LIFE IN CHILI.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 55, 24 February 1908, Page 4

LIFE IN CHILI.

LliLAi' L.LNU AM) lUOII IXiLULSi. 1 I 'lu the great uoniou ui the civilissd world (saiys the "JJuiuiniyii') Chili i.|>o|Hilai)y supposed to he one of tliov touih American .Males where- one retires tu sleep tu be awakened In jjiun tint ill 11 duUgl' uf C.OVelillliellt. illlil to lie greeted by the new, th.it the late President is about tu lie shot in tin- ei'y MlUiire I'm- living the late l'le-idem.' liut, like en-entiling el.,e, tlii- is ;t gross iilx'l oil a really thriving country and an intcn-cly patriotic- people, according t.i .Mr. D. 11. Stewart, formerly ul Tiinaru. who lias spent the la-t four years of his life in Chili, mill who anivtii in Wellington last week. .Mr. Stewart l.<t Tiinaru when Imt eighteen years of age. to seek hi- fortune in foreign part-, and lias no reason to regret having done so. Jle journeyed to the Argentine, where he spent some years g«ining-e:\-pericuce, then ho journeyd v.e.i. an.l iill pie-cut conii.'eteil with the AngioSoutli Anieriean Hank ai li|iiii|Ut', a Cliiliaii city of nearly forty ihou-iuul ] inhaliitaiits and a liwly eouiineri'i-ii I town on the sea eoiisl. in.i-inucli as it i is the eentrc of the famous nitrate diI trict, where nearly the who);' worid j looks for it- supply of saltpetre. ',| I never rains at li|uii|iie a nune wiii'-h I sound- appropriate for the -cene of I lie 'next musical eomedy -at le;i-t. Mr. I [Stewart states that it ha.- only rainel | twiee there in the la-t three year-. II 1 would In- unfortunate indeed if it did. : for the nitrate- peri-h in water, or, at any rale, are rolihed of a great deal ;-l' j their \irlue. It is a highly payable ■ imlu-uy. t0... for none of the Chilian ■ or Kiiglisli eoni]ianies working the ile- ; posits pay le-s than l.'i per <ent.. anil jn.iny an- eoii-iderahly higher, and tliidespite .1 heavy export duty impo-ed by tin 1 Coverninent. With only a shower or two every few year- it wa- natural ! to ,i-k what lipiiipie'- water ,-upply. [which is. it is ascertained, drawn from ! the lieior-l'iiiliii!; torrent- of the di-taai I And-s.

llr. Stewart -ays Huh ii i- ipiite erroneous to suppose (,'liili ti. ln> one <f tin' comic-opera States that arc always in a revolutionary turmoil. Don Pedro .\f»ntt. the gentleman at the head of affair-, lias been President I'm- a couple .if year-; speaks F.nglish a- it should lie spoken: anil can lie easily approached hy any of his people at almost any lime. Hi- is progressive on practical lines.

manage- his navy in llriti-h fa-hion. li'i army in Herman style, and lias im-pre-M'-l mi his South American neighliors that Chili is a power to lie reckoned with. The Chilians—a 1-ro-s between linearly Spanish settlers and the Araucanians—are a patriotic, warlike people, and, as they are protected seaward by a harlxirless coast and an cflicient nave, and landward hy the Andes, they feel pretty safe as a country. Should any of the surrounding States he im-lined lo take more than her due. Chili could give a very good account of herself. As a place for a young man with a little capital, Mr. Stewart thinks Chili would lie hard to equal. The country is rich in minerals of all kind—copper, silver, and tin in particular—and in the south is admirably adapted for pastoral and agricultural purpose-. Cood land, which would cost at least C2O an acre in Xetv Zealand, can he ljought for t'2 an acre for fattening cattle, for which there is always a brisk demand in Ihe more arid north. The wool-growing industry is in its infancy, hut there is no reason why it should liot develop largely in the future. Land in the extreme south, and even on Tierra del l-'uego. has been stocked with sheep, and excellent results are reported.

When Mr. Stewart left lipiiipic his bank was paying i; per eent. on six mnntlis' deposit money, and I per eent. on money at call, so (hat even a- an investment for a Jew spare thou-aiuls (he Anglo-South American Han!; appears (o Ik- ipiite a -oniiil inve-lmenl. 'The-., rale- ~,-(.. however, not regarded us nearly enough in a eonnlrv where no properly-conducted commercial or mining enterprise return- k-s- than |;, per ceiit. Of course, all coiinlrie- have their drawback-, and one very un-iable factor is Hie Ihictuating paper dollar. It v.a-uoi-th I- when Mr. Stewart left hpii.pte. bin he ha- since learned that it i, down t" Hid. There i, a limited gold coin age. but there is a premium on gold. which i- a Coverumeni nn poh. anb as it i- in-isted that ilulie- -hall be paid in gold, the premium one ha- to pav ia Covernnient perquisite. The available gold i- limited, so it i- put up for auction at the "reiuati" evcrv s-nm-div afiern,.,.,,. and if a mir.liant ,- p„-|, ~| »»■ M"ld I" dear hi- mer,-]|.„„|i„. i„. mayli.ue to pay oil pei-ceni. more than II- lace value. lie ,|,„- „,„ ~,„■,.,. "alur.i|l> but put- ||„. "extra" on !■> ''"' I"' l '''' "I' ti"' g I-. -i that Ihe consumer pay- in (he l,,ug --in,. 11 '- ''in' fr gencrallv known tint Valparaiso, while twelve davs' sicain from Monte Video, is only forty-seven lour- from linen.,. Aire-, across country. At pre-eiit tit,. Andes have lo be negotiated by ;1 mule leant between fie railhead-, but the work of tumiclline Ihroiigh lapallata Pass for the railw-v i- proceeding, so that the Tran- Andean railway i- a- nearly an accomplished '■"■' a- i- ll„. Midland lieilwav „f our "Wn Eolith l-la.ld.

, ' n "' officer- of ,|,e bank with which ■ ■!r. Mouarl is i oiineel eil get seven month-' holiday evcrv live vears. and he is making u-,. of hi- furlough |„ ,;.; ( |,j. "laiive- and fri 1- in ihe -,llth.