LAND OF NITRATE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 14344, 24 October 1910, Page 7

LAND OF NITRATE.

CHILE’S DEVELOPMENT BY BRITISH CAPITAL. Chile is not the least interesting country of South America; its Englishlikc climate, ite fine scenery, and tho simple and hardy character of its people make travelling interesting and pleasant, and, like most places in this part of tho world, it is developed mainly by English capital and enterprise. A great commercial asect is the number of tolerably good harbours, which foster a large trade, and indeed, but for them, its condition would ho very backward, as it has only lately been connected directly by rail with the Argentine; it has no railway into Peru, and from Valparaiso there is no northern highway hut that of flic sea. Among its many obstacles the Pan-Amorican Railway will find ono of its toughest propositions in driving a railway from the north to the centre of Chile. The coast, therefore, swarms with busy little ports, each with its short railway, and these aro constantly visited by vessels bringing the wheat and other produce of the fertile midlde region to tho barren tracts of the north. The voyage north from Valparaiso can be easily and pleasantly made by the comfortable steamers of the Pacific Mail'Steam Navigation Company. This line is going to amalgamate with the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. Steaming out of the splendid bay of Valparaiso, tho vessel keeps near the rocky coast and arrives next day at Coquirnbo, the port of La Scroua. It is picturesquely situated in a rocky landlocked bay, and, like most of its neighbours, is, as Baedeker puts it, very unpretentious. It has, however, a British Consulate, two banks, and some copper ■smelting works. Copper working is in this district by far the most importantindustry, and Chile ranks third in the copper-producing countries of tho world. The next three coast towns —Huasco, Caldera, and Chanaral are smaller replicas of the first. It is by no means necessary to go ashore at each one, seeing that they present practically no points of difference, and the ship does not stay long. They also arc engaged in copper mining and smelling. The next port of call, Taltal, is considerably more important, for here wc have the beginning of the great nitrate industry to which Chile owes most of its wealth. This busy and flourishing town is situated on a tiny lodge between the water and the mountains, but it can lioast of little beauty, for those mountains, on n near view, are little better than magnified mud-heaps. The streets are broad, and the houses, though mostly of wood, seem roomy and comfortable. . Most of the streets run from tho sea till they lose themselves against the mountain wall, while two or three of the better thoroughfares intersect them, running from ono end of the arc formed by the mountains to a ridge near the railway station, which practically cuts the arc in half. The other portion of the town, of which a good view is obtained from the ridge, consists chiefly of nitrate and railway sheds, and further away stands a cemetery of appalling hideousnese. Tho general aspect, bare of grass and trees, is extremely cheerless, but this state of things is common to all the nitrate towns, and the inhabitants appear to livq* happily in the black-grey dust.

Antofagasta, which comes next, used to bo the port of Bolivia, hut that country-, being allied with Peru in the war against Chile, lost it, and now possesses no outlet to tho sea. Accordingly Antofagasta is of great importance to the Bolivian trade, and exports much of the copper and silver which Bolivia produces in large quantities. It is also a nitrate port, and is very similar to Taltal in situation and appearance, but is much larger, 'and has more tall chimneys. After one or two insignificant ports Iquiquo is reached. This pleasant town is considerably more important than any other city of the Chilian coast except Valparaiso. Its Customs revenue is fully 25 per cent, larger than that of Antofagasta. It lives upon nitrate as completely as Baku docs upon petroleum. The inhospitable desert, the Pampa, will yield nothing else except under irrigation, which, owing to scarcity of water, is usually impossible. The town, however, has a good water supply, brought from a far-off spot in the Andos, and in ono or two places near tho waterworks the finest grapes and vegetables arc grown, for tho soil only requires water to become extremely fertile. However, an it is, tho Pampa is a stark desert without a living thing, either animal or vegetable, except what is duo to the nitrate oficinas and the Nitrate Railway. English capital and English organisation aro very prominent here as everywhere in Chile, and tho people do not share the admiration of some of our journalists for German manufacturing enterprise. There is a very sore feeling about certain German’ railway engines which proved a total failure, and tho last thing a shopkeeper would do would bo to advertise tho fact that ho sold German goods, whereas . tho host shows always boast of being English or French houses. Nitrate is by far the chief of Chile’s exports, and much greater than all others combined, being produced in such quantities that schemes have been proposed for restricting the output. But its other mineral products arc capable of great development, and the wool industry in the cold south, where tho breed has been improved by hardy English shcop, is becoming very largo. Chile is also noted for the high quality of its flour, and long ago used to export a considerable quantity to Australia, but now hardly enough wheat is grown to supply the needs of its rapidly-increasing po]*ilation. 'Wherever there is rain the land is moist and fertile, and, tho Chilians being excellent workers, Chile is an extremely flourishing and promising country.