A second colony located in the San Carlos district is known as
“Colonia de Aguas Zarcas,” and has 500 lots, but it does not progress
for lack of roads and markets easy to reach.
A third colony was established in Santa Clara, on a branch of the
Atlantic Railroad. But there are actually there only eight families
with about seventy hectares of cultivated land, one trapiche and a
saw-mill.
Another colony was started by the River Plate Trust, Loan and Agency
Company, Limited, in Turialba, near the railroad between Limon and
San José. There were 500 acres sold for 15 pesos each, 2071.9 acres
for 20 pesos each, 750 acres for 25 pesos each, and 1381.1 acres for
30 pesos each, the land being situated on the Tuis River and Cabeza
de Buey. Besides a contract was made with W. C. Beal from Portland,
Oregon, U. S. A., for the sale of 14,000 acres on condition of
procuring each year for seven years the settlement of a number of
families to cultivate these lands. In order to give easy access to
the markets, a cart-road is in process of construction, which will
connect the colony with the nearest railroad station.
The Government of Costa Rica is now preparing new laws in regard to
immigration, colonization and sale of national lands. The former laws
have been suspended, the Government being convinced that the lands
appropriated in former years are more than sufficient to respond to
the requirements of the next twenty years. The Government also thinks
it to be preferable to promote by restrictive laws the subdivision
of these lands and their cultivation than to consent to new grants
under the former statutes. Exceptions are to be made for colonization
companies and enterprises adapted to the economic development of the
country.
In former years the Government of Costa Rica has often offered
inducements in the way of land-grants for European immigration. In
1849 a grant of land of twenty leagues in length by twelve in breadth
was made to a French company for 1000 colonists. The conditions of
the contract were not carried out, though a considerable number of
immigrants formed under it an establishment. A similar grant was made
on the Atlantic coast to a British company, which had no result.
Still another concession was made, May 7, 1852, to a German company
organized at Berlin with Baron von Bülow as Director. This enterprise
died with its manager in 1856.
A further attempt was made in 1852, by Crisanto Medina, to whom
a large grant of land was made for colonization purposes at
Miravalles, about 2500 feet above the sea, but this project too was
abandoned after settling about thirty-seven Germans on the grant. In
1856, some French immigrants came, and in 1858 another colonization
law was passed, and ever since the Government has persisted in the
policy of augmenting the population by offering inducements to
foreigners to settle in Costa Rica. All these Government proffers
have, however, proved ineffectual.
VIII.
PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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