LIFE IN BOLIVIA.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 July 1921, Page 6

LIFE IN BOLIVIA.

AN INTERESTING LETTER. Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Hurle, of Street, New Plymouth, ha\e just received an interesting letter from their son» who holds a responsible position at Antofagasta, Bolivia. We have been permitted to make the following extracts, which will be read with in« terest: —•

The Robinson cup competition is noW finished, thank goodness, and the cup has gone to Antofagasta. We have had a very enjoyable time over it, but it has undoubtedly l>een very hard work. We had to find food and accommodation for over sixty visitors, quite a task with the limited means at our disposal. However, we settled the question for most of the ladies by obtaining a sleep-ing-coach from the Administration and billeting them in that for three days. 1 was the only member of the Mejib tones tennis team to obtain a win, two straight sets, G—4, 6—3. In the doubles my partner and I lost 5 —7, 4 —6. Ab footbull we won by 4—o, and at swimming, in all three races, all the MojiL tones’ representatives finishing in front of the first Antofagasta man—a proper walk-over. But tennis, with 5 points to 1, and billiards, with 3 points to 1, proved too big a handicap, and so tho cup has gone. Still that is only ihe finish of the 1920 competition, so that it will not be very long now before Wd start on the 1921 one.

Business is still v<*ry bad in this country: almost at a standstill, and appearances point to its being worse yet. Exchange is now down to almost fid. You will perhaps remember my saying that the policy of the old Governments of running the country on the revenues derived from nitrate would eventually land the Administration in serious difficulty. That time has now come. In- .! stead of establishing industries in the : days of plenty and developing the very i rich agricultural lands of the central region, and the timber lands of the south I with the money that was so very easily obtained from the nitrate industry of | the north, no attempt was made to introduce any other form of taxdlion, and the nitrate tax receipts were used indiscriminately. Now it is necessary to find money from elsewhere for the ordinary purposes of government, for prac* ticallv no nitrate whatever is being exported, the stocks in Europe being | sufficient to last until thfe end of the .Veai* 1 - . A new Government has just gone into power, and they appear to be making a I frightful mess of things, chiefly on ael count of inexperience which should have : been gained during th- plentiful years. One of their-greatest difficulties is find- ’ ing employment for the men who havo ; been thrown out of work by the closing j down of the nitrate factories, and tho resultant loss of shipping. 1 should not be at all surprised if the whole situation resulted in a revolution. Something has surely got to happen soon.