LAND OF REVOLT

Hawera Star, Volume L, 5 March 1931, Page 7

LAND OF REVOLT

LIFE IN SOUTH AMERICA

CONSTANT POLITICAL TURMOIL

To experience one revolution in Latin South America would be to the average man an exciting experience, but Monsieur E. Stoeklin, of Paris, who arrived in Wellington from Panama by the Ruugitata this week encountered four during his recent tom of South America (states the “Dominion.”.) At Pernambuco last August M. Stoeklin encountered the beginning of the big revolution in Brazil, when there was a good deal of rioting in the streets, and the police had to fire on the mobs, who were pulling up the stones from the streets to smash the windows of the public buildings. There were only a few people killed on that occasion, but the revolution worked from the north and south on to Rio do Janeiro, and was a complete success. Then again at Montevideo, in Uruguay, there was a big political revolution, during which visitors had to step warily to avoid danger from the conflicting forces. Buenos Aires was seething with revolutionary trouble when M. Stoeklin arrived there. Anyone carrying firearms was liable to be arrested and shot without trial, and in the chief post office cameras carried by visitors were seized by the military, who were in charge of the city. The passage of the Andes was made by the famous trans-Andine railway and both in Chile and Peru there were political troubles, with resort to arms.

“Bolivia is the most backward of all the South American States,” said M Stoeklin. “This country is medieval —a hundred years behind the times. There they had just had their revolution. in which dOO lives were lost. In Bolivia the population is largely of Indian .stock, and these cherish a deep hatred for the cultured classes of Lapaz, who exploit the simple country people, and so bring about an intensity of feeling which finds an outlet in sanguinary encounters. It semed to me that another one was imminent when I was there.

VENEZUELA’S DICTATOR. “Venezuela is ruled by a dictator— Gomez —and though one had to till iu all manner of forms and undergo a strict examination, it is a rather wonderful country. Thanks to its oil resources it is the only State without a national debt. You must avoid any mention of polities there if you wish to remain free. Thousands oi its people neglect to do so, with the result that there are many prisoners, who are employed in making excellent roads all through the country. Off the coast of Venezuela is the Dutch island of Curacao. where ships of all nations call for supplies of Venezuela oil. Even in Venezuela there was an unemployment problem due to the closing down of many of the oil wells. “The poorest countries in the world arc the republic of Santa Domingo' and Haiti. Santa Domingo was totally destroyed by a great cyclone in September last, when 3000 people were killed.

“Havana was seething with revolt when I was there a couple of months ago,” said M. Stoeklin. “This had killed the tourist traffic for the time being. Hundreds of houses were to let and the splcnded hotels were almost deserted. The corruption of the existing Government was said to. be the cause of the trouble. The President had recently built a palace for himself at a cost of 17,000,000 dollars, which annoyed the black population considerably, as they were finding it hard to earn enough to keep themselves in food and shelter.

“I flew over a great part of Nicaragua, which is practically governed by American military forces, who are said to be holding this country safe in order to prevent any other nation gaining a canal concession, which would compete with Panama —on -,a sea-level route, too. 1 was not allowed to use my camera there or while flying over Panama.”

After a visit to the South Island, M. Stoekliu is proceeding to Australia, the Dutch East Indies, Singapore, India. Egypt and so back to Paris.