White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1929-01-25
QUEER THINGS COME
FROM LATIN AMERICA
American Dollar Has Odd
Experiences There.

gretteS and SarSapar1lla, buttons and
bismuth, orchids and ixtle.
In connection with the recent tour
of the President Elect much discus
sion Of the products which Latin-Amer-
lea sends North America has arisen.
Bananas from Costa Rica have been
mentioned and coffee from Brazil,
nitrates from Chile, qlebracho tannin
wood from Argentina, and petroleum
from Mexico and Venezuela. Common
products have received most attention
Balata, MoIybdenum and kapok.
But what of the uncommon exports
of Latin-America? What of the items
in the first paragraph? Why does the
United States want 'annatto seeds,
copaiba gum, castor oil, tungsten, al
paca wool, balata, tonka beans, Jobs
tears, molybdenum. ox-gall and kapok?
Consider what strange experiences
an American dollar has in Latin
America" suggests bulletin from
the Washington Cd. CO. headquarters
of the National Geographic society.
"It sends brown-skinned Indians of
the Venezuela coasts to the aigrette
rookeries in canoes to collect the
white feathers of melting mother
birds. A United States dollar bill has
dictated the picking Of leaves from
the orange trees near Yaguaron, Para.
quay, and orders their distillation
which releases petitgrain, an oil with
the smell of orange blossoms, for use
in perfumes and soaps. 1t has prompt.
ed the shearing Of alpacas by the heirs
of the Incas who own the flOcks; and
the collection of balata sap from
type of rubber tree that grows deep
in the jungle. 1t has sent men search
ing for emeralds in the ill-charted
mountains of Colombia.
"A dollar and many more like it
have foated q mammoth American
built dredge in the Condoto river, Col
ombia, where the sands yield platinum
without which there would be fewer
platinum rings.
Southern areas which have never
seen snow contribute to the multitudes
of multi-colored candles for our holt
day decorations. Every hostess who
lights her table and every church that
illumines it's altar with the candles
soft CLEAN is in debt to Brazil, Mex.
leo, Colombia, Honduras, Chile or
some other Latin-American country.
vegetable wakes are obtained from
the leaves and branches of certain spe-
cies of palm trees and desert bushes.
In 1926 Brazil exported more than
100000 pounds of carnauba vegeta-
BILE wax, of which the United States
took 40 per cent. Cousins to carnauba
that also go northward to the candle
shop are the ceroxylon palm wax Of
Colombia and the candelilla wax of
Mexico. All three of them lend a
hand to modern industry, helping the
candlemaker and popping up in other
guises few persons could guess: phon-
ograph records, insulation for electric
wires, tailor's chalk, carbon copy pa
per, floor polish, shoe polish, sealing
wax and dental molds. Probably
these vegetable wakes do not enter
into the making of the shorter can.
dies, but they do brace the tall ones.
keeping them straight and unbending.
Fountain Pens From Pampas.
"South and Central American trade
illustrate many surprises of modern
trade. When you buy sen green or
mandarin red fountain pen ask the
clerk of what substance the barrel Is
made. Find out If he knows whether
it is celluloid and product of the
Southern cotton fields or casein and
product of the pampas.
"Casein is the solid substance OF
milk and it might have become cheese
If 1t had not been hardened into
casein. Milk in the form of casein.
to the extent of 3S,920,O 900 pounds. was
shipped in one recent year to the
United States, where varied career
awaited 1t. Fountain pens, eurrings.
tortoise SHELF for tortoise shell rims.
cigarette holders, telephone receivers.
and chess men are but few fates
awaiting Argentinian casein. Aladdin
rubbed a lamp; chemistry stirred a
milk pail and brought forth casein
wonders that give the cattle raising
countries of South America an outlet
for their surplus milk.
"chicago stock yards, II Is often
said. use everything Of pig but It's
squeul. The COW countries OF Argen
tina Uruguay, and Brazil claim equal
slaughter house efficiency. Tankage
ox-gall and gall stones-these do not
figure as Importantly as hides and
quarters of beef, but each earns its
bit for South American packers.
"Each I.atin-American country has
unusual products, often hidden In
trade figures behind the blank wall
Iubeled miscellaneous. Chile exports
beeswax and iodine; Bolivia, molyb-
denum and tungsten to harden steel.
llama wool and ixtle fiber; Argen
tina, ostrich feathers and SIENNA; uru
quay, grass seed and sausage cusings {;
Paraguay. petitgruin and crude drugs !;
Brazil. ipecac, moss, seaweed. brazil
nuts; Peru, vanadum ore, kHpok for
mattresses. mohair; Ecuador, annntt"
seeds, conduraGo (for medicinal pur
poses), Panama hats, chestnuts and
vegetable ivory (the latter Is the very
durable white seed of a palm tree
which ought to be named the button
tree because So many of its seeds be
come buttons on American clothes) !;
colombia. cascara, c0pal gum. halsnm
of ToIu. Brazil wood, ceroXylon wax !:
Venezuela. divi .divi, c0faibn gum. an
sostura bark. castor oil. tonka beans
crbudillu treported used for poison
gus In World war;. snrsilInriln; the