Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 231, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 September 1916 — SOUTH AMERICA'S THIRD CITY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

SOUTH AMERICA'S THIRD CITY

For RAPID growth and development, Sao Paulo, Brazil, stands almost preeminent among the cities of the world. Founded in 1554 by Jesuit priests under Father Jose de Anchieta, the “Apostle of South America,” the city had only 5,000 inhabitants in the year 181 G. In 1832 the white population amounted to about 15,000 in the whole municipality, and in 1850 there was scarcely any change in the figures. But after 1875, which is to say after railways began to penetrate the' fertile Interior and the great development of coffee culture opened the way to white immigration, there was a series of leaps In the number of inhabitants: In 1872 Sao Pauo hud 23.000 inhabitants; in 1890, 61*000; in 1893, 131,000; in 1600, 240,000; in 1910, 375,000, and in 1915, 500,000, says Miss J. Elwin Elliott in the Pan-American Magazine. Between 1890 and 1900 Sao Paulo arose from her position of a pleasant but practically stagnant town, waking to extraordinary activity; she. transformed her outward appeaarnce, practically rebuilding the old city, laying out new areas of streets and repaving tlie old ones; presently she reformed her water supplies, constructed a splendid system of sanitation, and today stands in beauty of edifices (public and private), avenues and city streets, civic cleanliness and order, pmnng the first cltLcAofthfeAmaricns. She comes third in size among South American cities, with Buenos Aires first and Rio de Janeiro second. For the year 1916 the revenues of Sao Paulo are calculated at about 9,009 contos, which at the rate of exchange prevailing at the end of 1915 is the equivalent in United States money of about $2,250,000. City expenditures are high, because Sao. Paulo has employed lurge sums in creating a beautiful and well-kept eity, clean, healthy, with fine public service. To perform all this work —and most of it has been done within the last dozen years—she has Incurred a city debt of nearly $4,000,000 United States currency, an amount far from excessive in view of her wealth and future prospects as a growing center of development. Under the control of broadminded prefeitos (mayors) Of the city great amount of boldly conceived Improvement work has been done; the name of Paul Souza is among these makers of Sao Paulo, his work being followed by that of the famous Paulis-

ta, Conselheiro Antonio I’rado, to whom both state and city owe much. The present‘prefeito, Dr. Washington Luiz, is a fine representative son of &ao Paulo, energetic, farseeing, capable ; he has done more than any other head of the city to purify it morally and physically, and while laying stress upon strict economy he has not hesitated to go ahead with certain civic improvements which will add much to the grace of the city. Rapid Growth of Business. The greatest' source of revenue of Sao Paulo city'is that obtained by the taxes levied upon “Industries and provisions.” The greatest yield in this long list IS that from factories, and the growth of income is significant of the quick development of Sao Paulo as a business center. In the year 1907 the taxes upon Industries and professions yielded less than 2,000 contos of reis, while in 1911 they brought in 2,GO9 contos, or nearly half of the total city income. In 1913 the amount yielded had risen to over 3,000 contos of reis; in 1915 to 3,447 contos, out of a total revenue of about 8,661 contos. It may be calculated that this tax always brings in over 40 per cent of the city Income. Examining this list of contributing industries, professions and commerce, oine finds that banks and banking agencies pay together some $37,000 a year; shoe factories contribute $8 000, and shoe stores rather less; ironworks pay nearly 87.000: furniture factories and sellers bring in another $8,000; goldsmiths and jewel workers about the same amount ; match factories pay over $4,000; druggists about $9,000; sawmills, $6,000; cotton factories, nearly $12,000; jute factories, $8,0007 and potteries another SB,OOO.

The biggest Items in the expenditures of the -city of Sao Paulo are those for public service, including upkeep of parks and gardens and municipal cleaning; all this work is splendidly performed, the city being quite one of the best kept on the western hemisphere. Nearly $1,000,000 a year is thus spent. Large Foreign Element. Sao Paulo, in common with all South American cities of importance, has a large foreign business element; the English and French have a strong hold in finance, have done a great deal o# obstruction work, and own some powerful commercial houses representing large investments. The Italians are generally represented by the industrial element and smaller commercial enterprises. although there are also some great Italian fortunes here: Germans long ago entered in commerce, banking and agriculture, and there has |>een, especially since the European war began, an increasing commercial Interest on the part of North Americans in Sao Pa'tilo. However, it must not be imagined that as has happened in some parts of Latin America, enterprise is in the hands of foreigners alone; the Paullsta has himself worked to make his state great, has constructed splendid railways, built roads and bridged rivers, developed huge plantations, created prpnt commercial- houses. _la„operating—fine banks, and altogether Is as keen an international trader as his brother from Europe. "During iny residence here,” said one of the foreigners to the writer at the beginning of 1916, “I have twice seen the population of Sao Paulo double itself. I should not be surprised to see the same thing happen again in the course of the next ten years, with the pastoral development of the huge interior regions to which this city is the door. The modem Sao Paulo has been built within the last quarter of a century, and although the impetus given by the rise of the coffee industry was the great moving power, yet it has been greatly supplemented by the expansion of manufacturing in or near the city.” J‘Do you expect to see this factory extension continue?” “Certainly. Remember that this Is the greatest manufacturing center of all Brazil, and that we can ship our goods into every state in the Brazilian union and cater to a total population

of over 22,000,000 people, even if we do not take into account the markets of other South American countries.” Fine Place to Live in. “It is a healthy city, a place where the white man can live and rear a big, healthy family,” said one business man. “That is one great point. Then take its extraordinary situation with regard to the flow of commerce: Sao Paulo is the natural outlet not only for ail the products of the rich interior of Sao Paulo state, the coffee, cattle, cereals and forest produce, but it is the door for the huge expanse of Matto Grosso, Goyaz and a great part of Minas Geraes, even if we do not count 'upon our railway connection with the three most southern states. “I see Sao Paulo as the center of a great network of spreading lines §ll of which bring agricultural and mineral products to this great point of distribution. Within a radius of 20ft milK)of Sao Paulo there are 8,000,000 people. “We have a great deal to be proud of in Sao Paulo. I am Sot wjtfaking only for our achievements in making the city convenient and beautiful, for any visitor can see for himself our fine colleges, hospitals, government build-* ings, splendid residences, evergreen; parks; he can ride on our 240 kilome-i ters of street railway,- visit the Mu hi-; cipal theater and the museum at Yplrangn, go out to beautiful suburban: districts and visit over 300 and he will still miss the spirit that! has made Sao Paulo great if he does! not realize in what a short space of; time all this has been accomplished, and in what a daring attitude of trust for the future. The PauPsta has planned for his children baldly and lavishly.”

MUSEUM OF YPIRANGA

AVENIDA TIRADENTES