Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-09-13


the Euphrate or the
Gauges and one whose workable area
makes the $500 an acre corn fields OF Illinois
look like so cents. This land is as barren as
the Sahara 1t has not a plant, tree, a
blade of grass, nor any green thing. 1t is
land where one often has to go a hundred
miles for 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 nflamng
the ewes. 1t is the great nitrate fields that
run through the desert and up and down
this west coast from below Nntofagasta 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 $40 for every family in the republic.
Since 1880 the total revenue from nitrate
export duties has been over $4OO,00O,OOO in
gold and if the present rate OF production
continues during the next 2o years the
amount will be three-quarters OF billion
more. Today the nitrate fields are paying
from 90 to so per cent OF all the government
expenses. and, in addition, are yielding for
tunes to those who exploit them.
Antofagasta. where this letter is written,
is one OF the chief nitrate ports. 1t is 2+00
miles from the Panama canal, and it will
soon have procession OF nitrate ships sail
ing northward to the United States and Eu-
rope. Today the vessels are still going
around by the Strait of Magellan, and the
distance thus saved will be thousands of
miles. The bulk of the nitrate exports are
now controlled by an American syndicate,
known as the Nitrate Agencies, Limited.
This company exports in the neighborhood
of billion pounds of nitrate year and con-
trolls about one-fourth of the product. It's
ships are always loading at the nitrate ports
and starting out for the United States, Ell
rope or far-off Japan. The syndicate has
considerable British capital, but it is under
American managers and its methods are en-
trely American. The controlling influence
and largest owners arc 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 ferti-
lizers on earth and it has doubled the crop
OF many an American farm. 1t is used large
" in Germany. where it is employed in rails
ing sugar beets and i'll the United States,
which is now buying more than 100000
900 pounds OF it every year. We take about
Ef.i r. a.. Al
canal is completed shall probably take more.
Among the other large consumers in Eu-
rope are Great Britain, France, Holland and
Belgium. 1t is largely used in the Hawaiian
islands and also in little Japan, the latter
country now importing about 100000
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 it is ship
ped to the markets. 1t is put up in bags of
200 pounds each, and is carried from the
ports out to the steamers in lighters.
The nitrate beds begin at some distance
below Antofagasta and they run northward
to beyond the port of lquiquc, distance of
400 or 500 miles. 1t is claimed that there is
some nitrate in Peru, but SO far the percent
age has been so low that the deosits arc not
worth the working.
The nitrate beds are found right out in
the desert. They lie at an altitude of sew
eral thousand feet above the sea- on the
western slope OF range of low hills that
run along the coast They are from 20 to
100 miles back from the coast, and the belt