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CHILI. 



was 7,046 men, commanded by 478 officers. 

 The total number of officers is 1,004; but this 

 number will be reduced gradually. During 

 the most active period of the war (end of 1880 

 and beginning of 1881) the effective strength 

 of the National Guard was 39,000 men. The 

 number of men that served in the mobilized 

 National Guard during the war was 51,333, 

 and 2,174 officers. The sedentary National 

 Guard, from Pisagua to Magallanes, consists of 

 47,500 men and 2.047 officers. For years to 

 come the pension list will absorb at least 

 $400,000 a year. During the war, 150 can- 

 non and 25 machine-guns were captured, 



which have all been put in good repair, and 

 are ready for service. The Minister of War 

 recommends the further fortification of Val- 

 paraiso, and the erection of defensive works at 

 three northern ports, in order to insure pos- 

 session of the coal-fields. He says the arsenals 

 contain arms and ammunition enough to put 

 80,000 men in the field with a full complement 

 of artillery, without drawing on the arms in 

 the hands of the militici. 



Navy. According to the report of the Min- 

 ister of the Navy, dated April 25, 1884, the 

 Chilian Navy was, on that date, composed of 

 the following vessels: 



Postal Service. The number of post-offices in 

 operation early in 1884 was 343 ; of letters 

 dispatched, 10,204,097; sample packages, 19,- 

 950 ; law notifications, 13,786 ; Government 

 dispatches, 493,572; newspapers, 11,046,534; 

 aggregate number of items of mail matter, 

 21,777,939. Receipts, $378,749. By decree 

 of the President, dated May 27, 1884, the post- 

 offices of Chili were authorized to sell literary 

 and scientific books of Chilian authors. The 

 books are addressed by mail to a larger central 

 post-office, which charges 5 per cent, com- 

 mission for the sale of all it sells direct within 

 its district, and at the same time distributes 

 books among the smaller offices in outlying 

 districts, where the commission charged is 10 

 per cent. The joint post-offices received, dur- 

 ing the latter half of 1884, 38 different works, 

 numbering together 10,079 volumes, and had 

 sold thereof at the close of the year 3,850. 



Railroads. There were in operation early in 

 1834 602 miles of Government lines of rail- 

 way, and 790 miles belonging to private com- 

 paniestogether, 1,392 miles. In 1885 the re- 

 public was still owing, on account of her rail- 

 ways, $22,470,000. In 1883 these railways 

 earned a revenue of $5,516,049, on a capital 

 originally less than $60,000,000, which is now 

 reduced to the sum mentioned. Good manage- 

 ment and liberality on the part of the Govern- 

 ment have brought about this result. In Sep- 

 tember, 1885, the Government was pressing 



the fulfillment of the contract for the Aranco 

 Railway. The contractor for the San Javier 

 and Tome* Railroad at the same time informed 

 the President that the $5,000,000 required for 

 the project had been raised in London. The 

 number of locomotives shipped from the United 

 States to Chili during the fiscal year 1883-'84 

 was 19, worth $232,569. 



The street-car managers of Chili have added 

 another occupation to the list of those in which 

 women may engage, and use them as conduct- 

 ors upon their cars. The experiment was first 

 tried during the recent war, when all the able- 

 bodied men were sent to the army, and proved 

 so successful that their employment has be- 

 come permanent, to the advantage, it is said, 

 of the companies, the women, and the public. 

 The conductresses belong commonly to the 

 mixed race of Spanish and Indian blood. They 

 wear a neat uniform of blue flannel, with a 

 jaunty Panama hat, and a many-pocketed 

 white pinafore, reaching from the breast to 

 the ankles, and trimmed with dainty frills. In 

 these pockets they carry small change and 

 tickets; while hanging to a strap over their 

 shoulders is a little portmanteau or satchel, in 

 which is a lunch, a pocket-handkerchief, and 

 surplus money and tickets. Their wages are 

 $25 a month. 



Telegraphs. In 1884 there were in operation 

 131 offices, 115 of which belonged to the Gov- 

 ernment. The length of lines was 6,895 miles ; 



