Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-08-04
CHILE NOW BIG
new AUTO FIELD
Heavy Shipments Of American
Made Cars Going to
Latin Republic

Before AUGUST, 1914, Europe and the |
United States looked upon Chile as ,
country which offered vast Opportun! !,
ties for trade a country which would
absorb all sorts OF raw and manuta
tured materials: in short, COuEt7'
which needed capital End machine.
and railroads ard mills and was ".
ing to pay for them InCidental!\
was conceded the nitrate beds OF a..
might be Of great future value IN g..
manufacture Of fertilizer.
But when Germ any began its marc" ;
through Belgium and the greater par
of the civilized world began makin3 ,
ready to wage war on a scale hlthe' 20 /
unheard OF, the munitiOn makers G
England, France and the United STAT
suddenly realized the war would "'
fought to a finish with explosives i
which nitrates are an important ''i
stituent They turned their eyes r
ships toward Chile And sine" i.I
time the amount and value of Ch!ie =.
nitrate exports have risen meteOrIc,.
ly. AS a result Chile is enjoying 3 3
state of pros erlty unlike anything T..
its history
Heavy Auto SHIPMENTS
Are Being Arranged
This condition. according to Sen II
Carlos Puelma Bcsa, head Of the ho%~"
of Besa & Co.. dealers in Dodge Br'
motor cars al Valparaiso, Chile.
be responsible fol- a large increas
almost every line Of business. Ii
particularly optimistic about the 5s
tomobile situation, and while In l.
troit a few days ago arranged for
much larger number Of cars than lA9
been shipped to his firm in any pre-
vious year.
The increase in motor car busine
already has resulted in the formatirH
of several automobile clubs, eight
which have headquarters in Santa,
the capital, and three in Nalparai.,
the leading seaport. The AutomOD..
club of Valparaiso was organized Oh,
two months before Senior Besa J., t
for the United States and in that IT,.
the names of more than 300 memb' u;
have been written upon the rolls.
Profiting by Americas example III
the economic value Of Good roads, thu
Valparaiso organization is already
striving for systematic federal aid In
building and maintaining surfaced
roads. Their efforts in this direction
have been somewhat simplified by
the existence of a law which cOmpels
the national government to double any
gift for good roads. For example, ii
some public-spirlted citizen offers 1907
900 pesos for the construction of hard
surfaced roads, an additional 100000
pesos is automatically available for
the same purpose from the national
government A peso is equal to 26i2
cents.
Price Of Gasoline =
Was 62H2 Cents
Numerous difficulties presented {
to autHmobilc dealers when 7
they began business in Chile. For III t
stance, gasoline sells for 50 Y cents a
gallon in the larger cities and more l
In the less accessible places; whiin
lrbritating oils are cnrresnonG.i.g'y 4
high.
So unaccustomed was the average {
Chilean to the use of machinery that
when motor cars were first i'm tOrted
chauffeurs we're employed to operate
them. These Chauffeurs rece;v ed
ranging from eco to 800 rcsoS
a month. A touring car with a uni
formed driver ind occupied by but
a single passenger was no uncommon
sight on the streets of Valparaiso CT
Santiago.
More recently, however, grea,
majority Of the young Chilean mCH
have learned to drive their cars and