Evening star., 1942-05-27
Questions Value
Of Lutin Resources
Writer Says Natures Gifts
To South American Republics
Have Been 'Pursimonious'

To the Editor Of The Star:
Reading the statements Of certain
writer's relative to the Importance Of
maintaining close relations with the
South American republics. we are led
to regard that continent as vast store
house of natural resources awaiting only
the necessary capital to develop and
market them.
While 1t Is true that there are many
products OF these republics which are
important to us, we should endeavor to
get true picture as to present and
future potentialities.
Argentina, with her extensive agri-
cultural and grazing lands, has the lions
share of these natural advantages, the
products Of which, unfortunately for
both nations, are in direct competition
with our own farm products, taking also
into account her advantage in the matter
OF cheap farm labor. We should not get
the notion that the vast pampas of the
Argentine, mostly treeless and Watered
mostly from driven wells, are peopled by
small grain and livestock farm owners
such as we have in our Middle States
Rural electriflcation and extensive inter-
farm telephone systems have had small
development.
The Argentine. while rich and pros
porous agricultural country, has little
revenue from her minerals. these being
found mostly in the mountainous sec
tions. Petroleum fields in the south pro-
duce about half Of her domestic REQUIRE
ments.
Brazil often Is referred to as being
larger in area than the United States,
less our outlying territories. While this
Is true. it means little We must not
lose sight of the fact that Brazil COM
prises mainly vast territory OF dense
jungle land and mountains, sparsely set
tied and with unfavorable climatic con-
ditions. Her developed territory Is re-
stricted to a mere fringe along the sea-
coast and mostly In the subtropical lati-
tudes in which coffee, cotton, grain and
livestock are the chief products. She
also has deposits of iron ore manga
nese and other minerals OF less i'm
portance besides a considerable amount
OF bituminous coal which is of a low
grade and not extensively mined. Being
the pioneer and for a number of years
an important producer of raw rubber
her present standing in this commodity
Is disappointing, notwithstanding the
heavy investments in Fordlandia and
0thPr Sectinpe In
Chile, with her $500 miles of coastline.
has her agricultural development prin-
cipally In the narrow fertile valley living
between the coast range and the Andes
foothills and extending from latitude
s. 81 degrees south about 500 miles
From her northern boundary to latitude
S. 80 degrees the coast slope is desert
with practically no rainfall in the north
ern section. In this section, however
there are number of short valleys
extending across the country and wa
tered by melted snow from the Andes
mountains in which limited amounts of
agricultural products are raised, includ-
ing sugar, cotton and livestock
The Chilean coast is almost devoid OF
naturally protected harbors. At VAL
paraiso. the principal seaport, a break
water has been constructed at heavy
expense, due to the unusual depth OF
the water in the bay, and farther south,
at Talcahuano there exists fairly good
natural harbor.
In minerals other than petroleum
Chile has been favored above any of
her neighboring republics in her possess
sion Of extensive nitrate of soda beds,
which, though now less productive than
in former years due to the increased
manufacture of the synthetic product,
this mineral in the refined state is still
exported in sizable quantities, amount
ing to 100000 metric tons in 1885,
Chile also has extensive copper mines
which have been exploited principally
by United States capitalists and whose
production Is second only TO our own.
In coal and iron Chile has the only
mines on the continent which have been
worked upon an extensive scale. Her
coal deposits are quite limited in area,
producing non-coking bituminous coal
Of rather inferior grade, the tonnage
being insufficient to supply her domestic
market. The mines are located on or
near the seaboard near Lota and CoroEel
and in some cases are worked under the
ocean bed. The coal seams average 3
or feet in thickness. with numerous
geological faults which render mining
difficult and costly.
Her chief iron ore deposits now under
exploitation are located at TOTO. where
they are found near the summit of the
coast range of mountains about five miles
inland and at 1900 feet above sea level.
The ore is quarried in large chunks
which, after being crushed, are trans
ported over gravity operated aerial
galloway to the loading dock at Cruz
Grande. This plant was established
many years ago by French company
and sold in 1913 to the Bethlehem Steel
Co. The ore is high in grade and is
adapted for certain uses in steel making.
but the expenses in It's preparation and
the long ocean haul probably preclude a
heavy future tonnage
In summing up the situation, the i'm
portation of coal from South America
can never be Of interest to us. The iron
ores from Chile now being mined repre-
sent but small tonnage and those from
Brazil engage only the distant future.
In basic minerals for war work Chile's
copper and nitrate of soda, Perus cop
per, lead, zinc and vanadium and Bo-
livias tin, though small in exportable
tonnage, help to build up our reserves