The Washington herald., 1908-05-10


director. from information available in
the library OF the Bureau of American
Republics
Argentina has been compared TO an ex-
panded Dakota; or, il the snow and cold
Of that Northern State must be consid-
cred, it is better to think Of Texas. with
It's field, its pastures, and endless vistas.
For almost 500 miles after leaving Buenos
Ayres, due west toward Chile and the
Pacific Ocean, the traveller sees cattle,
wheat alfalfa and sheep. on level plain
over which the railway easily transports
these products to tidewater. After leav-
ing this agricultural land. the road en-
ters the mountains, the Andes are crossed
at the height Of eternal snows-!t Is no
Longer. plain, but peaks and vaIleys-and
this is the difference between Argentina
and Chile
From Antarctic to Tropics.
Chile is 2.52O miles long. All this stretch
on the coast is accessible TO the sea.
Chile has already $500 miles Of railway.
and is rapidly extending her system, so
that soon there viii be trans-Andean rail
routes into Argentina and Bolivia, and a
longitudinal line traversing practically the
republic from end to end The ultimate
purpose is to connect Punta Arenas. on
the Straits Of Magellan, with the trop~
zeal north. a rail system over which as
well as over the coastwise steamers that
to-day convey most of the traffic, can be
carried the sheep. the wheat. and the
crops OF the temperate zone, to exchange
with the nitrates, the copper. and the cot
J. afFar "A
is rich in mineral wealth also.
For the last fiscal year reported, the
foreign trade of Chile amounted to $l76,-
O00.000. of which $79,030000 were imports
and $g7, 100000 We're exports. OF the inn
ports into Chile, the United States fur
nished 992 per cent, Great Britain 3Zu
per cent, Germany 2523 per cent. France
rs per cent. and Australia 1 per cent, the
remainder being distributed among the
other contributing nations OF the ex-
ports from Chile, the United States took
1920 per cent Great Britain $500 per cent
and Germany 27.5S per cent The great
difference between the imports into the
various sections is noteworthy.
Products of North Chile.
In the northern portion the order Of
Importance is oils, machinery, mineral
products although this Is the great min
eral region. but as yet only the crude ma
terial is produced; the manufactured ar
ticle of iron, steel, and copper being
cheaper when imported than when made
at home In the commercial, pastoral.
and agricultural sections of Middle and
Southern Chile textiles head the list
while machinery and vegetable products
follow
The exports from the republic are a
considerable item, even emitting for the
moment the mineral wealth. Horses and
mules are exported in large numbers;
$4,000 worth of honey and wax was
shipped away last year, most Of it going
TO Germany; of animal products, hides
wool, &c, the amount was S3. 900 000; of
vegetable products, wheat, barley, beans
&c, 100000; while other crops traceable
to the fields produced a surplus for ex-
port Of 81, ,00O 900.
Chile is not given credit for such agri-
cultural riches. yet she is entitled to it,
There are 125. 900 acres which might be
used for agriculture and grazing, but only
25,O00000 are thus employed. II Chile
reached population equal to that of
France Chile to-day has about 4000 O00),
she would have 54,000o00 and could nOur-
ish them all from the soil Above this
area for crops and cattle, however, are
60,0000G0 other acres which are not arabic.
but supply minerals.
Mining Chief Industry.
OF all the industries in Chile. that of
mining is the most important. This, with
agriculture is the basis of national pros
perity. From the point Of view of the va
riety Of products of the mines, few couu-
tries offer such opportunities for business
as Chile. Nearly all the known metals
Of the world are found here, but among
these the most important is nitrate Of
soda. The mining of nitrate is divided
into about 100 large contracts, the govern
ment making an annual allotment for the
working of new nitrate lands. The in
dustry employs about 5000 werkmen.
The principal consumers are Great Brit
ain, Germany France, and the United
States. Nitrate has an agricultural and
Industrial value. being used for fertilizer
and for chemical products
1t is estimated that il the worlds an
nual consumption be stated to be 100000
tons, the deposits IN Chile viii supply the
world for $50 years. During the last COM
mercial year the worlds consumption was
S6,000000 quintals Of 100 pounds each.
Chile exported 65.0O00O0 of nltrates But
this is by no means all the mineral out
put OF copper, about SS,000.O00 worth left
the country; of iodine. nearly $1,000. 600; OF
borax about Sl.oO0,000, and of gold, about
Sl0O0O0O
Peru Reaches Both Seas.
Peru has one great advantage over all
the South American republics. except CO.
lombia. She has a coast line on the Pa
cihc 1900 miles long, with harbors capable
of caring for all the shipping of the
western slope. but in addition Peru has
port on the Amazon, IquitOs, 800 miles
from the Atlantic, but practically a sea-
port, because here can be loaded the
products Of the great interior. both vege-
table and mineral. and sent. without
transshipment, to all other nations of the
world
For the last year the exports OF Peru
We're about S25000,000 and the exnorts
nearly S29O00.000 The country is recoe.-
nlzed as highly mineralized region. and
tradition has made Peru the home of
much OF the wealth of the Incas. and
the spot from which Pizarro enriched
Spain. This is true to-day. Copper and
silver are the leading metals one large
mining company produced forty tons of
pure copper a day. and this increases
every year. In 1896 100000 worth OF
copper was produced, nearly $5.O00O of
silver, nearly 100000 of gold. and over
Sl,000000 Of petroleum. Besides these there
are valuable deposits of lead. quicksilver.
iron. tin. and sulphur Peru is blessed
above many Of her neighbors In having
accessible and already worked deposits of
all kinds of coal. Petroleum. also, is pro-
duced in modern, commercial way, so
that she is one of the lucky few not com
PEELED to go abroad for Illuminating oils.
Agriculture Shows Progress.