Bisbee daily review., 1910-02-22
CHEAP CONSULS
ALLOW EUROPE
TO TAKE TRADE
Jack Rice, Back From South
America, Points Out Why
Germany and Others Are
Supreme There.

Jack Rice. who is in the city. having
just returned from South America.
does not pay very flattering tribute
to the American Consular service in
South American republics. 1t Is the
same complaint heard often before of
incompetency and In some cases a
bigoted individual with bad case of
swell head" MIR. Rice states that
American capital invested in South
American republics is at a minimum
in comparison with the English and
German. who together with some
French and Italians, practically con-
troll the industries of the country
In speaking of mining conditoEs in
South American republics, especially
in Brazil. Chile and Bolivia. Mr. Rice
stated to a Review man that South
America was no place for a working
man. as all labor was cheap, averag-
ing not more than $3.50 gold in the
mines. In Brazil the chief mining in
dustry is iron and a few Americans
have some valuable concessions.
The principal copper mines are
found in Chile where the Braden Cop
per Co. is oerating under the direction
of the Guggenheims. This is the big
gest copper mine in Chile and a rail
road is now being built from the coast
to the property. The Central Chile
Copper Co. is also another producer
and the Poda Rosa mine, on the Bo-
Hyian frontier. is also another rich
property. At the Poda Rosa no,aing
below Ii per cent copper is shipped
and the entire outfit goes direct TO
England TO be smelted. The copper
output of Chile is approximately So
o0o,00e pounds per annum and by way
of comparison is equal to the produc-
ton of the Calumet & Arizona com
pany in this county.
The production of sodium nitrate is /
the big industry of Chile.
The export duty on this product
alone nets the Chilean government
s24,000.ooo gold per annum. The so
dunn nitrate beds are owned By Eng
hshmen and Germans mostly. and a
few by French and Italians. The so
dium nitrate deposits are found In
caliche from the surface to a depth Of
80 feet and the beds are located in !
an arid region where it never rains.
The sodium nitrate is refined by
process and is shipped 96 per
cent fine almost entirely to England
where it is sold for a fertilizer.
Chile also has enough borax 10 sup
ply the world for a period OF 200 years
The Borax Consolidated Co owns
lake fifteen miles long and averaging
one foot thick.
During his absence Mr.. Rice also
visited Bolivia where he says the
principal mining industry is tin. The
export of this metal from Bolivia
TO S0.0o0.OOO pounds Of
barilla,' or tin matte, about OF per
cent fine which brings price of about
10 per 100 pounds in the United
States. IL is estimated that the
United States consumes so per cent
or the entire tin output of the world. |
sul not a pound is shipped direct
from Bolivia to the United States.
England taking the entire output. The
lin mines of Bolivia are located in
the Andes above timber line and a |
resInous moss known as "yaretta" is
used for fuel purposes. In Bolivia is
produced about one-fifth of the Tin
product OF the world.
The principal cities visited by Mr..
Rice on his business trip included Rio
Janeiro, population 100000: Buenos
Ayres' population 100000: Santiago.
population 100000; Valparaiso. popu-
laton 100000. Mr. Rice relates a
number Of interesting incidents of his
UP, but Is glad TO be back home and
says the United States is good enough
for him.