Diario las Américas., 1958-06-04
Know thy
Nei9hborI
By RUIZ

BRAZIL = In a country Of the
size and topography of Brazil, a
good system of communications is
of vital Importance for the nation
al economy. BraZilS principal
transportation routes are the coast
al steamship lanes, its vast network
of inland waterways, and its ex-
tensive system of anyways. The best
highways and railroads r concen-
trated in MinaS Gerais and the
southeastern states of Rio de ia
metro, Sac Paulo, Parana, Santa
Catarina and Rio Grande do Sui.
Only $3.50 miles of railroads are
in the north and the northeast.
With the National Highway Plan
launched in 1914, trunk routes and
connecting highways are linking
coastal cities with the interior of
the country at its most vital points.
Railroads were first constructed
in Brazil in the last two decades
of the last century by private for
eign companies; later, most of
them were taken over by the Fed
eral and State Governments, which
today operate a numer of lines
directly and lease others to private
companies. The trend toward di.
rect administration of the rail-
roads by the Government has be-
come more pronounced in recent
years, and of more than $4,000
miles of railroads, only about S
percent are privately owned, while
Is per cent r privately manag-
ed. The National Railways Depart
ment was set up in 1941, to coord-
mate and supervise the entire rail
raod network of the country.
Among the principal railroad
lines are the Central do Brazil,
which links the capital with Belo
Horizonte, Sac Paulo and numer-
Gus smaller cities; the L~eopoldina
Railway, connecting Rio de janet
70 with very important adjacent
agricultural areas; the Rede Minei-
ra do Viacao, serving principally
Minas Gerais; the Sorocabana,
operating chiefly in the State of
Sac Paulo; the Noroeste do Brazil,
running through the State of Sac
Paulo, westward across lower Ma
to Grooso, where it joins the Boliv-
ian railway system at Corumba, on
the frontier. Another extension of
this railroad goes to Ponta Pora,
on the Paraguayan border.
The Viacao Ferrea do Rio Gran
de do Sui, extends southwark
across the state, and connects with
a Uruguayan railroad, thus link
ing the two national capitals; Re-
de do Viacao Sac Paulo-P arana-
Santa Catarina connects cities in
those three states; the Great West
ern Railway of Brazil operates
along the coast in the northeast
ern states; and the Viacao Ferrea
do Leste Brasileiro has three main
lines running into the interior
from the port of Bahia. With the
exception of the Madeira-Mamore
Railways, constructed at great cost
in the northwestern extremity of
Mato Crosse, there r nc rail
roads in the Amazon region, which
depends almost entirely on the
immense river system of the ANA
ION for transportation.
Huge sums have been spent on
the extension and improvement
of the railroads operated by the
government, and substantial Gre
dts have been made available to
private companies for this pur-
pose. Further construction work is
being carried out, according to a
general plan designed to link up
the various systems, and thus, the
last section of the Rio-Bahia Line,
inaugurated In 1850, connects the
North to the South, via Rio de
Janeiro-Belo Horizonte-Sao Saliva
dor.
Identification of railroads is
making considerable Roadway and
will 60 far to relieve the financial
difficulties under which the rail
roads are operating. Other pro
blems are the diversity of gauges,
shortages of fuel, and rolling stock
that is old and outdated.
CONTINUES tomorrow
Spanish Version Page 3