Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-09
SEVEN AMERICAN NATIONS
BORN IN JULY AND AUGUST
Commemorative Festivities of United
States and Sister Republics Bring Out
Interesting History and Pursuits.

| the new Ecuadorean constitution estab-
fishes, It Is interesting TO note the fol-
/ lowing: Property rights are recognized
/ as social utilities" which not only AZ
ford benefits and rights TO, but also
impose duties and obligations upon
others, thus tending toward the sub
ordination OF individual liberty to
| higher needs of a social character.
Ecuadorean women are granted all the
/ liberties and privileges Of the stronger
| SEX" possessing political and civil
1 rights. the right to vote, and being pro-
! tected by the most advanced legal pro-
! visions for sex equality" Divorce laws
are sanctioned in their most absolute
and liberal sense, provision being made
| for the consent divorce simply upon
| petition Of the two parties. without for
| mai proceedings of any kind, the sole
/ requisite being that the consent Of
| both be declared before the courts Of
/ first, second and third instance. These
are but O few of the many important
| steps in ADVANCE that Ecuador Is tax
| ing in the field o. politics and social
legislation Unfortunately, space does
/ not permit US to discuss them all; We
| have but q few lines left in which %
! give, briefly, an idea of the material
and economic characteristics Of this
! progressive Latin republic.
! Ecuador. geographically. Is one of
the smallest countries of South Amer
| lea. It is hard to state exactly her ter
| ritorial extension, because the bounda-
! ries with Colombia and Peru, her two
| principal neighbors, have not been
settled definitely. The controversy over
| the boundary with Peru, especially. in
/ wolves some 100, 900 square miles of ter.
ritory. Of1cial United States fieures
credit the country with an area Of apA
proximately 10000 square miles, about
that of Italy, and little less than that
| of New Mexico in this country. Ac-
cording to unofilcial figures, more or
less, 1000 900 people form the popula-
ton Of Ecuador. OF which o large per-
centage Is Of Indian blood, or mixed
Indian and Spanish descent. The
political control Of the country, how
ever, remains in the hands Of the white
and of small portion Of the mestizo
reputation.
Agriculture Chief Resource
The principal natural resources OF
Ecuador are agricultural The major
source of wealth In the past has beer
cacao, though since 1919, when Ecua-
dor produced more cacao than any
ether country in the world, the output
has been decreasing. This has seri-
ously affected the economic situation
Of the republic, but cacao still constf-
| tutes about so or 20 per cent OF
Ecuadorean exports.
Another product of considerable
value Is the so-called vegetable ivory
the tagua palm. Large quantities OF
the buttons, etc. sold as ivory In the
United States and Europe are made
| from these nuts.
Coffee is being cultivated In In.
creasing quantities, and the upland
valleys are especially suitable for tts
production. Coffee Is taking q more
and more important place IN the ex-
port trade of the country, replacing
in some measure the falling exports Of
cacao. A considerable number OF
cattle are raised, but few are exported.
being almost entirely consumed locally.
Hides are exported. though not il
great quantities The lack Of better
means of transportation may be the
explanation of why the raising Of cat
tie is not developed so as to constitute
q large export Item.
Various other crops are produced In
Ecuador such as wheat, potatoes, corn
and barley which are grown, princi-
pally, In the higher attitudes, and sugar,
cotton, tobacco and rice, which are
grown on the lowlands of the coast,
Most Of these crops, however, are fer
domestic consumption, and not exported
at all. Various fruits and rubber are
also products Of Ecuador The latter,
we assume, Is not produced In any
quantity, otherwise we should have
heard OF Mr. Ford looking about In
Ecuador for suitable place to estab4
lish his own rubber industry. as he did
some time ago in Brazil.
Mineral Production Light.
Unlike Colombia on the north and
Peru on the south, Ecuador produces at
present very little in the way of min.
erals; gold. low-grade coal and oil. all
in but small quantities, being about the
only minerals under exploitation.
Although industries are still little de-
veloped in Ecuador, and difficult trans
portation hinders the material progress
Of the country, her foreign trade, In
dominant position, Is constantly ina
proving, and so are the finances Of the
nation, which were reorganiseds not long
cial and economic experts headed by
Prof. Kemmerer Of Princeton Univer-
sity.
Since 1926 the Republic Of Ecuador
has been under the leadership of
notable statesman, DR.. Isidro Ayorat
who first as provisional executive and
later as constitutional President ini-
tiated and is now carrying out most Of
the political and economic reforms
which are opening new era of mate
rial progress and development for this
small but idealistic republic Of Latin .
America.
Copyright. 1879