CONSULADO GENERAL DE BOLIVIA olivia and the opening of the Panama Canal GENERAL INFORMATION ON BOLIVIA MINERAL RESOURCES Bolivia y la apertura del Canal de Panama 1912 NEW YORK INDEX. PAGE Introduction 1 Railroads to be opened 2 Look for increased commerce 2 Railroad development 3 Progress on Madeira-Mamore Railroad 4 Bolivia Railway Company 5 General Information on Bolivia 6 Area, Population, Commerce 6 Products, agriculture, mines, public debt 7 Rubber 8 Navigation on Titicaca Lake 8 Network of Bolivian rivers 8 Various routes to Bolivia 8 International Postal Union . 8 Telegraphic net of Bolivia 8 Vias to Bolivia through foreign ports 9 Products and Industries 9 Tin 9 Coal 11 Bismuth 11 Rubber 11 Cacao 12 Coffee 12 Coca 12 Cattle 12 Mineral Resources of Bolivia 12 Gold Mining 12 Mining Regulations 14 Routes of Travel 15 The Press of Bolivia 15 Rates for newspaper advertisements 16 List of Bolivian newspapers for advertisements 16 Banking in Bolivia 17 List of national issue banks and their capitals 17 List of mortgage banks and amount of bonds issued 17 Consulates of Bolivia in the United States 17 "Bolivian Tariff and Appraisement Schedules" 17 Bolivia y la apertura del Canal de Panama (Articulo del New York Herald} . . 19-24 LA PAZ. Principal Town in Bolivia, showing snow mount "Illimani" 22,390 feet high. Bolivia and the opening of the Panama Canal O\\"I.\(i to the interest awakened in the United States to further business relations with the Spanish-American republics on account of the opening of the Panama Canal, a reporter of the A'lTv.' York Herald obtained from Senor Adolfo Ballivian, Consul Gen- eral of Bolivia, and from other gentlemen, the following information about Bolivia : "1 am sending all these clippings to my government," said Mr. Balli- vian, "to support me in urging that my country should lose no time in making full preparations for the opening of the Panama Canal. I have been very much interested in the articles in the Herald dealing with South American affairs and have kept them all carefully. "I find that other countries are alive to the importance of the new highway, and 1 do not want my own country to be behind. I have no doubt that when communications are made so much easier the United States will take the lead in the commerce of the west coast of South America. Preparations to take care of the trade are already being made here. I am anxious that my government should meet these efforts at least half way. "I am recommending as a first step that the scope of this Consulate should be considerably widened. I want to establish a fully equipped bureau of information here. I want to make it possible to answer all kinds of inquiries about commercial opportunities in my country, so as to foster trade as much as possible. I want to have samples of the various products of my country, so that we can show importers here exactly the kind of goods we have to offer. "I have had several inquiries from American exporters and manu- facturers as to the best methods of making commodities known in Bolivia. I want to have established here some central agency which could take advertisements and arrange to have them appear in the various news- papers and publications in my country. 1 1502915 Railroads To Be Ready Soon. "Railroad developments which were undertaken in Bolivia several years ago will be completed about the same time as the Panama Canal, or perhaps a little earlier. These developments will add to the effect of the work your government is doing. At present the Pacific coast trade must enter Bolivia either by way of Mollendo, in Peru, or Antofagasta, in Chili. Under an agreement with the government of Chili a new railway is being built from Arica, on the coast of Chili, to La Paz, in Bolivia, which will cut down the time of the journey at to at least a third and will bring La Paz within eight or ten hours of the coast. It is a par- ticularly good omen that these two big undertakings should be completed at about the same time. * "At present merchandise going by the Panama route and by Mollendo suffers a very great deal in transshipment. It has to be transshipped at Colon, then again at Panama, and several times again after it reaches the port of Mollendo. From Mollendo to La Paz there is no through route at present. The journey must be made in three stages. The first stage is by rail to Puno, on Lake Titicaca. At that point the merchandise must be transferred to the steamboat on the lake ; then to Guaqui, the port of La Paz, to which city it is finally conveyed by rail. "I have calculated that merchandise shipped by this route is handled twenty-one times. When the service by the Panama Canal is opened and the Arica-La Paz Railroad is in operation this number will be cut down to eight. It is easy to see that this means a great deal in decreased freight charges, leaving savings in time out of consideration altogether. The time taken in transportation will be cut in less than half. Look for Increased Commerce. "The foreign commerce of Bolivia is not yet big. Not because the possibilities are not big but because so far we have lacked the means of transportation. Now that these are to be supplied we should see a great increase. In my office we have just completed the returns of the exports sent from New York to Bolivia for the fiscal year 1911. The total of the exports was $1,215,986. The biggest single item in this total was cottons, $389,234. Next came machinery, about $130,000, and then ex- plosives, with $127,559. "I am not in possession of complete figures of the export and import trade of Bolivia, but these figures for the imports into Bolivia for the last five years give an idea of the way the business has grown. In 1906 our total imports were valued at 35,087,325 bolivianos ; in 1907, 37,897 - 610 ; in 1908, 40,732,543 ; in 1909, 34,224,764, and in 1910, 48,802,394. Our total exports in 1910 amounted to 75,622,147 bolivianos. It is easy to convert these figures into American money, -as a boliviano is equal roughly to forty cents. * As this pamphlet goes to press, a cable from Valparaiso dated March 2nd advises that the rails of the Arica-La Paz Railway have been united, the work having commenced simultaneously at both ends. On" August 6th next, the Bolivian National Feast, the Presidents of Chili and Bolivia, will make the official inauguration. "Minerals and rubber are the two chief articles with which Bolivia pays for the things she imports. Bolivia is very rich, but like misers, the people of Bolivia keep their wealth hidden. It is underground. It needs to be brought to the light of day to be useful. "It seems strange to-day to think that before Boston was founded, Potosi. one of the cities of Bolivia which has only a small population now was the home of 160,000 persons. In the days of Spanish conquest it afforded immense wealth in silver. The sn^ar loaf mountain there is honeycombed with mines. There are at least five thousand shafts in it. The mining industry in my country was, however, badly hit by the de- preciation in value of silver. Very little silver is mined to-day. Lowering of freight rates because of the new routes of transportation may, how- ever, cause a revival. "In 1910 the total value of silver exported was 5,476,398 bolivianos, while the value of the tin sent out was 37,006,504. Tin has taken the place of silver and now Bolivia is one of the big tin producing countries of the world. It is the only country in South America in which tin has been found at all. Railroad Development. "Bolivia has not yet been used as a field for American capital to a very great extent. An American syndicate obtained a concession to build five hundred miles of railroads about five years ago. They worked for t\vo or three years on it and then control passed to an English company, which alread\ operated the Antofagasta Bolivia Railroad. "Another railroad undertaking which is being carried through by Americans, however, and one which will be of untold benefit to Bolivia, is that of the Madeira-Mamore Railroad. It is being built in Brazilian territory, but it will prove of great assistance to Bolivia. "Bolivia is unfortunate in not having any port. She is one of the few South American countries without seaboard. Though one-quarter the size of the United States, her territory is entirely inland. A large part of this area is on the east of the Andes, a very productive territory and enormously rich in rubber, t'p to now the development of that section has been held back by the want of transportation. The main outlet is through the Mamore and Madeira rivers to the Amazon, but it is very dangerous because of rapids in the rivers. The rapids have been very destructive both to lives and treasure. "The importance which my country attached to a satisfactory outlet to seaboard by this way is shown by the fact that about forty years ago the government guaranteed the expense of an attempt to build a railroad to carry merchandise 'round the rapids even though it was to be built in foreign territory. The attempt, however, failed and has been renewed only in recent years. About nine years ago, by an agreement with Brazil, which received a ce->i':ii of Bolivian territory undertook to build a railroad round the rapids. The concc->ion for the building of the railroad was given to a Brazilian, who called in Americans to do the work. It is now nearing completion and it> bonds are being eagerly awaited." Progress on Madeira-Mamore Railroad.* As to the progress on the Madeira-Mamore Railroad, Mr. Rodney D. Chipp, treasurer of the Madeira-Mamore Railway Company, of No. 115 Broadway, said yesterday: ''Though the progress of the work on the railroad revealed unexpected difficulties, we expect to have it in opera- tion next June. We have been working on it now for five years. "The difficulties encountered were climatic, not engineering. We tackled the difficulties along the lines which proved so successful in the Panama zone. We made a model town of Porto Velho and established a hospital there. We sent down a competent staff of doctors and nurses to man it. "Our undertaking was, practically speaking, a new one. The idea was old and in fact an attempt had been made in the seventies to build a railroad there by a Philadelphia concern, but the attempt failed. When we began operations the old work was entirely overgrown. "We are building rather more than two hundred miles of railroad 'round the falls and cataracts of the Madeira and Mamore rivers. This railroad will connect the navigation of the Amazon and Madeira rivers below the falls with the thousands of miles of navigation in Bolivia and Brazil above said falls. These falls and rapids on the rivers interrupted the navigation here for about two hundred miles except by canoes hand- led by Indians. Although the Indians acquire and use great skill and handle almost incredible difficulties, the loss of life and merchandise is enormous. The loss of merchandise is estimated at twenty per cent. It can be readily seen what a saving the railroad will make possible, and considering the enormous area tapped, what the possibilities awaiting development are. "We have down there a large force of engineers and mechanics from the United States. The rails are Belgian, while the rolling stock and locomotives are American made. For ties we have used the native hard woods and have also imported some from Australia. The opening of the section at that time completed took place last September." The president of the Madeira Mamore Railway Company is Percival Farquhar. Mr. Farquhar is interested in many railroad properties in Brazil. It was reported some time ago that he and Dr. F. S. Pearson, another American who has done pioneer work in the Brazilian traction field, had attempted to obtain control of a transcontinental system of railroads in this country, and that the attempt had not been successful. Bolivia Railway Company. Mr. J. G. Metcalfe, vice president of the Bolivia Railway Company and formerly the company's president, told a Herald reporter that during the early period of construction of the railroad he spent several months in Bolivia and the adjoining countries. * Since last February this railroad is transporting cargo from and to "Porto Velho"-"Villa Murlinho" in front of "Villa Bella" the Bolivian Custom-House. The official inauguration will be on the 4th of July of this year A B "I found Bolivia a country very rich in mineral resources," said Mr. Metcalfe, "and the people very fine to do business with. The Bolivia Railway Company was originally American. The concession to build about five hundred miles of road was obtained by the National City Bank and Speyer & Co. The lines contemplated included lines from Viacha to Oruro, Oruro to Cochabamba, Rio Mulato to Potosi and Uyuni to Turpiza. The line from Viacha to Oruro is already in operation and the line to Potosi will be opened next month. Construction is going ahead on the other sections. "The work continued for about three years under the American con- trol and then control passed to an English company. This English com- pany was already operating a line from Antofagasta to Oruro. As a matter of fact the lines built and building by the Bolivia Railway Com- pany form extensions and spurs to this road and now the two are operated as one system. "The engineering difficulties in the Bolivia Railway Company's un- dertaking are not nearly so great as those in some other railroads. It is true that the altitude is great it never goes below 12,000 feet but the greater portion of the road is on the fairly level pampas, the great Bolivian plateau, and not through mountainous country where frequent change of grade is necessary. "So far not very much American capital has gone into Bolivia. So far as I know there are no large scale American mining enterprises, for example. Such mining properties have been developed by small capital. The government, however, is anxious to induce foreign capital to enter the field and is offering inducements, both in mining and rubber production. I found the men in authority eminently fair and very bus- iness like. It was very much easier to get 'Yes' or 'No' there than it is in Washington. "Apart from the freight traffic I expect to see Bolivia come to the front as a tourist country after the Panama Canal is opened. Already it is being largely patronized. On some of the cruises which touch at the different ports on the west coast passengers leave the steamer at Mollendo, go up to La Paz by way of Lake Titicaca and then rejoin the steamer at Antofagasta by way of Oruro and Uyuni. A more delightful trip can hardly be imagined. The tourists cross the Andes twice or at least one range of these mountains, and they pass through the country rich in marks of ancient civilization and which speaks of the wonderful achievements of the Spanish conquerors. It is a wonderful country, which we are only just beginning to hear about." General Information on BOLIVIA AREA, POPULATION, COMMERCE, PRODUCTS, ETC. (Extracts}* Bolivia is one of the few countries on the American continent which possesses no sea coast. Completely surrounded by Peru, Chile, Argen- tina, Paraguay, and Brazil, it extends over 708,195 square miles and has a population of 2,267,935, being the most sparsely populated of the American Republics. The vast plateau which extends in length over 500 miles, at an average altitude of 12,000 feet above sea level, and on which are situated most of the larger cities of the Republic, is the most noted topographical feature of the country. The mountains of Bolivia abound in mineral wealth, tin, silver, gold, copper, etc., and these form the principal products of export. Coffee, cacao, tobacco, sugar cane, and other crops are successfully cultivated. The forests contain numerous species of valuable woods, the best known of which are the hevea brasiliensis and the cast ill o a elastica, from which india rubber and caoutchouc is gathered; the crythroxylon coca, the leaves of which are used for medicinal purposes ; and the well- known cinchona tree, the bark of which is used for the manufacture of quinine. The largest city and commercial center of Bolivia is La Paz, with a population of 80,000. Other cities with a population of over 20,000 are Sucre, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, Potosi, and Oruro. During 1909 Bolivia made steady advances, the most noticeable improvement being the gain in foreign commerce of almost $2,000,000. The balance of trade was in favor of the Republic, as the exports far exceeded the imports, and while the imports fell somewhat short of those of 1908, exports on the other hand, for 1909 exceeded those for 1908 by $3,500,000. * Most of these extracts are taken from publications of the "Pan American Union of Washington." In railroad construction noticeable progress was made. The pros- pect not only of opening new regions throughout the Republic, but also of affording quicker access to the principal centres by newer and shorter lines was satisfactory. As far as concerns agriculture, Bolivia is still in a backward state. Notwithstanding the fertility of the plateaus and the marvelous rich- ness of the eastern slopes, the country is still so sparsely settled and so inaccessible that production barely keeps pace with consumption. The great staples of Bolivia rubber, coffee and cacao can be produced in far greater abundance than they are to-day, but what is chiefly needed is a larger industrial population. Bolivia is taking active steps for the encouragement of immigration into its undeveloped territory. Until quite recently Bolivia was in effect a country without a debt. It has yet a very small debt and even with the contraction of a new loan for 1,500,000 the debt will still be well within the limit of its resources. Prior to 1908 the only debt of the Republic was the internal debt. This debt, reduced from time to time from over 5,000,000 boli- vianos, is now less than 1,000,000 bolivianos. It is upon her mineral wealth that Bolivia mainly depends, and present conditions all point to increased activity in the exploitation of these resources through the constantly increasing foreign demand for the mineral products of the country. The mineral wealth of Bolivia, including nearly all known metals, is widely distributed and very rich and abundant. Great veins of ore containing the precious metal are found in the mountains, and while their exploitation is carried on on a considerable scale, yet, due to the lack of labor, capital and adequate transportation facilities, they are not fully developed and in many in- stances remain entirely virgin. The copper, tin, and bismuth mines of the Republic are among the richest in the world. Navigation in 'Vallu|m>"-rafts, i KiviT, I'.olivin. The production of india rubber must be counted as one of the most important and certain sources of national wealth. The largest rubber- producing districts are located in the national territory of Colonias, the Departments of Beni and Santa Cruz, and portions of La Paz and Cochabamba. The two last-named districts also cultivate cacao and coffee, while the two former contribute other valuable vegetable pro- ducts. Upland rice is grown to some extent in the province of Azero and Cordillera. A large area of the Republic is well suited to the cul- tivation of wheat which might be grown in quantities sufficient to meet the needs of the home market, but as yet this branch of agricultural development has been little studied. A regular line of steamers is maintained on Lake Titicaca, situated at an altitude of 12,900 feet and having an area of 4,000 square miles, being thus not only the highest but also one of the largest lakes on the American continents. Lake Aullagas is connected with Lake Titi- caca by means of the Rio Desaguadero. The principal open ports on Lake Titicaca are Escoma, Ancoraimes, Huata, Puerto Perez, Carabuco, and Guaqui or Hauqui. Bolivia has a network of rivers, which afford excellent means of transportation and communication, the entire length of her navigable streams being about 12,000 miles. Of these the Paraguay River is navigable for some 1,100 miles for steamers of 8 to 10 feet draft; the Itenes for 1,000 miles, and the Beni 1,000 miles, but for steamers of 6 feet draft only, while the Pilcomayo, Mamore, Madre de Dios, Itonama, Sara, Orton, Baures, Inambary, Paragua, Pirai, Chapare, Abuna, Yacuma, and Desaguadero rivers are all navigable for light-draft vessels for distances varying from 200 to 1,000 miles. The principal routes to the country are as follows: Mollendo route. From Mollendo to Puno (Peru), by rail, 324 miles, twenty-two hours ; from Puno to Guaqui, by steamer, crossing Lake Titi- caca, 180 miles, sixteen hours ; from Guaqui to La Paz, 59 miles, by rail, three hours ; or a total distance of 563 miles covered in three and one-half days. Arica route. From Arica (Chile), to La Paz, a distance of 337 miles, which was heretofore made by mule and llama, will in a few months be made entirely by rail in from 8 to 10 hours. Antofagasta route. The total dis- tance from Antofagasta (Chile), to Oruro is 573 miles, which can be covered in two days, by rail. The railway is divided into two sec- tions the Chilean section, from Antofagasta to Ollague, and the Boli- vian section, from Ollague to Oruro, via Uyuni. Amazon route. From Para (Brazil), to Villa Bella and Puerto Acre, a distance of 2,152 miles from the former and 2,533 miles from the latter point, covered in two hundred and sixteen and two hundred and forty-four hours, respec- tively. The entire trip is made in vessels along the navigable rivers of Brazil and Bolivia. Argentine route. From Buenos Aires (Argentina), by rail, to the Bolivian frontier town of La Quiaca, and thence by mule tram to Tupiza and Tarija, a total distance of 1,850 miles. From Buenos \ires the trip can also be made up the Paraguay River to Puerto i i e nno Puert Suarez ' and La Gaiba > in Bolivia, 'being 1,553. 1.741, and 1,908 miles, respectively distant from Buenos Aires. From Puerto Pacheco to La Paz the distance is 1,169 miles, from Puerto Suarez, 1,125, and from La Gaiba, 1,158 miles, respectively, by roads and bridle paths. Another route from Buenos Aires is via the Bermejo River, on which steamers ply, between the cities of Esquina Grande, Bolivia, and Rivadavia (Argentina). Bolivia has been a member of the International Postal Union since 1885, so that all rules and regulations applying to mails within the union govern mail matter destined to the Republic. The postal service, which comprises over 200 offices, handles more than 3,000,000 pieces of 'mail matter annually. A parcels post and money order convention also exists between the United States and Bolivia. Extraordinary progress was made during 1909 in linking up the various parts of the country by the building of new telegraph lines and the repair and extension of those already in existence. The telegraph system of the Republic comprises 3,979 miles of lines, and is operated by 124 offices. No through bills of lading issued to points in Bolivia, except as noted below for La Paz. Shipments are made via the ports in Chile, Peru, Brazil and Argentina named below. For details as to sailings, etc., consult Routes given for those countries. Beni. . .(via Mollendo, Peru; Para, Brazil; or Buenos Aires, Argentina) Caupolican (via Mollendo, Peru) Challapata (via Antofagasta, Chile) Cochabamba (via Antofagasta, or Arica, Chile, or Mollendo, Peru) Colquechaca (via Antofagasta, Chile) Concepcion (via Rosario or Buenos Aires, Argentina) Corocoro (via Mollendo, Peru) Coroico (via Mollendo, Peru) Guaqui (Huaqui) (via Mollendo, Peru) Huanchaca (via Antofagasta, Chile) La Paz. . (via Arica, Chile ; Mollendo, Peru ; or Buenos Aires, Argentina ) Oruro (via Antofagasta. Chile) Poopo (via Antofagasta, Chile) Potosi. . . . (via Antofagasta, Chile; Rosario or Buenos Aires, Argentina) Puerto Perez (via Mollendo, Peru) Puerto Suarez (via Rosario or Buenos Aires, Argentina) Reyes (via Para, Brazil) Kihcralta (via Para, Brazil) Salinas (via Rosario or Buenos Aires, Argentina) Santa Ana (via Para, I'.ruzil) Santa Cruz (via Antofagasta. Chile) Sorata (via Mollendo. Peru ) Sucre (via Antofagasta. ( 'hile ) Tarija (via Antofagasta, Chile ; Rosario or Buenos Aires. Argentina ) Trinidad (via Para, lirazil) Tupiza (via Rosario or Buenos Aires. Argentina) Uyuni (via Antofagasta, Chile) Villa P-ella (via Para. Brazil) Yacuiba (via Rosario or Buenos Aires, Argentina) PRODUCTS AND INDUSTRIES From 1540 to 1750, a period of 210 years, the gold mines of Bolivia produced $2,100,000,000. From 1750 to the beginning af the nineteenth century the mines and placers situated in the Provinces of Larecaja and Caupolican produced $14,000,000 gold, and from 1818 to 1868 the output was valued at about $3,000,000. The product of the other mines and placers of the nation, from the middle of the eighteenth to the latter part of the nineteenth century, is estimated at $125,000,000. The annual gold production of Bolivia may be calculated at 17,460 troy ounces, which, at $20 an ounce, gives a value of $349,200. TIN Bolivia produces one-quarter of the total tin output of the world. Recently tin sold for 1,000 bolivianos a ton. The wealth accruing to the Andean Republic from this source would be a simple arithmetical problem if this price was constant. Fortunately, during the past few years the value of a ton of tin has never gone much below 750 bolivianos, and at that price the Bolivian tin miner is assured a good profit despite the difficulties of transportation. Tin, as a component of bronze, had its uses as a metal thousands of years prior to the most remote recorded history. As to when it first assumed a separated charac- teristic composition we have no exact information. In the first century is was defi- nitely known to the Greeks, but it may have been in existence in the days of Moses. At a somewhat later period of the Jewish history it is supposed to have been brought by the ships of Tarish from islands east of the Persian Gulf. The Phoenicians, those early indefatigable traders credited with the discovery of Albion, were the first who found tin in Cornwall, whence they carried it to Italy. The Romans, however, con- fused tin with lead, calling the former white and the latter black lead. The Latin word stannum did not definitely mean tin until the fourth century. This metal, or rather tin stone, as the native oxide is called, has a very limited distribution on the earth's surface. The Malay Straits country, the Island of Banka, a limited area in India, and Australia, with Cornwall and Bolivia, are the few places where it is found in sufficient quantities to make the exploitation of tin profitable. Small deposits are found in Alaska, some of the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, while considerable "cassiterite," another name for tin ore, has been dug up in the mineral region of Argentina. The characteristics of tin are its pure silver-white brilliant color ; its flexibility a remarkable cracking noise is produced upon bending tin; its malleability tin foil, which is the beaten metal, being hammered out to 1/1000 part of an inch in thickness; and its quality of hardness, which is somewhere between that of gold and lead. It is ductile, capable of being drawn out into wire, and has little tenacity. Exposed to the elements, it loses its bright color and becomes dark gray. It finds its greatest use as an alloy of other metals. In extracting the metal the first process is grinding the ore. This ground ore is then washed in order to remove the impurities, the specific gravity being so high that the earthy matter and even some of the foreign metallic ores present are easily eliminated in the washing process. In order to remove other extraneous matter of nearly the same specific gravity, the ore is roasted in a reverberatory furnace and the sulphur and arsenic thus expelled. The ore, thus freed from foreign matter to a certain extent, is mixed with the requisite fuel and limestone and is again subjected to great heat in the reverbaratory furnace, in order to bring the whole into a state of fusion, which should continue for about eight hours. The lime unites with the remaining earthy matters in the ore and flows off into a liquid slag, while the coal reduces the oxide tin to its metallic state. The tin thus obtained must, however, be further refined in order to produce the pure metal that commands the highest price. The uses of tin are limited, but unique. The unalloyed metal is used in making pharmaceutical apparatus and certain infusion pots and evaporating basins of special Two varieties of tinfoil are also the product of pure tin one that serves .to silver mirrors and the other as a wrapping for chocolates, tobacco, chewing-gum, 10 Extracting Rubber in a Bolivian Forest. and so forth. Making tinfoil is the simple process of hammering out the pure tin into thin sheets with a wooden mallet. Before the introduction of agate ware and other similar compositions tin was largely utilized for cooking and domestic vessels and found favor for this purpose because it was proof against the effects of acid liquids, such as lime juice, vinegar, etc., and because it did not tarnish. Utensils of pure tin. however, were very expensive and had to be made very heavy for their several purposes; thus it is the custom to give iron or copper vessels a coating of tin. which gives the article all the good qualities of tin. "Sheet tin" is sheet iron that has been given a coating of pure tin. However, as already stated, by far the greater part of tin produced metallurgically is used for making tin alloys, and in this form it enters into the make-up of almost every article constructed of metal. Gold and silver coins contain alloys of tin, while it is always found in bronze, lead, and pewter. The extensive use of tin augurs well for the future economical progress of Bolivia, as the only land in the western continent where tin is found and worked in amounts that repay the investment to-day. The tin zone in Bolivia is divided into four districts La Paz in the north, Oruro in the center, Choroloque in the south, and Potosi in the east. The city of Oruro is the tin metropolis and commercial center of the industry. The most productive mine in the country is that of La Salvador, which has an output varying from 60 to 90 tons a month. The mining country is much in the Cordillera Real Range, and the lodes are found at altitudes of from 11,000 to 16.000 feet, the height of one in the Monte Blanco mining section, where the offices of the company are, being 14,500 feet above the level of the sea. Certain economic factors operate against the highest exploitation of tin in Bolivia, namely, the necessarily heavy freight charges, the dependence on the price of Straits tin, the export duty, and the fluctuation of the Bolivian money. In time these handi- caps will be overcome and the proceeds of the tin mines of Bolivia proportionately increased. The 1910 production reached 38,500.000 kilos, valued at 37,000,000 pesos bolivianos, or approximately 14,000,000 American gold dollars. COAL A great impetus has been given the exploitation of coal in the Copacabana Pen- insula on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca, the deposits of which could, according to official estimates, yield 40,000 tons annually. The Government is devoting con- siderable attention to the industry, the development of which would result in the establishment of tin smelters in the country. Thus Bolivia, instead of exporting its tin mostly in barrillas, as it now does, would ship it in bars. This would naturally enhance the value of the article, besides furnishing employment to a larger number of labon BISMUTH The Republic occupies a prominent place among the very few bismuth producing countries, said to be three in all. In Bolivia bismuth is generally exploited with other metals from which its separation is easy. It is found in the mineral zone be- tween Huayna-Potosi, in La Paz, and Chorolque, in Potosi; the principal region is that of Tazna. It is perhaps a well-known fact that the production of bismuth has been subject to monopoly control. For this reason the prices of bismuth do not undergo any material fluctuations, and it may be noticed that for several years the price of this metal has been maintained at 9,150 bolivianos per metric ton. From 1904 to 1909 the bismuth exported from Bolivia amounted to 1,220.824,280 kilos, valued at 7,047,399.60 bolivianos, or an annual average of 203,470,713 kilos, valued at 1,174,566.60 bolivianos. At present 1 quintal of bismuth in bars pays an export duty of 10 bolivianos, and 1 quintal of bismuth in small bars, 7 bolivianos, by virtue of the law of February 9, 1910. RUBBER Xext to tin the most important product of Bolivia is rubber, the annual export value of which is estimated at $4,000.000. The exploitation of the rubber lands is regulated by law through an annual export tax. The principal areas lie in the 11 northeast, near the Peruvian boundary; in the east in the Province of Santa Cruz; and in the Acre and Beni territory, which is exceptionally rich in its yield. The Acre territory is watered by several large rivers originating in the Cordillera and flowing into the Amazon. These are the Beni, Madre de Dios, the Orton, and the Acre. Two varieties of rubber plant are found in this district, the caucho, which has to be cut down in order to extract the sap, and the hevea, which is merely tapped. In some cases the trees are tapped for a period of two years, and are then rested for a similar term. Other rubber trees are tapped for six years at a time and then left untouched for a like period. The trees selected for tapping in this section are usually from 30 to 40 years of age, and are expected to yield for 20 years, after which they become useless. CACAO, COFFEE, COCA, ETC. Cacao and coffee are cultivated in the Departments of La Paz and Cochabamba, while other valuable vegetable products are produced in the Departments of Beni and Santa Cruz. Coca, from the leaves of which the alkaloid of cocaine is produced, is one of the most valuable products of Bolivia. It is cultivated in the lower plateaus and temperate regions of the western watershed of the Andes, at an altitude of 650 to 1,600 meters above sea level Bolivian coca commands a high price in foreign markets on account of its superior quality. Upland rice is grown to some extent, but not in sufficient quantity to satisfy the local demand. A large area of the Republic is well suited to the cultivation of wheat, which might be grown in quantities sufficient to meet the needs of the home market, but as yet this branch of agricultural develop- ment has been but little studied. The present Government, impressed with the im- portance of stimulating agriculture in the Republic, has imported wheat of superior quality from the United States and Argentina for the purpose of supplying a high grade of seed to home growers. CATTLE Cattle, sheep, and llamas are abundant, and to encourage the live-stock industry of the country there is a national veterinary institute and a recently established agricultural school There are several breweries in the country and a shoe factory ; also many minor industrial establishments. MINERAL RESOURCES OF BOLIVIA (Bv CABLOS SARJTHES, COXSCL OF BOLIVIA, SAW FBAXCISCO, CAL) This article wiH be devoted simply to sketching the mineral resources that at die present moment are attracting the attention of the mining people of the United GOLD MI.VIXG, Before furnishing some data about the gold industry, a general description of the places m which this precious metal is found may be quoted from the OuUetm of the International Bureau of the American Republics. "The distribution of the metallic belts in Bolivia has always been a matter of r ,* geologists Raimondi having made the statement that the Bolivian X \ S a - S A-A*?* su PP<>rted by gold columns.' The gold-bearing belt of 17 f ^ V o ed ,? t0 - three ?* ions - The first extend * fr<* the western the Republic in the Inambari basin to the eastern frontier on the embra f es % *ole mountainous section of the Cercado, Yungas, Inquisivi, and 12 quisaca), as far as Santa Cruz plains. The third region, which perhaps is the richest, extends toward the northwest of the Republic as far as Carabaya (Peru) and the head of the rivers Madre de Dios, Acre, and Purus." Exportation. The amount of the exportation cannot be determined exactly, because the principal part of the production is smuggled out to avoid the payment of the small tax of 20c. on each ounce exported. In 1902 an estimate was made based on reliable private information, and the amount of the export was figured at more than 1,300 Ibs. per year. Ten years have elapsed since then, and in that period of time more capital has gone into the gold industry and many new mines have been discovered, therefore the production of that metal is at present evi- dently of great importance. It can be understood that the results obtained under the primitive methods of gold mining which are in fact in use at the present time in almost all the mines, should be greatly increased by the introduction of modern methods such as those adopted in Alaska and other mineral regions of the United States. It can be stated without fear of error that any person familiar with the mining in- dustry and with small capital to invest, will be successful working either by himself or associated with natives in Bolivia. Many own rich mines, but are unable to develop them on account of lack of capital, and of having but a super- ficial knowledge of gold mining. The work progresses, therefore, on a very small 'scale. For centuries the placers of Tipuani and Suchez have drawn the attention of prospectors, and at present, among the hundreds of mining concessions, are foremost. In them centres the principal interest, according to private reports received in this country by friends of the American miners in the Bolivian gold- fields. It will be useful to give the following details about those places. Tiptiani. Tipuani is situated in the Province of Laracaja, Department of La Paz, about 150 miles north of the city of La Paz. The river of the same name from the Mount Illampu, formed by several streams, and empties into the river Mapiri. Both rivers are famous for the presence of gravels containing im- mense quantities of gold. According to published reports, at a depth of 300 ft. rock bottom could not be found; the proportion of the gold increasing with the depth of the gravel. Though those mines have been worked for more than three centuries and contributed on a large scale to the riches of the Spanish Crown under the Spanish domination, they are far from being exhausted. On the contrary, they offer splendid chances to the prospectors. Tipuani gold is from 22 to 23.50 carats fine. Suchez. Suchez is in the northwestern part of the Department of La Paz, Province of Laracaja, about 200 miles from the city of La Paz. The river Suchez important as the Tipuani, because of the great amount of gold that its waters carry. At the headwaters of the river gold is found in conglomerates and recent gravel. Along its bed gold-bearing gravel exists in paying quantities, there being about 100,000,000 cubic metres of gravel yielding gold at the rate of 40c per cubic metre, according to the report published by the Bureau of American Re- publics in 1904. Other Localities. Besides Tipuani and Suchez, there are in Bolivia many more placers and mines of no less importance. San Juan del Oro, Los Cajones : ) : Chuquiaguillo (.river), about three miles from La Paz; and the mines of Araca. Arque, San Jose, Sorotaco de Chiquitos, etc., are all comprised in the first region. Amayapampa, Suipacha. Esmoraca, Chuquichuqui, San Juan, and tributaries of the river Guapay are comprised in the second region. It must be noted that not all the placers and mines referred to are under actual exploitation. many of them being idle because of lack of capital, and thus affording a good opportunity for new applicants for mining concessions. Though the following concerns the ancient history of the mining industry in Bolivia, it is of interest in this connection : "According to the data gathered by the General Bureau of Statistics and the estimates of several scientific men a< Humboldt. Stohier, and others who made a special study of the matter, the mines of Bolivia have produced, from the year 1540 to 1750, a lapse of 210 years, the enormous amount of 420,000,000, about $2,100,000,000." 13 TIN MINING. Among the mineral products o-f Bolivia the most important one is tin, in the development of which large capital is invested. The great value of this metal, which fluctuates around 190 per ton in the markets of London, has led the miners of Bolivia to devote their capital and energies to the working of tin mines in preference to those of silver and other metals. This fact has greatly stimul- ated the industry. Most of the companies have modern and well designed plants. The output is large, as will be seen by the following statistics. In the year 1910 the total exportation of metals from Bolivia reached the amount of 54,732,000 kg., representing a value of $46,716,774. Of this amount, tin occupies the first place, as its exportation was 38,548,441 kg., of a value of $37,006,503. The balance is distributed among the other metals, such as silver, copper, zinc, gold, bismuth, antimony, and wolfram. For 1911, the statistics of the first six months of the year only are available. They show total exports to the amount of: Tin . 19,052.267 $25,149,529 Other metals . 7,779,029 5,914,194 Total 26,831,293 $31,063,723 It should be taken into consideration that the value above stated is in Bolivian money, $1 United States currency being the equivalent of 2.50 bolivianos. Judging by the foregoing figures, it can be asserted that the exportation of metals at the end of the year 1911 reached more than 60,000,000 kilograms. The probable production of tin in all the world, according to available statistics, is about 100,000 tons annually. The principal output comes from the English possessions in the East Indies, whose contribution is a little more or less than 50,000 tons. Bolivia's output is nearly 40,000, which puts Bolivia in the second place among the tin-producing countries of the world. In some foreign statistics, Bolivia does not appear as a contributor of tin on such a grand scale. Part of its product is classified erroneously as Chilean or Peruvian tin. This happens because Bolivia, being an inland country, has to use for its shipments the ports of Anto- fagasta (Chile) and Mollendo (Peru). After the foregoing information about the industry of Bolivia, two more points remain to be explained which may interest the mining people desiring to go there that is, the substance of the law relating to the adjudication of mines; and the best way to reach the country, as well as the cost of the trip and other details. MINING REGULATIONS. The mining laws in Bolivia are very liberal, all the foreigners enjoying the same privileges and rights as the natives. Any person having legal capacity to con- tract may ask as many as thirty (30) mineral concessions (pertenencias). The measurement for each concession (pertenencia) is fixed at 100 square metres (about 327 sq. ft.) in the direction desired by the applicant and extending indefinitely in depth. The procedure is as follows: Any person finding deposits, placers, veins, etc., has to make his application to the Prefect of the Department in which the claim is situated, accompanying the application with a sketch showing clearly the position in which the mining claim shall be surveyed, and pointing out also its position in regard to adjoining claims. The application must be filed out on stamped paper of the value of 10 bolivianos (about $4). The Prefect, after having published the application in the papers for some time :e if there is any opposition to the claim, shall issue the decree of concession, n the applicant becomes the owner of the mine, paying the annual tax of $5 Bolivian (about $2 U. S. cy.) for each pertenencm. An application is considered abandoned if the survey and setting of landmarks made within 70 days from the first publication. Any person may denounce 14 the abandonment of an application, asking to be granted the same, when the owner has failed to comply with the laws relating to the matter. For prospecting it is not necessary to get a special permission. Any person may do that kind of work, giving notice to the authorities of the district in which he intends to prospect. Machinery and tools for mining purposes may be imported into the country free of duty. ROUTES OF TRAVEL. It is advisable for all persons interested in mining and other business in Bolivia to go first to the city of La Paz, which, though not the capital, is the largest and most important city of that country, being the place of residence for the Bolivian officials, the seat of government, and the commercial centre of the country. How to reach La Pas. The trip to La Paz may be divided into three stages : (1) from San Francisco to Panama; (2) from Panama to Mollendo; (3) from Mollendo to La Paz. (1) From San Francisco to Panama the steamers of the direct line established by the Pacific Mail Steamship Co. sail from San Francisco fortnightly and make the journey in 13 days, the cost of the first-class passage being $85. The steamers of the regular services, which make calls at the different ports south of San Fran- cisco, require 25 days and the cost is $125. (2) From Panama to Mollendo there is a choice of two lines : the Pacific Steam Navigation Co. and the South American Steamship Co., which connect with the steamers of the Pacific Mail. The regular trip from Panama to Mollendo is made in about fourteen days, but the South American Steamship Co., as well as a Peruvian company recently established, have some fast steamers which make the trip in less than eleven days. The price of first-class passage is about $150. A quick trip from San Francisco to Mollendo, therefore, could be made in 24 days at a rate of $233. (3) From Mollendo to La Paz the journey is by rail and boat. A railroad connecting the port of Mollendo and the city of Puno (Peru) makes the trip in two days, arriving at the latter point in the evening. At Puno a steamer is taken to cross Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, the journey lasting all night, and on the following day the train is reached at Guaqui (Bolivia). It conveys the passengers to La Paz, taking about three hours. The journey may be summarized as follows : from Mollendo to Puno, 2 days by railroad ; Puno to Guaqui. 1 night by steamer ; Guaqui to the city of La Paz, Bolivia, 3 hours by railroad. The entire trip from Mollendo to La Paz is made in three days and the cost does not exceed $25. The information given shows that the journey from San Francisco to La Paz could be made by the Pacific route in less than one month for $260 in round figures. The journey from San Francisco to Panama may be shortened, by way of New York, by three or four days if the traveler makes the exact connection with the steamers of the Panama Railroad Co., which make regular trips twice a week, between .\\u York and Colon, the time being about five or six days. The train from Colon to Panama does not take more than four hours. Time could be saved by this route, but the expense is greater by more than $100. C. SANJIXES. THE PRESS OF BOLIVIA The Republic of Bolivia began its independent existence in 1825. Up to that time Alto Peru, as the country had been called, was closely associated, in its literary and intellectual development, with Peru from Lima, and with the La Plata Provinces from Buenos Aires. The printing press was introduced into Argentina in 1780, but in Lima, which was one of the first places in the New World to feel the influences of this startling means of diffusing knowledge, the printing press was set up as early as 1582. Whatever local publications came from these presses before the revolutionary movement and during the few years preceding it found their way slowly and by 15 irregular stages into La Paz and elsewhere. Thus The Southern Star, issued in 1807, in Montevideo, with propaganda for liberty, aroused great excitement in Sucre, and other sheets, of one kind or another, were read with avidity. Periodical publications, nevertheless, were practically unknown in Alto Peru while it was a Province. In 1825, however, following as quickly as possible upon the establishment of inde- pendence in Bolivia, the press became active. Two papers, the Condor de Bolivia and the Gazeta de Chuquisaca, appeared, the latter in July, the former in November. At first they had no real news, but they carried reading matter. Both were printed in Chuquisaca, one of the earlier names changed later to Sucre, the capital of the country. As it was the seat of a university and of political and social importance, Chuquisaca retained the prestige of publication until 1828, when the first periodical appeared in La Paz. These papers were not regularly issued oftener than once a tttek, although extraordinary numbers came out from time to time. During the next years other cities like Santa Cruz, Oruro, and Potosi secured papers of their own, as intellectual necessities demanded. At last, on May 1, 1845, a daily newspaper came out in La Paz la Epoca the first daily in Bolivia. Since that date the Republic has been regularly supplied with its own daily newspapers. To-day the capital of each Department political subdivision of Bolivia has at least a weekly paper, but dailies are regularly issued in La Paz, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, Sucre, Oruro, and Potosi, while several of the smaller towns support less fre- quent periodicals. Each local paper is more generally read in its own home than for- eign papers, and is therefore, of importance for the advertiser, but the larger dailies, of which there are many, from La Paz, exert a noticeable influence throughout the country. The average size of the dailies is close to 20 by 15 inches, four pages (two sheets), with usually five but occasionally six columns to a page. Some of these papers fill the first page with advertisement, reserving the second and third pages for reading matter, but allowing whatever seems best to go on the fourth and last page ; others reverse the form and have the news items on the first page, placing the advertisements on the inside. The circulation averages about 2,500 copies. Rates for advertisements are based either upon the column or the column inch; in not a few cases they must be agreed upon by special arrangement. A column may cost $4 (gold), or a full page $16, each insertion. In one case the rate is given as for 100 square centimeters at $1.25 (gold), this space being equal to about 16 square inches, or estimated on the basis of the column inch, about 25 cents for that unit. For continuous advertising covering a definite period favorable terms can always be secured. i j LIST OF NEWSPAPERS WHERE ADVERTISEMENTS CAN BE INSERTED La Verdad La Paz. El Comercio de Bolivia La Paz. La Epoca La Paz. La Tarde La Paz. El Tiempo La Paz. El Diario La Paz. El Heraldo Cochabamba. El Ferrocarril Cochabamba. El Industrial Oruro. La Capital Sucre La Industria Sucre. La Estrella del Oriente Santa Cruz. El Tiempo Potosi La Democracia Trinidad (Beni). La Estrella Tarija 16 BANKING IN BOLIVIA Mr. Ignacio Calderon, Minister of Bolivia in Washington, in a pamphlet, "Economic Conditions of Bolivia," says : "A Bank with several million dollars capital would find very safe and profit- able investments and could obtain valuable franchises to the mutual benefit of the country and the capitalists. "If banking institutions were established tending to avoid transactions through bills on London, thereby increasing the loss of exchange, I am sure that the trade with this country would take a grea.t impetus and grow rapidly." The actual capital of National banks with the rights to issue notes established in Bolivia is as follows : Banco de la Nacion Boliviana Bs. 15,937,500 " Mercantil 7^500,000 " Nacional de Bolivia 6,600,000 " Argandoin 4,000,000 " Industrial 2,500,000 " Agricola 1,700,000 Bs. 38,237,500 There are also mortgage banks, with an issue of bonds on securities as follows : Credito Hipotecario de Bolivia Bs. 5,073,500 Banco Hipotecario Nacional 1,578,800 Banco Hipotecario Garantizador de Valores 1,357,700 Bs. 8,010,000 AN" there are some foreign banks with branches in Bolivia: "Banco de Chile y Alemania ;" "Banco Aleman Transatlantic ;" "Anglo-South American Bank." This pne has an agency in Xew York, 60 Wall Street. CONSULATES OF BOLIVIA IN THE UNITED STATES.* In addressing the consulates it is not necessary to give the full name of the consul, but merely to indicate the location for the information of the post-office authorities, as, for example, "Consluate of Bolivia, Chicago, 111." Bolivia has the following consulates in the United States: New York, N. Y., General Consulate; Baltimore, Md. ; Boston, Mass.; Chicago, 111.; Kansas City, Mo.; Philadelphia, Pa.; San Francisco, Cal. ; Norfolk, Va. The Consul of Venezuela, Mr. Juan Argote, at New Orleans, is authorized to legalize Bolivian invoices as well as for Mobile. The Pan American Union, Washington, D. C. hat recently published a raluable booklet on the "Bolivian Tariff and Appraisment Schedule*" which we recommend to interested parties. * Notwithstanding the prospects that Bolivia offers for enterprises and i nirnt-. it is advi-alik 1 to obtain reliable information from the Bolivian Legation or Consulates. A. B. 17 "Palo Borracho," Tree of the Gran Chaco-Bolivia. Bolivia* y la apertura del Canal de Panama COX el interes despertado en Estados Unidos en extender las rela- ciones comerciales con los paises Sud Americanos con motive de la proxima apertura del Canal de Panama, un representante del Xeic York Herald obtuvo del Seiior Adolfo Ballivian. Consul General de Bolivia, y de otros personajes, las siguientes informaciones sobre Bolivia: "Estoy justamente remitiendo," dijo el Seiior Ballivian, "todo lo publicado por el Herald, a mi Gobierno, robusteciendo asi las recomen- daciones para que mi pais no pierda tiempo en encontrarse preparado ampliamente para los beneficios que se derivaran de la apertura del Canal de Panama. He dedicado particular atencion a los recientes articulos del Herald relative >s a Sud America. "He tornado cuidadosa nota de que los demas paises estan vivamente preocupados de los inmensos alcances de ese nuevo trayecto y yo no quiero que mi pais quede rezagado. "K- evidente que cuando las comunicaciones se faciliten de esa ma- nera, los Estados Unidos c-taran a la vanguardia del desarrollo del comercio de la costa occidental de Sud America. Los preparatives para asegurar esa preponderancia se estan llevando a cabo aqui, y mi anhelo es que mi Gobierno vaya, al menos, medio camino al encuentro de esos esfuerzos. "Como primera medida estoy recomendando, que la esfera de accion de este Consulado sea considerablemente ensanchada. Deseo instalar aqui una 'Oficina de Informaciones' debidamente equipada. Quiero que se coloque en condiciones de poder absolver toda clase de inve^tigaciones relativas a los alicipntes quc los negocios ofrecen en mi pais, a fin de impulsar su comercio e industria en cuanto sea posible. Me propongo tener aqui un muestrario de los diversos productos de Bolivia (muchos de ellos del todo desconocidos), de modo de poner a la vista de los im- portadores aqui la clase de articulos que tenemos para ofrecerles. * Kstando <->ta puMicaoion di-stinada principalmente para si-rvir ]](-, al comrrdo anuTiraim. -M- >ii]iriiiH- rn la vi-r-ii'm i'a>ti-llana. la traduc- cion de todo aquello quo es debidanu'iiU' i-mmcido rn I'olivia. V B. 1" "Tengo frecuentes demandas de exportadores y fabricantes ame- ricanos preguntando la mejor manera de hacer conocer sus articulos en Bolivia. Para eso me empeno en que se establezca aqui una Agencia General que acepte anuncios y se encargue de hacerlos publicar en las diversas ciudades y organos de la prensa en Bolivia. Ferrocarriles al terminarse. "La construction de la red ferroviaria que se comenzo en Bolivia hace ya algunos anos, se encontrara al terminarse mas 6 menos, si no antes, que la apertura del Canal de Panama. Estos trabajos contri- buiran a hacer mas efectiva la avanzada labor acometida por los Esta- dos Unidos. "Actualmente el transito del comercio de la costa del Pacifico tiene que introducirse a Bolivia ya sea por Mollendo en el Peru, 6 por la via de Antofagasta en Chile. En virtud de un acuerdo con este ultimo pais un nuevo ferrocarril se halla en construction que parte de Arica, en la costa de Chile, hasta La Paz, en Bolivia, con lo que se abreviara el tiempo del trayecto, cuando menos en una tercera parte ; asi se colocara La Paz distante tan solo ocho 6 diez horas de la costa. Parece un augurio feliz el que esas dos grandes empresas se terminen mas 6 menos al mismo tiempo. * "Actualmente la mercaderia que se dirije a Bolivia por la via de Panama y Mollendo sufre mucho deterioro a causa de los trasbordos. Tiene que trasbordarse en Colon y despues en Panama y asi hasta llegar a Mollendo. De este puerto a La Paz no hay actualmente trafico directo. El trayecto se recorre en tres secciones ; la primera por medio del ferro- carril a Puno en el Lago Titicaca; alii la mercaderia se trasborda al vapor del lago, de donde precede a Guaqui, el puerto de La Paz; a cuya ciudad finalmente se conduce por ferrocarril. "Calculo que la mercaderia embarcada de Nueva York por dicha via sufre veintiun manipulaciones. Cuando el servicio del Canal de Panama se abra y el ferrocarril de Arica a La Paz se halle funcionando, esas operaciones se reduciran a solo ocho. Es evidente que esto repre- senta una gran disminucion en los gastos de fletes sin considerar el tiempo que se economizara. El tiempo que se empleara en el trans- porte se reducira, entonces, a menos de la mitad. Procurando ensanche comercial. "El comercio exterior de Bolivia no es todavia muy extenso. No porque ello se deba a carencia de expectativas, sino porque hasta muy * En momento de ponerse en prensa este folleto un cablegrama de Valparaiso, i 'i"* rz i ' ? nuncia ^ ue los rieles del ferrocarril de Arica a La Paz ban sido unidos, endose comenzado los trabajos simultaneamente por ambos extremos. El proximo 6 de agosto el Aniversario Nacional de Bolivia los Presidentes de am- bos paises haran la inauguracion oficial. 20 recientemente nos ban faltado los medios de transporte. Pero ahora que vamos a disfrutar de estas ventajas, un gran incremento no se dejara esperar. "Acabo de recopilar el resumen de las exportaciones enviadas a Boli- via de Nueva York por el ano 1911, lo que representa en oro americano $1.215,986. (Bs. 3.040,000.) La cifra mayor entre esto corresponde a- tejidos de algodon (tocuyos) $389,234; en seguida viene las maquinarias diversas $130,000; y despues explosivos para minas $127,559. "Xo tengo a mano datos completes sobre la exportacion e impor- tacion de y a Bolivia, pero las cifras siguientes por las importaciones durante los ultimos cinco anos dan una idea de la manera como el movimiento comercial ha crecido : en 1906, Bs. 35.087,325 ; en 1907, Bs. 37.897.610; en 1908, Bs. 40.732,543; en 1909, Bs. 34.224,764; en 1910, Bs. 48.802,394. * "Nuestra exportacion en 1910 ascendio a Bs. 75.622,149. Es facil convertir esas cifras a moneda americana por cuanto el Boliviano repre- senta 40 centavos oro. ** "Los dos articulos con los que paga Bolivia sus importaciones son minerales y goma elastica. Bolivia es muy rica, pero como el avaro, el boliviano guarda escondidos sus tesoros. Se hallan bajo de tierra. Se requiere arrancarlos a la luz del dia para que scan utilizables. "Parecera hoy increible que antes que Boston se hubiera fundado, Potosi, una de las ciudades de Bolivia que ahora tiene diminuta pobla- cion, contuviese 160,000 habitantes ! En la epoca del Coloniaje Espanol produjo esta ciudad inmensas riquezas provenientes de sus minas de plata. Su hermoso cerro se halla perforado como una colmena por socabones mineros, de los que hay cuando menos 5,000 escavaciones. Entre tanto la industria minera sufrio en mi pais un rudo golpe con la depreciacion del valor de la plata, por lo que su explotacion ha decaido mucho en el dia. La reduccion de los fletes como resultado de las nuevas vias de transporte pueden, sinembargo, producir reaccion saludable. "En el aiio 1910 el valor total de la plata exportada fue de 5.476.398 Bolivianos, mientras que los minerales de estano exportados alcanzaron a 37.006,504 Bolivianos. El estano ha reemplazado a la plata y ahora es Bolivia uno de los mayores paises productores de estano en el mundo. Es el unico pais en Sud America en el que se ha encontrado estano. Desenvolvimiento ferroviario. "Bolivia no ha sido aim divisada como amplio campo para la explo- tacion del capital americano. Hace recien cerca de cinco anos quo un Sindicato Americano obtuvo una concesion para construir 500 millas de ferrocarril. Los concesionarios trabajaron durante dos 6 tro anos y * Memoria del Ministro dc Hacienda Sr. Carlos Torrico, pag. 167. ** Circular de 15 septiembre 1911 del Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores Dr. Claudio Pinilla. 21 en seguida pasaron la direccion a una Compania inglesa que ya tenia en explotacion el ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia. "Otra empresa ferrocarrilera que se esta construyendo por ameri- canos, y que sera de inmenso beneficio para Bolivia "es el ferrocarril Madera-Mamore. Aunque su trayecto recorre territorio brasileno, sera esa ruta de grande importancia para Bolivia. "Infelizmente Bolivia esta privada de puertos maritimos. Es uno de los pocos paises que existen sin ellos. Aunque su area represente la cuarta parte del tamano de los Estados Unidos, su dominio territorial es completamente mediterraneo. Una gran parte de su area se encuentra al Oriente de los Andes siendo esa region muy feraz y enormemente rica en goma elastica. Hasta ahora el desarrollo de esa region ha sido impedido por las dificultades de transportes. La salida principal es por medio de los rios Mamore y Madera hacia el Amazonas, pero esa ruta es sumamente peligrosa a causa de las rompientes (cachuelas) de esos rios. Esas cachuelas han sido fatales tanto en sacrificio de vidas como en la perdida de productos y mercaderias naufragados. "La importancia que mi pais atribuye y persigue para alcanzar una conveniente salida al Atlantico por esta via puede apreciarse por el hecho de que hace 40 anos que el Gobierno de Bolivia se presto a garantizar capitales para que una empresa construyera el ferrocarril que evitase las referidas cachuelas aun cuando su construction recorria territorio extran- jero, del Brasil. La tentativa fracaso entonces, pero el empeno se ha renovado recientemente. Hace nueve anos que a merito de un tratado con el Brasil que consiguio una extensa cesion territorial, este pais se comprometio a construir ese ferrocarril para evitar las cachuelas. La concesion para construir el ferrocarril fue dada a un brasileno que la trasfirio a capitalistas americanos que se comprometieron llevar a cabo ese trabajo. "Se esta llegando ahora a la termination de esa empresa y sus bonos son procurados con empeno." Avance del Ferrocarril Madera-Mamore. Respecto al progreso del ferrocarril Madera-Mamore, el Senor Rodney D. Chipp, Tesorero de dicha Compania, en 115 Broadway, ayer daba estos informes al representante del Herald: "Aunque la obra del ferrocarril ha encontrado imprevistas dificultades, esperamos que estara la linea expedita el proximo junio. Estamos trabajando esta empresa hace ya cinco anos. Las dificultades a que he hecho referencia han sido climatologicas, no de ingenieria. Vencimos esas dificultades en la exten- sion de la linea empleando el sistema que dio tan satisfactorios resultados en la zona del Canal de Panama. De Torto Velho' hemos hecho una cmdad modelo donde se ha fundado un Hospital. Tenemos organizado alh un cuerpo competente de medicos y enfermeras que tienen a su carsjo el Hospital. 22 "Xuestra accion era, en realidad, del todo nueva. La idea era sin duda antigua, habiendose hecho una tentativa alii por el ano 1870, para construir ese ferrocarril por una Compania de Filadelfia ; pero esos tra- bajos fracasaron. Cuando comenzamos las operaciones los antiguos tra- bajos estaban todos enmontados. "Xuestra empresa tiene en construccion mas de 200 millas de ferro- carril contiguas a las cachnclas de los rios Madera y Mamore. Este ferrocarril unira la navegacion del Amazonas y el Madera abajo de las cachuelas con los miles de millas de navegacion que existe en Bolivia y Brasil arriba de dichas cachuelas. "Estas caidas 6 cachuelas en esos rios interrumpian la navegacion alii en una extension de 200 millas, por lo que solo podia ella verificarse en canoas manejadas por los indigenas, y aunque esos indios, adquieren gran habilidad para dominar dificultades increibles, las perdidas de vidas y mercaderias han sido aterradoras. Los siniestros en mercaderias se calculan en 20 por ciento. Facil es, por lo tanto, apreciar la inmensa economia que se reportara con el ferrocarril, sin perderse de vista el campo enorme que se abre como horizonte de justas expectativas basadas en este desenvolvimiento. "La empresa dispone alii de un cuerpo considerable de ingenieros y mecanicos de los Estados Unidos. "Los rieles son belgas, pero el material rodante y locomotoras son construidas en Estados Unidos. Para los durmientes hemos aprove- chado las maderas nativas de ley y tambien se ha importado algunos de Australia. "La entrega al trafico de una seccion ya terminada fue hecha en septiembre ultimo." El Presidente de la Compania del ferrocarril Madera-Mamore es Percival Farquhar. Este Senor esta interesado en muchas empresas ferrocarrileras en el Brasil. Se dijo, hace algun tiempo, que el Senor Farquhar y el Doctor F. S. Pearson, otro americano que ha hecho trabajos de pioneer en el campo ferroviario en el Brasil, se habian propuesto obtener el dominio de un sistema transcontinental de ferrocarriles en este pais, pero tal proposito resulto infructuoso. Bolivia Railway Company. El Senor J. G. Metcalfe, Vice Presidente de la "Bolivia Railway Company." y que anteriormente fue Presidente de la Compania, mani- festo tambien a un representante del Herald que al comienzo de esos ferrocarriles el mismo permanecio muchos meses en Bolivia y en los paises adyacentes. "Bolivia/' dijo, "es un pais muy rico en productos naturales y su gente de trato franco y agradable. En su origen la Bolivia Railway Company fue constituida en America. La concesion para construir cerca de 500 millas de ferrocarril fue obtenida por el 'National City Bank' y 'Speyer y Cia.' Las lineas proyectadas abarcaban lo siguiente: "23 de Viacha a Oruro; de Oruro a Cochabamba; Rio Mulato a Potosi; y de Uyuni a Tupiza. La linea de Viacha a Oruro esta ya en explotacion y la que se dirije a Potosi se concluira el mes proximo. En las demas secciones los trabajos van adelantando satisfactoriamente. "Los trabajos continuaron durante tres anos bajo la direction ame- ricana, pero despues paso a una compaiiia inglesa. Esta Compania es la que se hallaba explotando una linea de Antofagasta a Oruro. En realidad las lineas terminadas y en construction por la 'Bolivia Railway' forman extensiones y ramales de esa ruta, y ahora las dos funcionan bajo un solo sistema administrativo. "Las dificultades de ingenieria en las empresas de la 'Bolivia Rail- way Company' no son tan grandes como las que se encuentran en otros ferrocarriles. Verdad que es grande la altitud; nunca menor de 12,000 pies, pero la mayor portion del camino recorre pampas bastante niveladas del gran altiplano Boliviano, y no se atraviesa terrenos montanosos, donde son necesarios frecuentes cambios de gradiente. "Hasta ahora no se ha introducido a Bolivia capital americano que merezca mencionarse. Es asi que yo no conozco que exista, en escala apreciabie, empresas mineras en manos de americanos. Aquellas pro- piedacles mineras que se han levantado, lo han conseguido, en su mayor parte, con esfuerzos propios y pequenos capitales. El Gobierno de Boli- via, entretanto, se empena por atraer al pais capitales extranjeros, para dar mayor impulse y para esto ofrece especiales alicientes para las explo- taciones de las industrias mineras y de la goma elastica. "Me impresiono gratamente el encontrar a los hombres de Gobierno de Bolivia muy correctos y del todo versados en negocios. Es mas facil conseguir un Si 6 un No redondo en Bolivia, que lo es alcanzarlo en Washington. "Independiente del aspecto atractivo industrial y comercial, consi- dero a Bolivia destinado a ocupar un lugar prominente como un pais de atraccion para el tourist a tan luego como se abra el Canal de Panama. Ahora mismo ya esta siendo inmensamente apreciado. En algunos viajes en que los vapores tocan en diferentes puertos de la costa occidental, muchos pasajeros dejan el vapor en Mollendo, van a La Paz por la via del Lago Titicaca' y, en seguida, lo alcanzan en Antofagasta, yendo por la via de Oruro y Uyuni. Dificilmente puede imaginarse una excursion mas llena de novedades y agradables sorpresas. Los touristas cruzan los Andes dos 6 tres veces, al menos, una de las cimas de esas montanas, y atraviesan ese pais rico en monumentos de antigua civilization, que ates- tiguan los actos heroicos de los Conquistadores espanoles. "Bolivia es un pais maravilloso, que solamente ahora estamos comen- zando a oir hablar de el." 24 A -III III II 000 091 ,46,' YORK PRINTING CO. SPANISH PRINTING NEW YORK