BOLIVIA'S WEALTH.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 August 1915, Page 10

BOLIVIA'S WEALTH.

IMPRESSES A NEW ZEALANDER. TVO-VDERFUI, .\fJNLVG OOUXTRY. "The richest mineral bearing country in the world," is Mr. E. Gore Adams' opinion of Bolivia. Mr. Adams, who was at one time in ehargo ftt the Thames School of Mines, has for apuie years past been actively engaged in . mining in South America, and 'is at piosont in New Zealand on holiday- ' What we call rich in Xew Zealand and Australia would in Bolivia be ra-g-aided as low grade," said Mr. Ad*nrs. "Tin, silver, bismuth and copper can be procured in wonderful quantities. From one hill alone (owned by two companies) seven per cent, of the world's total tin piodue.tion is being taken. In Bolivia, anything under Ave per cent, metallic tin is "considered low grade. Five per cent, in actual value represents about £B. It is not (u valuable as gold, of course. because there is the greater coet of transport as well as the cost of melting. But there is money in mining in Bolivia, and the English companies operating there are making big returns.- The mining plants are quite as up-to-date ai any to be found in Xew Zealand, rock drills, water power, and other modern, improvements being generally utilised. In the l'arco tin mines (which my partner and I floated into a company at Home three years ago) we were treating SO tons per.'day, with excellent results. The mining area in Bolivia is 13,000 ft above sea level, and is in every respect lualthy, but the difference in air pressure makes it difficult to do ns much work there as on the lower levels. Tb« temperature at that height goes down twenty degrees within ten minutes o! i sunset." } The effect of British legislation, waking it unlawful for money to be invested in foreign countries whjlo Uio war is in progress, ha,s had its effect on the development of fresh enterprises, but Mr. Adams hopes to interest Australian and Xew Zealand investors in the possibilities of Bolivia as a min- • ing country.