Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-13

the red-dollar-an-acre corn fields
of Illinois look like 30 cents This land
is as barren as the Sahara. 1t has not
a pant, a tree, blade Of grass. nor any
green thing. II is land where one often
has to go a hundred miles for a drink
and one upon which the rains never fall
1t is land made up of rocks. stone and
sand. and of salty particles that reflect
the rays of the tropical sun infiaming
he eyes. 1t is the great nitrate fields
that run through the desert and up and
down this west coast from below Anto-
facssta to the Peruvian boundary.
For a generation and more these nitrate
fields have made Chile richer than any
other South American country. and today
they bring to its annual revenues an
amount equal to $50 for every family in
the republic. Since 1880 the total rev.
enue from nitrate export duties has been
over s4oO, 01o, OC0 in gold. and If the pres
ent rate of production continues during
the next twenty-five years the amount
will be three-quarters of billion more.
Today the nitrate Ids are paying from
81 to 81 per cent of all the government
expenses, and. in addition. are yielding
fortunes to those who exploit them.
Antofagasta, where this letter Is writ
ten. is one of the chief nitrate ports. 1t
is 2 400 miles from the Panama canal,
and 1t will soon have procession Of nj
trate ships sailing northward to the
United States and Europe Today the
vessels are still going around by the Strait
of Magellan. and the d stance thus saved
will be thousands OF miles. The bulk of
the n'trat eeXportS are now controlled by
an American syndicate. known as the Nj
trate Agencies, Limited. This company
exports in the neighborhood of a billion
pounds of nitrate a year and controls
about one-fourth of the product Its
ships are always loading at the nitrate
ports and starting out for the United
States. Europe or far-off Japan. The
syndicate has considerable British cap
ital but it is under American managers
and its methods are entirely American.
The controlling influence and largest
owners are w. r. Grace & Co. of New
York and London, firm that has its
nitrate deposits and factories scattered
throughout the desert from here to Peru.
But first let me tell you something
about nitrate of soda. 1t is one Of the
richest fertilizers on earth and 1t has
doubled the crop Of many an American
farm. 1t is used largely In Germany,
where II Is employed In raising sugar
beets. and In the United States. which is
now buying more than 12O.OO0.ON
pounds of ii every year. We take about
one-fifth of the product. and now that the
canal is completed shall probably take
more. Among the other large consumers
IN Europe are Great Britain, Frame.
Holland and Belgium. 1t Is largely used
in the Hawaiian Islands and also in little
Japan. the latter country now importing
about 5000 900 pounds every month.
Nitrate of soda when taken out of the
ground and purified looks just like white
salt. 1t is made up of small crystals or
grains, and it is in this shape that 1t is
shipped to the markets 1t is put up in
Df N dc aanh nd In riaH
from the ports out to the steamers in
lighters.
The nitrate beds begin at some distance
below Antofagasta and they run north