Evening star., 1932-08-07
ECUADOR TO CELEBRATE
l22d FOURTH OF JULY"
Nation Politically One of Most Ad-
vanced in Latin America
Applies Fascist Ideas

litical control Of tbs country. however.
remains in the nanCs Of the white and
of small portion Of the mestizo poDu-
laticn
The principal na-ural resources Of
Ecuador are agricultural. The major
source of wealth in the past has been
cacao. though since 1919. when Ecuador
produced more cacao than any other
country in the world. the output has
been decreasing. This has seriously
affected the economic situation of the
republic, although Cacao still conSti-
tutes about so or 10 per cent OF Ecua-
dorean exports.
Ivory" Is Produced.
Another product of considerable value
is the so-called vegetable ivory" which
is prepared from the nut of the tagu&
palm. Large quantities of the but~
tons, etc. sold as Ivory" in the United
States and Europe, are made from
thesn nuts.
Coffee is being cultivated in increas-
ing quantities and the upland valleys
are especially suitable for its produc-
tion. Coffee is taking a more and
more important place in the export
trade of the country. replacing in
some measure the falling exports OF
cacao considerable number Of cattle
are IdlStu, DuL lew dlG OCAA46
almost entirely consumed locally. Hides
are exported, though not in great guam
titles The lack of better means OF
| transportation may be the explanation
of why the raising of cattle is not
| developed so as to constitute a large
export item.
Various other crops are produced in
Ecuador, such as wheat, potatoes, corn
and barley, which are grown, principal
| ly. 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 foc
domestic consumption and not exported
at all. Various fruits and rubber also
| are 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 a suitable place to eS-
tablish his own rubber industry, as he
did some time ago in Brazil.
Minerals Not Important. ..
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 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
which the United States holds pre-.
dominant position, was constantly lnl-
proving, and so were the finances OF
the nation, which were recognized not
long ago by a commission of American
financial experts headed by Prof. Kem-
merer Of Princeton University, until the
world depression set In and placed upon
Ecuador her share of the earths eco
nomic ills.
From 1926 to 1881 Ecuador was under
the leadership Of a strong-handed and
straightforward chief executive, DR..
Isidro Ayora. First as Provisional Presi-
dent and then as the constitutional
head of the government, he initiated
most of the political and economic re-
forms which are opening new era OF
development for the small, but idealistic,
republic of the South.
President Forced Out.
Last year, however, political enemies
forced President Ayora to resign, and
after brief military government q
provisional regime under the presidency
of Senor Haquefizo Moreno was estab.
lished. Not without difficulty, this re-
gime has been, nevertheless, successful
| Al Wiz A4bCA 4ld1 O4O-A anu AlGAplllA
to restore the national to normal, legal
status.
In accordance with the Ecuadorean
constitution. the provisional government
convoked elections soon after its inau-
guration in Office, and in these the con-
servative candidate, Senor Neptali Boni-
faz, received a large majority of votes
Other things being equal-and this Is
to say lot in present-day Latin
American politics-he will soon be in
augurated as the constitutional head Of
the progressive republic which cele-
brates next Wednesday the 1920 anni-
versary of her birth.
Copyright, 1922