El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-11-07

T-ERTO. Nontt Chile, Nov. THE
war in Europe will force upon
4 Chile the purchase Of a large
amount Of United tSates steel rails,
steel bridges and other railway mate
rails. The country has several enor-
nous projects under way and there are
a dozen new roads either surveyed or
projected.
For the past two weeks have been
riding over the state railways have
had a pass from the government, and
have gone here and there at my viii
without paying fare. The place where
am now writing is the southern ter
minus Of the system. 1t IS Puerto
Montt. a thriving port on the very
frontier Of the settled part of the cOun-
try.
It will pay our exporters to consider
the future railway system Of Chile.
This will consist of long line OF ralI-
road running from Peru to the Strait
of Magellan, with feeders going west
TO the coast and east to the mountains.
This line is known as the longitudinal
system, and it is now being built II
is already almost 1000 miles long, and
IL will eventually connect Peru and
Punta Arenas, the metropolis Of the
straits.
The railway already extends almost
10 the Peruvian boundary. 1t traverses
the nitrate fields and connects them
with Valparaiso and Santiago. The
southern section extends to Puerto
Montt, where this letter is written
The first part of the road is through
a desert al barren as the Sahara. This
goes southwark almost to the latitude
of Valparaiso, where the longitudinal
system crosses the trans-Andine rail-
wav to Buenos Aires. Then begins the
great central valley, an irrigated re-
Eion which corresponds in its fertility
with the hest parts of southern cali
fOrnia. Below that the road enters the
forests. traversing a country where the
farms have had to be cut out OF the
woods, and where the rainfall in places
is 100 inches per year.
The central valley section has been
buut 2 long time, and IS years ago,
when ] first visited Chile, they were
already penetrating into the forest re-
giou. I then came on construction
trains as far as Ten1uco. the home OF
the Arauc1nian indians, and am now
a days ride further south having gone
through pioneer settlements all the
Within another IS years the road viii
prObably have been extended to the
Strait OF Magellan. This, I should say
is IS much further south of here as
from ST Louis to New Orleans.
Government Owned.
The longitudinal railway belongs to
the government and contracts for ma
terial and cars may be made with the
government officials. The government
is furnishing the capital for the extern
sions and the building goes on stead
lily. During 1913 zoo miles Of new lines
were opened to traffic and the total
number of miles under construction
was 500. Some Of this has since been
completed. The railroad work paid Tor
IN that year was valued at S75.000.00O,
a sum equal to more than 81 for every
man, woman and child i'm the country.
At the present time Chile has over
1000 miles Of railroad in operation. ana
of this about One-haf belongs to the
state. The government began to take
over the roads about a generation ago,
and by 1910 il had paid something like
5000 100000 for them.
The state railways are managed by
officials appointed by the president.
There is a general manager who is as
sisted by nine administrators. The adj
ministratiOn holds a similar position to
that Of general manager of a private
railroad, and the system is divided into
nine sections, each Of which has its ad
ministratoT.
Head office in Santiago.
The chief offices Of the state roads
are at Santiago. and there is a close
connection with them and the govern
ment as to all appointments. Every man
who gets more than about $1,000 a year
receives his appointment directly from
the president, and the others are Sc
AtCleu D1 the general manager Win
the advice of his subOrdinates- This
makes every railroad office a govern
ment job, and all appointments, from
the administrator to the brakeman and
track layer are more or less affected
by pull
7 have talked with many people here
concerning the service. SO far have
yet to meet an unprejudiced observer
who believes that government owner
ship is good for the roads or the peo-
PIE. Indeed, the railway question is
one Of the live ones Of public discus
sion, and the figures show that the
most of the lines are annually worked
at a loss Of several millions Of dollars.
The difference between the receipts
and the expenditures does not show
the whole deficit arising from govern
ment management There is an enor-i
nous additional loss in the wear and