PANAMA & PARROTS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2303, 10 November 1914, Page 3

PANAMA & PARROTS

WHERE TWO OCEANS MEET , TROUBLED MEXICO Among the passongers to arrive from ban J' rancisco by the Moana last week was Mr. It. White, of Queensland andj\ew Zealand, whoso rather curious business consists of trading in Mexican parrots. One would not imagine that such a business would amount to much in this prosaic age, but nevertheless it takes' Mr. White to Nicaragua and Honduras nearly every year, and incidentally to many Mexican ports and Panama. Mr. White is one of the very few who have traversed the Panama Canal since it has been opened for trainc, and he talks interestingly of the wonders of the great work. MTmt him most was the heavy traffic which was at once diverted to tho Canal as soon as it was opened. When he traversed the new waterway, there appeared to be nothing but a long procession of steamers passing either one way or the other from the first thing in the morning until the last thing at night. The locks work absolutely smoothly and expeditiously, with the result that a steamer can pass from the Pacific to the Atlantic or vice versa in ten hours. The trip could be accomplished in less time than that, but that is about the average time occupied. The scenery is very interesting for the groater part of tho trip, and at times ono is floating along between banks which fo'rm the edges of virgin forest of a particularly dense and luxuriant character. _ A gciod deal of trouble had been experienced all along 011 account of slips in tlie great Cutebra Cut, and one could seo where miles of country had slipped from tho face of the cut into the Canal. Millions of tons of earth had been dredged away, but he was very much afraid there would be a lot more trouble in the rainy seasons at that point. As illustrating the use that was being made of the Canal, Mr. White stated that '"the AmericanHawaiian Steamship Company gave out tliat one of its steamers made tlie passage of t1.% Canal every 36 hours.

"No cargo is now carried by tlio Zone railway—it all goes through by steamer," said slr. White. "I think there are more soldiers guarding the Canal than there are in the whole of Western America. Every lock is clcsely guarded by a detachment of the military, and no one is. allowed to inspect any lock without a special ]>ermit and under the guidance of a military guard. No liquor is allowed, to be sold - on the zone —those who want it have to go to Panama, which is three or four, miles away from the Pacific entran,cc to the Canal. It is a beautiful city, more up-to-date in its arrangements than any other city I know." Troublous Mexico. On the way up from Panama, to San Francisco, the steamer called at no fewer than- eighteen ports, and the trip occupied twenty-seven days. Some ofthese ports-were in Mexico; which was still ill the throes of revolution, though the trouble there had been ,"snowed under", in the eyes of the world by the big war in Europe. When he was in Salina Cruz the Federal troops commandeered the cargo of flour and beans of the American steamer San Jose, and though there was ', an' American gunboat in port they were permitted to get away with it. With tlie guns of the fort trained upon her, the gunboat was helpless. Besides, Mr. Wnite formed the opinion that the American was notdisposed to court trouble with Mexico as it would mean a long and bloody war with but little result ultimately, and a war that would rouse feeling- against America amongst the South American republics. Mr. White went asliore at Salina Cruz to buy some corn for his birds. He succeeded ill getting hold of fifty pounds, for which he had to pay at the rate of Is. per . lb., but on his arrival back at. the waterfrontthe troops; who were badly f provisioned,' seized the sack of corn without troubling t<j make any apologies. On account of the conditions that prevail, the trade of the country is paralysed, and as few steamers as possible call at Mexican ,ports on their way along, the coast. The American consuls had been withdrawn from- all the ports—their business being conducted by the British consular agents. . Parrots that Talk.

Mr. White's, quest for parrots—the ! green talking parrot—took him to' Corinto, in Nicaragua, and Omapala, in Honduras. He says tliat there is a lively demand for these parrots, . and there is keen buying competition for them amongst the agents from England, America, and the Continent. This is because every parrot is a talker —it was not possible -to buy a Mexican parrot that did not pick up words and phraseswithin a week or two. They were caught when young by the half bred Indians in quite a novel way. The parrot-catchers went into the forest armed with a long pole, at the top end of which was a piece of mirror glass, in front of which dangled a noose made of horsehair. As soon as a nest was located the mirror was hoisted level with it, and the young birds in their curiosity at seeing their' ,own species reflected, poked their heads through the noose,_ which tightened at once by the exertions of the bird to get away. The pole was then quickly lowered, and the victim' was allowed to regain its breath beforo being placed in a box, and sent; forward to the Celling agents. These birds brought £5 apiece in New Zealand. On his last trip Mr. White brought over'l6o birds.