New-York tribune., 1922-04-21
New President
OF Colombia
Here for Loan
General Mel Ospina Greeted
by Representatives Of War
and State Dcpts. and Ac-
corded Freedom Of City
Said 10 Want $IO.OOO,O
to Build Line Through
Province Of Antioquia

General Pedro Mel Ospina, who was
elected to the Presidency of Colombia
by plurality of 100000 votes in Febru-
airy, arrived here yesterday from Car
tagona on the United Fruit steamship
Motapsn on a financial mission
Tie received tho courtesy Of the port
usually accorded to foreign diplomats
and was taken from tho Mctapan at
Quarantine with his wife by the army
tug Nigilant and landed at the Battery.
Major General Robert Lee Rullard and
Edwin Wilson, of the State Department,
were on the Njgilant to receive him and
escorted him to his hotel
General Ospina is no stranger in
this country He represented Colombia
as Minister in Washington in 1911 and
throughout the greater part Of his life
has been closely in touch with United
States afajrs. Tho President eject, who
is slNty-thrce years Old wa educated
III tins country and is a graduate Of the
University Of California. His career
has been varied, and he has attained
prom1nencc IN engineering, agriculture
and statesmanship His inauguration
will take place August of this year
General Ospina's mission to this
=
of proposed railroad through the Dc
partmcnt of Antioquia, the construc-
ton OF which is rega rded as an impor-
tant commercial advancement on the
part OF Colombia. 1t is said that Gen
cral Ospina will try to flont A loan
Of about S1000O,000 to start construc-
tion of the road
General Ospina and his wife were
met at the Battery by Grover Whalcn.
who represented the Mayor, and their
automobile decorated with the Amer
lcan and Colombian flags. were escort
ed up town by motor cycle squad of
twelve.
Prcsident-elect Ospina predicted an
era Of business prosperity for his
country. stating that the economic sit
uauon mere was improving daily, that
the exchange rate was nearer par in
relation to the United States than that
OF any other South American country.
And that plans were being made for
the gradual development of the natu-
ra! resources Of the country.
The United Statos." he said. "can
hnd in Colombia a profitable field of
InVeStmcnt While the oil business
there is now the most promising. the
cattle-rajsing industry also holds fortb
excellent possibilities, as VIC have
many hundred thousand acres Of ex
cellcnt pasture land, and believe that
we Will soon be able TO compete sue
ccssfully with the cattle markets of
Argentina"
General Ospina declared that he ia
vored closer union Of the Latin
American peoples of South America,
saying he had been informed that his
country had Just concluded boun-
dary agreement with Peru and that all
OF South America hoped for salts
factory settlement Of the Chile-Peru
boundary at the conference soon to be
held IN Washington
President-elect Ospna will be re-
celved BY Mayor Hylan at the City
Hall to-day and few days later he
Will go to Washington where he will
be presented to President Harding and
members of his official family The
Archbishop Of Chicago also has invited
him to visit that city, he said, but he
didn't know whether he would be able
to accept because of his wifc's i'll
health
Although rooms had been ordered
at the Waldorf-Astoria, General and
Sonora Ospina registered at Breton
Hall.