Brazil's Bases Are Big Asset. To Strength Of United Nations

Taranaki Daily News, 24 August 1942, Page 3

Brazil's Bases Are Big Asset. To Strength Of United Nations

By Our Special Observer.

Country of enormous economic and strategical value joins anti-Hitler forces.

Some 44,000,000 people occupying a country which takes up nearly half of the South American continent have been added to the partnership of the United Nations by President Vargas's declaration of war on Germany and Italy. Brazil is the largest state in South America, exceeding the size of continental United States (exclusive of Alaska) by 250,000 square miles. It has a coastline on the Atlantic Ocean of 4106 miles, and extends 2691 miles fropi north to south and 2500 miles from east to west. It is bounded on the north by Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas and the Atlantic Ocean, on the east by the Atlantic, on the south by Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru and Colombia. The northern half of Brazil is the great heavily v/ooded basin of the Amazon (3854 miles long, the longest river in the world), which rises in the Peruvian Andes, and with its tributaries drains 2,000,000 square miles and empties into the Atlantic at-the Equator. It is navigable in Brazil for vessels of deep draught for 23C3 miles; and in all its rivers Brazil pissesses 40,000 miles of navigable waterway". Mountain ranges, interspersed with fertile valleys, traverse the eastern and southern states of Brazil. The majestic falls of Iguassu, one of the natural v/onders of the world, are on the border of Parana, a southern State. Portuguese Discovery. Brazil was discovered in 1500 by Cabral, a Portuguese navigator, and was developed as a colony of Portugal until the royal house of Braganza, fleeing from Lisbon before Napoleon's army in November, 1807, transferred the seat of Government to Rio de Janeiro in March, 1808. In 1815 Brazil was proclaimed a kingdom, and in 1822 Dom Pedro, son of King John VI, who had been left as Regent on his father's return to Portugal, was crowned constitutional Emperor and Brazil was broken from Portugal. He abdicated in 1831 in favour of his son Dom Pedro II, who was .then five years old. Crowned in 1841, hl ruled with varying fortune until November 15, 1889, when he was driven from the throne into exile by a revolutioxi which established a republic, the United States of Brazil. The Constitution adotited Julv 24, 1891, was rnodelled largely on that of the United States. There are 20 states in the United States of Brazil and they are largely autonomous. There is also one territory (Acre) bought from Bolivia in 1902. Small Cultivated Area. A small part only of Brazil's rich agricultural land has been brought under cultivation — about 18,000,000 acres. This provides an interesting comparison in development with New Zealand. The area of Brazil is 3,285,318 square miles _ as against 103,416 square miles comprising New Zealand proper, yet the Dominion has a greater area under cultivation, the total for the last recorded- year being 19.906,656 acres. Brazil's chief crop is coffee, there being in cultivation about 2,500,000,000 coffee trees (69 per cent. of the world's total). Coffee growing covers more than 4,000,000 acres of Brazil's land under cultivation. Chief source of natural rubber now available to the United Nations, Brazil has exported about 12,419 metric tons in a year, but it can be imagined that of late every, effort has been made to stepup this figure. Sugar, cacao, and cotton are also grown. " - - -

The mineral wealth of Brazil is vast but comparatively little developed. The country is an important source of the vital manganese ore, needed for hardening steel, and of industrial diamonds. Ships of Varied Origins. Brazil will be a powerful economic asset to the ranks of the United Nations, but will be of limited value as a fighting factor. The Brazilian navy has somd useful ships which will combine with those of the United States fleet on the South American coast. There are two old battleships, the Minas Geraes and the Sao Paulo, both built in Britain in 1910. They are of 19,200 tons displacement and mount 12 12-inch guns as main armament. Two old cruisers of similar vintage and origia were, however, completely refitted ia 1925-6. In 1936, Brazil laid down a programmo of naval construction comprising 2 cruisers, 9 destroyers, 8 submarines, 6 minelayers and 3 oil tankers. Some of these ships have come forward and now that Brazil is a belligerent more will do so. Britain had orders for six of the new destroyers and they were of the British Hero class (1340 tons) which have proved successful in action. In the destroyer class there are also three U.S.A. typa 1500-ton vessels being built at Rio de Janeiro with material imported from the United States. These ships are generaU ly similar to the Mahan class of the( United States navy. The Brazilian Navy has in service at least four modern submarines whose commanders and crews will take particular delight in taking into action against the Axis since they were built in Italiah yards. Three are small boats similar to the Italian Peria type with 620 tons surface displacement, and the other is similar to the larger 1450 tons Italian Balillo type. For instructional purposes the Brazilian Navy had made in the Vickers yards at Barrow in 1933 a 3325 tons sailing ship, the Almirante Saldanha. She is a novel sailing ship in that she is well armed with 4-inch guns, torpedo tubes, antiaircraft batterfiyt, and has minelaying gear. Her total sail area is 25,390 square feet and she has an auxiliary Diesel engine under power of which the Almirante Saldanha can make 11 knots. She carries a complement of 356 and has additional provision for 100 midshipmen and cadets. The Brazilian navy is completed with some old gunboats, river gunboats, a repair ship from the , German yards at Rostock, six modern minelayers and two older ones, and some useful tankers. The merchant marine of Brazil consists of some 250 vessels : aggregatirig about 500, GOO tons. - Realm of the Air. Brazil's principal value to the United Nations will, however,, be in the realm of the air. Around the bulge of Brazil flows vital Allied lines of communication and the use of the Brazilian bases will provide additional. protection for them. But it is as the take-off place for the airline from the Americas to Africa that Natal in Brazil is so important. In f act, for this reason the utility of Natal brings it to the forefront of world aviation. In seqiience the French, German and Italians have made Natal their landfall on the American side of the Atlantic. All of these lines were shut down some time ago. Air France has many large hangars standing idle at Natal, as also" has the German Lufthansa and the Italian Lati line. Three of the large transAtlantic Italian Lati planes were caught in Brazil, and should, now prove useful, as also should at least one German "Condor" which was also caught there. For some months now Pan-American airways have been doing a rush job in. providing additional air base facilities at Natal and other Brazilian areas. Brazil's help in the air war may be hejr excelling point. ' . - \ }