THE HONDURAS REPUBLIC.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 904, 13 October 1910, Page 4

THE HONDURAS REPUBLIC.

BRITISHERS AND AMERICANS THREATENED. CONSULS ASK FOR WARSHIPS. New York, October 10. The Sun’s Gautemala advices state that foreigners at Amapala, Honduras, fled owing to General Valadares, the commandant, ordering all Americans and Britishers to be imprisoned and their property confiscated. The bulk of the American’s property was seized. The British Consul fled to San Salvador, amid a shower of bullets from the troops. The Commandant wanted to arrest him on a charge ot fomenting a revolution. The Consul has asked for a warship to be sent.

The commandant threatens to burn the city immediately a warship is sightedThe American gunboat Princeton, now at Acapulco, has been ordered to Amapala.

Honduras is a Republic in Central America, established in 1839, just before the Confederation of Central America broke up. It is governed by a president and congress, elected by popular vote, for four years. Religious liberty is guaranteed by the Constitution, but Roman Catholicism prevails. Education is free, compulsory irom seven to fifteen years of age, and secular. The army comprises 2000 men and the militia 30,000. The country possesses great agricultural resources and much mineral wealth, but these have been neglected because of lack of capital and transport. The revemre is derived mainly from th* Customs and from Government monopolies in spirits, powder and tobacco. The area is 43,000 square miles (New Zealand’s area is a little over 100,000 square miles) and the population 500,136 (mostly Indians), the imports form 1907-8 were valued at ,£425,456, and exports at ,£382,097, the public debt being £5> 39 5 ,57°. The Republic does not believe in paying interest on the public debt, the arrears in 1908 amounting to no less than ,£16,681,127.