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Private issues (El Triunfo and Santiago)

We have reports of vales issued by various businesses in El Triunfo but only one example is recorded. Three issues were printed by the government printing office and so would have been relatively professional, but the others might have been just a common design, even Jefatura Política vales.

On 10 April Ortega asked the Presidentes Municipales of Todos Santos, Santiago, San José del Cabo and  El Triunfo what quantities of vales for 5c, 10, 20c and 50c each businessman neededABCS, Gobernación, vol. 648, exp. 106. El Triunfo replied with a request for $460 for fourteen different businesses (Sixto M Aramburo $100, Felix González $100, Carlos Arámburo $50, Felipe J Estrada $20, Juan Bancalari $25, Han Ley y Ca $50, Ramón Moyrón $30, Antonio R. Amador $10, Octavíano Holasco $20, Tranquilina de Mendoza $10, Juan Ojeda $50, Juan B. Cota $10, Ygnacio Verdugo $50 and Placido Cota $25). The Presidente Municipal himself, Francisco G Cota, already had enough moneyibid..

On 14 April La Paz told the Subprefecto Político, Francisco Ramos, that if decree núm 7 had been complied with, paper currency would not be in the public’s hands. It should insist that employers paid workers with currency in general circulation, and that merchants did not give local vales as change but kept them to exchange for bonos of the Jefatura Política. Businesses could make provisional handwritten vales of five, ten and twenty centavos for change, subject to printing and validating them properly. In this way it should stop the circulation of local valesibid.. On the same day in another telegram Ortega confirmed his earlier message and ordered the Subprefecto Político to let his office know the number of local vales in the hands of the poor. The next day he would send bonos for businesses to exchange for vales of the Jefaturaibid..

On 20 April four merchants had asked for bonos, with deposits in the Subprefectura. These were Carlos Mendosa de San Antonio $200, Magdalena Aguilar $15, Octaviano Holasco $80 and Antonio Maria Cota $75ABCS, Gobernación, vol. 647 2.2, exp. 38. The next day four more merchants made request (Adela de Orantes $15, Antonio Romero $105, Félix Ojéda $125, and Manuel Gutiérrez $40)ibid.. On 23 April La Paz sent the $1,355.00 in bonos to cover these eight requests and $700 for discretionary exchangeibid..

On 23 April the Subprefecto Político, F. Ramos, reported that twelve merchants had asked for authorisation to issue a total of $385 in vales of 5c, 10c and 20cibid.. If all these requests were granted we can expect that the following vales were issued, probably simple affairs with the seals of the issuer and the authorising local authority.

Ignacio Verdugo

Ignacio Verdugo was a regidor of San Antonio on several occasions from 1893 onwards.

    from to total
number
total
value
 
Ignacio Verdugo 5c          
10c        
20c        
        $40.00

Francisco G. Cota

Francisco G. Cota was appointed subprefecto político in San Antonio in July 1914ABCS, Guerra, vol. 624, exp. 209, telegram subprefecto político, San Antonio, to jefe político, La Paz, 29 July 1914.

    from to total
number
total
value
 
Francisco G. Cota c          
10c        
20c        
        $35.00

Ramón Moyrón

Ramón Moyrón was a member of the town council of San Antonio on several occasions from 1894 onwards.

    from to total
number
total
value
 
Ramón Moyrón 5c          
10c        
20c        
        $40.00

Han Ley y Compañía  

    from to total
number
total
value
 
Han Ley y Compañía   5c          
10c        
20c        
        $40.00

Juan B. Cota

    from to total
number
total
value
 
Juan B. Cota 5c          
10c        
20c        
        $15.00

Juan and Carlos Ojeda

Juan Ojeda Melsson was the tesorero municipal of Todos Santos in June 1915ABCS, Gobernación, vol. 642, exp. 150 telegram J. O. Melsson, Todos Santos, to Presidente, Junta Neutral, 14 June 1915.

    from to total
number
total
value
 
Juan and Carlos Ojeda 5c          
10c        
20c        
        $50.00

Felipe J. Estrada

    from to total
number
total
value
 
Felipe J. Estrada 5c          
10c        
20c        
        $10.00

Antonio Orantes

On 12 April 1915 Orantes was reported to the subprefecto político for refusing to accept local currency in payment for the meat he was selling. Orantes denied this and said he had already sold the meat to Sixto M. Arámburu and so had none available for saleABCS, Gobernación, vol. 641, exp. 132.

    from to total
number
total
value
 
Antonio Orantes 5c          
10c        
20c        
        $20.00

Julio Mendoza

    from to total
number
total
value
 
Julio Mendoza 5c          
10c        
20c        
        $40.00

Juan Bancalari

Juan Bancalari

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    from to total
number
total
value
 
Juan Bancalari 5c          
10c        
20c        
        $15.00

Placido Cota

Placido Cota was a general merchant (comerciante) in San Antonio.

    from to total
number
total
value
 
Placido Cota 5c          
10c        
20c        
        $40.00

Sixto M. Aramburu

Sixto M. Aramburu asked for $40 for use in his butcher shop (carniceria).

    from to total
number
total
value
 
Sixto M. Aramburu 5c          
10c        
20c        
        $40.00

 

On 20 May the government printing office (Imprenta del Gobierno) sent details of the vales it had printedABCS, Gobernación, vol. 642, exp. 150 letter F M González, Director to Secretario of Jefatura Política, 20 May 1915 including $200 for Sixto M. Aramburu.

The catalogues list but do not illustrate a 5c vale from Sixto M. Aramburu dated June 1915[image needed].

    from to total
number
total
value
 
Sixto M. Aramburu   5c          
10c      
20c        
50c        
         

 

On 22 January 1916 the Presidente Municipal of Triunfo, F. G. Cota, reported that Sixto M Arámburo and Carlos (Charles) Benton had asked for authorisation to print vales, the first for $500 and the second for $1,000. They would be backed by bank notes ABCS, Gobernación, vol. 658 2/2, exp.190. He was told he could authorise each to issue $250, fully guaranteed, of merely local circulation, and valid for 90 days ibid..

    from to total
number
total
value
 
Sixto M. Aramburu            
        $250.00

Antonio María Cota

On 20 May the government printing office (Imprenta del Gobierno) sent details of the vales it had printedABCS, Gobernación, vol. 642, exp. 150 letter F M González, Director to Secretario of Jefatura Política, 20 May 1915 including $200 for Antonio María Cota.

Antonio María Cota was the second biggest landowner in Todos Santos. He was the presidente municipal in 1904-1905.

    from to total
number
total
value
 

Antonio María Cota

5c          
10c        
20c        
50c        
         

San Juanes Reduction Co.

The Sanjuanes (or San Juanes) reduction mill was located in San Antonio. On 8 May the government printers sent the Jefatura Política $500 in notes issued by the Sanjudines (sic) Reduction Co., in accordance with the 31 March agreementABCS, Gobernación, vol. 642, exp. 150. These comprised

    from to total
number
total
value
 
San Juanes Reduction Co.    5c     1,000 $  50.00  
10c     1,500 150.00
20c     1,000 200.00
50c     200 100.00
         $500.00

 

The plant was probably closed by this timeIt was certainly not operating in August 1914 (ABCS, Gobernación, vol. 623 bis, exp. 91 Informe del inspector de gobierno sobre la situación de las minas incautadas de San Antonio y El Triunfo, August 1914), so the notes were for local commerce or paying a residual staff rather than general wages.

On 20 May the government printing office (Imprenta del Gobierno) confirmed it had printed $500ABCS, Gobernación, vol. 642, exp. 150 letter F M González, Director to Secretario of Jefatura Política, 20 May 1915.

The mine had reopened by May 1916 since the miners then went on strike, sending a note to the jefe politico in which they demanded that the company respond to their request to be paid, every fortnight, in silver or its equivalence in banknotes (billetes de banco). The authorities replied on 29 May that the management had agreed to fortnightly payments but was unable to afford an increase in wagesABCS, Gobernación, vol. 661, exp. 114.

On 2 July when it was agreed that four casas comerciales in La Paz could make a further issue of vales the news was circulated to the Presidente Municipales of San José del Cabo, Todos Santos and El Triunfo, who were asked to find out if local businesses wanted to do the sameABCS, Gobernación, vol. 642, exp. 150.

Carlos (Charles) Benton

On 22 January 1916 the Presidente Municipal of Triunfo, F. G. Cota, reported that Sixto M Arámburo and Carlos (Charles) Benton had asked for authorisation to print vales, the first for $500 and the second for $1,000. They would be backed by bank notes ABCS, Gobernación, vol. 658 2/2, exp.190. He was told he could authorise each to issue $250, fully guaranteed, of merely local circulation, and valid for 90 days ibid.. Charles Benton then telegraphed Angulo that $250 was not enough and asked if they could validate the $1,000 that he had had printedibid..He was asked to send an example of his vales to the Comandancia Militar, and to provide the Tesorería Municipal with $1,000 in banknotesibid..

    from to total
number
total
value
 
Carlos Benton            
        $1,000.00

Santiago

Santiago is 135 kilometres southeast of La Paz, on the road to San José del Cabo.

On 8 April 1915 Alfonso J. Cota of Santiago reported that he was going to issue $40 in vales and Ortega replied that he had already arranged to send printed valesABCS, Gobernación, vol. 648, exp. 106.

On 10 April Ortega asked the Presidentes Municipales of Todos Santos, Santiago, San José del Cabo and  El Triunfo what quantities of vales for 5c, 10, 20c and 50c each businessman neededibid..