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Show A Porto Rican Field Laborer and His Humble Thatched Hut mediately Increased to 16 officers and 350 .guardsmen, with an offlcei of the United States army as In spector. Their work was confined to rural districts and towns of lest than 6,000 Inhabitants, with the municipal police guarding the larger cities. Efficient Police. - In 1QOO a loaf naa onanla tvhtfh (Prepared by Id National fJeographla Society. WaahlnKton, D. C.) PORTO RICO'S problems problems prob-lems that have flowed strangely strange-ly enough in large part from Improved sanitation and health and the consequent rapid Increase In population have come more plainly plain-ly Into view of the Araeiiacn people peo-ple as a result of President I loo- nAi'a i .1 I a rau ' fv hv ea v a, ft VU1VIV V w ver's trip to the island. The area of Porto Rico Is only once and a half that of Delaware, hut' Into its 3,435 square miles are crowded more than a million nnd a half people-nearly people-nearly seven times the population of Delaware, This gives the Island a population density of approximately approxi-mately 450 to the square mile. With more laborers than there Is work to be done, unemployment Is a perennial evil, and a Job Is like an heirloom to be banded down from generation to generation whenever when-ever possible. Usually the plantation laborer and his entire family go barefoot because there are no funds with which to buy shoes. The young boys In the rural districts com-commonly com-commonly run about with less than the proverbial fig leaf to clothe them and suffer not at all, thanks to the glorious climate. Food, perforce. Is both simple and scarce. Rice and beans with a little bit of salt cod, appear on the table when the wage earners are employed em-ployed ; but these are Important an-1 cost money, so they disappear when the Job ends. Then bananas, sweet potatoes, and native vegetables raised on their small patches of ground must tide the families over until another period of employment begins. The United States Department of Agriculture Is trying to induce the natives to raise Belgian hures. The rapidity with which these animals breed, the quickness with which they attain maturity, and the ease wiih which their food require merits are met In tropical environ- - In 1902 a law was enacted which Intrusted the protection of the entire en-tire Island to this organization. Seven police districts were established, estab-lished, each commanded by a captain, cap-tain, a lieutenant, and as many warrant war-rant officers as the chief might find necessary. The headquarters of the chief are at San Juan. It Is said that no state In the Union has a force that does the entire en-tire policing of the commonwealth cities and rural districts alike and Porto Rlco has for the protection protec-tion of her population of 1,544,000 less than 800 policemen, distributed over 75 dlstrlcta When one takes Into consideration considera-tion the mountainous character of the Island, unsettled labor conditions, condi-tions, the prohibition enforcement obligations, Increasing traffic, and trebled property values, It is little wonder that these efficient men have earned an enviable place In the history of the Island. In 1921 retirement re-tirement with pay was provided for members of the force who had served for 25 years and for those who had reached a given age, vary, log from fifty years for the lowest low-est ranking officer to sixty years for the highest. Recently there has been Inaugurated Inaugu-rated an educational campaign for the constabulary. Instruction is given In English, mathematics, geography ge-ography and history, with a record of nearly a 100 per cent voluntary attendance. The professional mendicants of the Island are a persistent hand. With uny sort of shack sufficing for shelter, with native fruits and vegetables available for food, with metit make them poor man's cattle cat-tle par excellence. Hare raising would solve the jlbaro's meat problem prob-lem us perhaps no other industry could. . If one examines the census r-turns, r-turns, the conclusion will likely be drawn flint Porto Itlco has a high percenta.se of home growers; but a very large proportion of these homes are merely thatched shncks, costing perhaps $25 each. Plantation owners are glnd to hove nn lives build the shacks on their estates, as a constant supply of cheap Inhor is thus provided There nre few mortgages, as such buildings are not worth mortgaging. mortgag-ing. The thatch, mao of rough grass or palm leaves. Is sometimes used for side walls as well as the roof, though more frequently the walls are made of royal-palm tnrk. Flattened Flat-tened tin cans and discarded corrugated corru-gated metal sheets are also uilllzed. Homemade Utensils. vegetables available for food, with a very tolerant law and no suffer Ing from the rigors of climate, the beggar has little to worry about. Saturday Is beggars' day, and stores, offices and Individuals lay In supplies of pennies. In the larger establishments a clerk is stationed sta-tioned near the door, and as the mendicants slip in he nonchalantly pushes several pennies to each. The coins are usually accepted-without thanks and as a Just due. The community com-munity thinks It cheaper to Issue these small doles than to pay taxes for charitable institutions. Liberal With Beggars. Salesmen going their rounds usually usu-ally carry a pocketful )f pennies, as they make a better Impression on customers If they are liberal with beggars. As In most tropical countries, the hyperbole Is a tremendously overworked over-worked figure of speech. Admire a native horse, his saddle, his gun, his dog, his house, and he'll tell Dishes and utensils are largely homemade. Gourds and discarded tin cans are substituted for the pots and pans of continental kitchens. kitch-ens. Hammocks and door pallets take the place of beds and chairs. The rural, laboring native Is known as "jlbaro," which literally means "escape from civilization." Good natured, reconciled to a hard lot and a precarious existence, a mixture of Indian and Spanish, he combines the carefree Ideals of the redskin and the Impetuous temperament temper-ament of the Spaniard. The jibnro Inherits his name from the dlstnnt past. After Co lumbus discovered the Island and you in me most convincing tones that It Is yours. But It is yours only after a manner of speaking. Ask him why his people talk In such prodigal fashion and he will reply, "It Is the custom." and custom Is law to them." Retting on horse races Is almost a passion. Every bettor contributes contrib-utes to a pool and the person who picks the winner takes the money. In this way a dollar stands a chance of winning a thousand or more. At dances the ladies of the aristocracy aris-tocracy with their mantillas caught with a rose, their splendid tortoise-shell tortoise-shell combs, and their Inlaid. pnrvari Rnri Hnmpfllnpa Innrolat carved, and sometimes Jeweled fans of silk or feathers to enhance en-hance their natural beauty, and the men, with their velvet or alpaca coats, white trousers, and muJti-hned muJti-hned silk sashes, make a picture one can never, forget. The average market place on Sunday Sun-day is a riot of color nnd a beehive bee-hive of animation. Afoot and on donkey-back, the peasant folk throng the roads, bringing flowers, vegetables and fruits . on their heads and In panniers slung on burros bur-ros or hauled In oxcarts. The rural and village people have very simple amusements. The baptism of an Infant Is the occasion occa-sion of a feast or a dance. From Christmas to Three Kings' day, January Jan-uary G, a succession of fiestas takes place. A pig roast, resembling the familiar barbecue of our southern states. Is one of the culminating events of the native calendar. ' On the eve of Three Kings' day. commemorating the bringing of gifts to the new born babe of Bethlehem, Beth-lehem, the children put bundles of grass under their beds or outside the house, so that the camels of the kings will stop at their home3 when their masters are distributing gifts. Ponce de Leon awakene l it, a gold fever brought ' many adventurers, who Impressed the Indians Into service. Those natives who could escape fled to the interior, away from their slave-driving masters. Some of the pioneering Spaniards made homes for themselves with native women, by whom they had numerous children. These all too ofien were turned adrift. Furthermore, In the past Spain sent to the Islnnd many petty offenders, of-fenders, who sooner or later were released to wander Inland from the. civilization that fringed the coast. Out of diverse types nnd races has been bred the jibara One of the potent factors In the development of Porto Rico has been the constabulary system under American supervision. The police force, which under the Spanish regime consisted of less t than 300 officers nnd men, when the Island was formally taken over by the United States, was replaced by military police under the com mand of Gen. John R. Brooke. In 1899 the present Insular police of Porto Rico was organized with a force of six officers and 100 guardsmen. This was almost im |