Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-03-02
LABOR IN SOUTH AMERICA.
Machinery Cannot no Away with IN.
Primitive uethosls I'm f.tli

Machinery Cannot 10 Away with IN.
Primitive Methods In chill.
Tho day wc were anchored In tho
bay Of Coronel the Osiris was sur.
rounded by lighters laden with coal.
which was being rapidly shoveled into
the hunks by dark skinned natives
The white mist that hung over us made
the water look like dull silver; In the
foreground were ships at anchor. and
small lighters provided with winches
aud nets for dredging up the bits Of
coal that fall into tho water while the
steamers are loading; In tho back.
ground were the winding wheels Of the
coalpiis; tho moles surnountcd by
trains OF coal trucks; the sickly sui.
phurous smoke streams Of tho incyita.
bic smelling works, the small town Of
Coronci clustered along the sandy black
beach, and, behind, the green hin.
diapcrcd with mule paths and patches
of red or yellow earth.
The meals Of the coal beavers on tho
forc decl. Interested Us. Great bowls
OF beans, humps Of salt beef and fat
piles OF biscuit and gallons OF coffee
were served out TO them. Encl, ,uan
took what he needed Of the solid.
chose his corner on the rail. over the
matches, or simply ON the bare deck,
and ate with no moro comfort than n
dog Then each man produced lnr,,c
violet musscl sholl, which he used In
lieu OF a spoon TO scoop up tho beans
and drink the coffee Let Il be ~.
innrlied TINT these coal beavers oarn
high wages, ~ much rs five Gillian
dollar, or say ten shillings gold. n dny.
and their food gratis; and yet they no.
main little better thnn good nattSca
brutes, taking no strong drink while
they arc ut work. but ready for any
quantity OF dissipation after sunset, In.
providcnt In tho cttrumc. and willing
20 work, and 20 work well. only when
they have no money let to spend.
While watching those strong muscu.
lar fellows ! had some conversation
with the Russian timber merchant
about Ibis experience of men and things
In Chill, the subject having been led up
TO by my rcmarking tho frequent cyi.
dcncos Of primitycncss In Gillian
methods Of working. Speaking Of tho
great strength md hardness Of tho
Cliilian native laborcr. Herr c. sald
that this was still more noticeable In
the morc southern forest districts. AZ
Puerto Montt, for Instance, which Il
ono Of tho most important timber ports,
tho work Is done entirely by hand. Tho
trees aro fcllod with axes, sawn into
planlts ON tho spot by hand, and tho
plonks carried TO tho port from dis.
tancc OF ten or twelve miles, balanced
on tho shoulder Of man, who goes
along undcr his burden at run. None
but native Chilians could do such
work, nnd, given the absence OF roads.
and above all tho nature Of tho work.
mon. all attempts TO modornize to
methods nj getting out tho timber have
failed.
Experiments have been madc IN In
Producing North American machinery.
but without success. Tho innoyators
have Invariably lost their money, and
tho natives, nccua,onicl 10 do every.
thing with their hands. havo In tho
end willfully broken the machinery IN
order to have done with It. mention.
ed tho fact that the Gillian govern.
ment, a. | had been informed. mod.
itated the essay Of Norwegian and
Swedish colonies In these southern for
est rglons, Herr c. was Of opinion
that this scheme Is utterly Inpraotlcn
bic, for the simple reason that Scandl.
nayian oolonists would refuse to live
like pigs, as the Chillans live. lilo
present primitive methods tho cheap.
ost and the most practical. Theodore
Child In llnrper's,