Show OFFICIAL FIGURES lately published pub-lished regarding our neighbor republic re-public of Mexico are full of interest The value of the real estate of the country is set down at 83074636000 of which 81961036000 is classed as urban and 773000000 as rural The remainder 8040000000 is devoted de-voted to government uses including church property It will be seen that over twothirds of all real estate es-tate value is located within cities Brigandage and disorder are the cause for this the people having been driven together for safety There is no such thing as the farmhouse farm-house as it exists in this country n The Mexicans have the hacienda which is simply a stockade or little fortified town Even the most eligible I eli-gible locations near the cities and I large towns are vacant it not being safe to live on them The number of houses in cities is giver as 1421 934 while the whole population is but 10000000 or 12009000 at most The extremes of riches and poverty belonging to old world civilization appear in the divisions of these buildings for while the 30648 of the first class have an average value of 24500 the second class has 19S 846 worth 83100 each and the third l156440with an average of but 8300 The first class is made up largely of palaces while the third which amounts to more than fourfifths or the whole are in great part mere hovels Church buildings ale valued val-ued at 881000000 divided into 554 000000 for 178 larger edificesall Catholicand 27000000 for 1200 smaller which includes some Protestant Pro-testant churches The national amusements are represented by fortysix theatres worth 5000000 I twenty three bull rings valued at 8620000 and ninetyeight cock pits I put down at 8116000 Signs of change and of course of improvement improve-ment are beginning to show themselves them-selves chiefly through the influence and exertion of the Americans who are steadily increasing their interest u Alonl the lines 01 in the country aionc LUC JUlI > UJ the new railroads being built by Americans the social and industrial aspect of things is becoming somewhat American The Mexican authorities are said to be ready to accept suggestions from citizens and officials of the United States and when it is possible they cheerfully adopt and put in practice American ideas It will take a long time to bring Mexico up to the level of other civilized countries but the 1 work is going ahead |