no CHILE - MISCELLANEOUS 



commenced and in any case the colony would be rather pastoral than 

 agricultural. We know that the best land has already been granted to 

 large agencies (see § 5) ; perhaps when the present contracts have expired, 

 and the land again becomes the property of the Government, efficacious 

 measures may be taken. 



§ 10. New tendencies of the ac^ricultural policy of Chile. 



The various elements of Chilian agriculture have now been discussed 

 and it remains to be seen what progress has been made, and what are the 

 present tendencies of agricultural economics. 



Considering the composition and character of the great mass of which 

 the working population is composed, it is clear that agriculture can make no 

 progress except \vith the aid of the large proprietors, supported by a wise 

 polic}^ on the part of the State. 



Much has already been done by the large proprietors ; it is owing to 

 their efforts that a large portion of the middle zone has been placed under 

 intensive cultivation, that new crops, agricultural machinery and to some 

 extent artificial manures have been introduced (i). 



To these changes the State efficiently contributed by the foimd- 

 ation ini855 of the Mortgage Credit Bank (2), the effect of which was to 

 secure a considerable capital for agriculture. By the aid of this, many 

 great farms originally cultivated extensive^ and on primitive methods, 

 have become model farms yielding large returns. 



The Sociedad Nacional de AgricuUiira, of which a certain number of 

 large landowners are members and which was founded in 1856, has also 

 contributed largely to agricultural progress. Its object is to diffuse useful 

 information and especially to purchase agricultural machinery etc. It 

 has induced the Government to undertake the protection of agriculture, 

 to arrange the conversion of the ecclesiastical titles into a land tax, and 

 to abolish the export duties on agricultural produce, substituting for them 

 import duties. 



Thus extensive cultivation now gives better returns, and at the pre- 

 sent time agriculture and agricultural industries are very prosperous. 

 The proof of this is the rapidly increasing value of landed property. 



But there are signs that the collective action of agriculturists is in- 

 sufficient, and new necessities urge them to resort for the defence of their 

 interests to other measures, which have been successful in Europe. 



In his essay above mentioned, Seiior Aldunate, Minister of Chili in 

 Italy, sa^^s. 



" Production and trade are subject to monopoly and to the tyranny 

 of foreign export firms, which purchase the standing crops, taking the 

 Hon's share in advance, and by means of shipping rings monopohse the 

 traiisport of the produce to foreign markets. " 



It may be added that the agriculturist who receives an advance from 

 an exporting firm is obliged to sell it all liis crop, the price of which is 



(i) Only of late years have artificial manures, especiall}' saltpetre, been used in Chile. 

 (2) Se^ Bulletin of Economic and Social Intelligence, March, 1913 and March, 1914. 



