BROTHERS— Contracting  engineers  and  agents  of  manufacturers  of  mate- 
rials connected  with  their  work No.  5,  B Street,  Phone  No.  360,  P.  O.  Box.  326 

Code  A.  B.  C.  Sth.  edition. 


INDEX 


PAGES 

By  way  of  Preface 3 

To  the  Readers 7 

Panama 9 

Historical  Data 10 

The  Panama  Canal 22 

Tourist  Section 26 

Panama  at  the  Present 31 

Public  Instruction 35 

Vital  Statistics 36 

Economic  Situation 37 

Foreign  Commerce 43 

Telegraphs  and  Telephones 53 

Railroads 54 

Property  Value 57 

General  Information 59 

Agriculture 71 

Animal  Production 81 

The  Panamanian  Press 83 

The  timber  resources  of  Panama 84 

Public  Lands 90 

Conservation  of  national  resources 124 


206 

PAGES 

Regulation  on  petroleum  wells 132 

Encouragement  of  new  industries 142 

Industries 146 

Commercial  Taxes 149 

Municipal  tariffs  of  Panama  City 160 

Mail  Tariff 174 

Property  Tax 175 

National  Navigation  Co 176 

Official  and  Commercial  Directory 179