Norwich bulletin., 1917-05-18

bacoas was such that the agricultural and household Implements of the In- dians, such as axes, knives, plates. cups, etc.. were made of. it. and ma lfv terestfng relics are found in the an- cient sepulchres. The 'Tl Dorado" in earch of which Herman Perez de ueSada, a brother of GonZalo Jimenez de Quesada, conqueror of this region, made his famous expedition from Bo- gota to Paste, tracersing the rough slopes of the Andes for more than 200 leagues, owes it's origin to the tra adi- tfon that on the approach of the con querors the Indians hid in these noun tains an immense treasure of gold and emeralds which has never since been found. The departments of Antioquia and Cauca. produce most Of the gold found in the republic, and mines have been worked in these districts since the Colonial epoch, during which Spain obtained q greater quantity of gold from the '<New Kingdom of Granada" (which is now Colombia) than from any other of her colonies. The ex- ports of gold from the republic amounted to about S6.00o. 900 in 1915, and when it becomes possible to trans port modern machinery to the auri- ferrous regions it is prObabl that the opinion of Baron Humboldt wlIi be verified that they are the richest gold lands in the world"
 Platinum is an important product, not so much on account of the amount actually obtained, but because plati- num- bearing soil is found in but few parts of the world Although but S550,0oo worth of the precious metal was exported i'll 1915. this amount served to place Colombia. second only to Russia.
 also occur in important quantities, but the cost of transporting the less con- centrated values of these ores makes the development of mines to produce a 1a raj of Muzo and Coscuez, which are the prop erty of the government, are likewise unique in that they produce the only fine emeraids of best color found in the world.
 When railroads have been built they will have available ample supply of coal of excellent quality. Carboni- ferrous deposits exist in many parts of the republic and are very rich. Even those near Bogota have hardly begun to be worked, while those at g dis tance are practically untouched, and some day not far in the future Colorn- bla. lying but a short distance from the Panama Canal. may be expected to supply large quantities of coal to all parts of the world Oil Is also found, but up to the present the extent Of the deposit is not known. Other minerals exist in varying quantities, notably salt, which forms the basis of an ex- tensive industry.
 Any study of the natural resources
  out some mention of the industrial op- portunlties which depend upon them. Even the present brief discussion must have emphasized the outstanding need of the country, upon which hinges all commercial expansion-the need of a railroad system adequate to distribute the products of the labor of the six million people who inllabit the re- public. With an area greater than the com bined areas of France, Spain and Portugal, it can boast but seven hundred miles of railroad, in compari- son with over forty three thousand miles in those countries. The freight rates between the capital and the principal ports are greater than the ocean rates to New York, and the products of the -Cauca Valley, which is one of the greatest agricultural dis tricts in the world. have to reach the seacoast by almost the same means that were employed in the Spanish colonial times. The broad, deep rivers carry now. as they did in those days, | large quantities of freight. and will continue as an invaluable supplement to the railroads after they have been built but they cannot take their place in developing the country.
 Following close upon railroad con> struction will come many new indus tries. Shelters for the ores of the rich mines which will be opened up, mille to spin native cotton and to