Evening star., 1922-06-04
BOLIVIA MAY YET REALIZE
AMBITION FOR A SEAPORT
Chances Will Be Bettered if the u. S;
Is Called Upon to Arbitrate Dispute
Between Chile and Peru.

"VU,VUV III Two years. Inc loan Is LOT
Twenty-Five years at 8 per cent. and
represents the largest longtime loan
ever secured by any South American
country in the United States. That
capitalists are interested in a devel-
opment which cannot be complete
without seaport.
1t is interesting to note how Boliv-
ia is to apply the funds received from
this loan. and the part Americans are
to take in its expenditure. The rail-
will connect Bolivia with the trans
continental railroad of Argentina. is
to be completed with American
Money; men iaa and englneersd by Amerieans
OF the loan. it will be finished two
open up the central and western por-
Another railroad will be built from
Potosi to Sucre, American engineers
and American material to be used.
The TT bs road from La Pa5 to Youngas is
Americans Bolivia is the first South
American country to build the rail-
ways planned in the pan-American
railway system. discussed at the last
meeting of the pan-American confer
ence. With the loan she will COM
plete the network of railways which
VIII open up the western: mountain
Gus, mining country. and Argentina
has agreed to extend a railroad into
the eastern part of Bolivia, which will
do much to develop the oil and cattle
lands.
Millions in Tin Mines.
Within the last two years the Gug-
genheim interests have invested up
ward Of s1O.O0O,OOO in Bolivian tin
mines and built eighty miles of rail-
road to carry the product from the
mines to the main lines of transpor-
tation. The Standard Oil Company
has purchased outright about s2,5OO,-
600 worth of private oil lands and
has installed nearly half million
dollars worth of equipment An
other American oil company, in
which a high official of the United
States government is interested. has
been active in securing leases. Great
oil development is expected within
the near future in Bolivia and the
government recently passed a law re-
serving the right to lease oil lands
in partnership. forbidding the sale of
government oil lands entirely
Chicago construction company
recently completed the installation of
modern sewage systems for La Paz.
the capital. and Cochabamba, the sec
ond largest city of Bolivia, using
American equipment. This same COM
ing the Bolivian and Argentine rail-
ways. AS Bolivia already ships mil
lions of tons of mineral products
yearly, which undoubtedly would in
her own to the Pacific, the follow
ing points concerning her mineral
wealth are enlightening:
Rich In Mineral Resources.
The Bolivian plateau has been
POLITICALLY described as IAN enormous
silver table. supported by columns of
gold" The base of this table con-
tains all known minerals, ranging
from lead to platinum and from clay
to rich marble.
In former days Bolivia has produc-
! lions of tons" When the price of
silver declined great many mines
were abandoned and Bolivia turned
her attention to exporting tin. which,
since 1897. has represented a value
exceeding s36S,O00,OOO. The produc-
tion of tin has been increasing. In
1919 her exports amounted to $4,000
tons. representing a value of $40,-
100000.
Bolivia's gold production in the
past three centuries has been CAL
culated at something like $3,250.00O.-
900 worth. amounting to approx
mately s10.O0O.0O0 a year
Copper mining in Bolivia, where
the metal is usually found as pure,
dates back to the time of the Incas.
Bolivia controls the world output of
bismuth. and in addition to exploit
ing the mines. her mine owners oper-
ate smelling plant for refining the
product. Antimony, used extensively
during the war. reached it's highest
production in Bolivia in 1917. when
$4,000 tons. valued at $500, ,0s0, were
exported. In 1918 Bolivia exported
$500 tons of tungsten, which yielded a
sum of s4,400.000. In addition to the
above named, Bolivia exports nickel.
zinc and lead. Cobalt, olybdenum and
vanadium are also found. but worked
only in small quantities because of
the high cost of fuel and transpor-
tation.