46 
MONOPOLY OF YELLOW OR CALISAYA BARK. 
establishment of this nature, composed of native shareholders, and 
with sufficient funds to give regularity to the bark trade; purchas- 
ing it in the interior of the country at a fixed price, advantageous 
to the cutters of the country, and selling it abroad at the value due 
to an article of exclusive production in the woods of Bolivia, and 
of the first necessity and great demand in the trade of the world. 
The free export of bark would be fatal to our commerce, for 
undoubtedly, a supply greater than the demand would force down 
the price, subjecting its value to strange vicissitudes and irregu- 
larities. A monopoly of four persons, like the extinct one of Pinto 
and Co., even if it could force up the price to a high point abroad, 
would neither satisfy the exigencies nor consult the interests of 
the national industry. Four lucky contractors would thus have 
used for their exclusive benefit a spring of wealth that should flow 
abundantly for all the sons of our soil. 
The present bank, avoiding both extremes, is that mid-term of 
justice and general and individual commerce, that common centre 
which conciliates and cements the interests of the national indus- 
try, public wealth, and the governmental treasury. 
Consequently the bank maintains the monopoly, and with it the 
high value and price of bark. Its shareholders, at present eighty 
in number, are all Bolivians, which is significant of the fact, that 
in the bank there has been a concentration of capital, the benefits 
of which will be distributed among numerous Bolivian families. 
The bank purchases the bark according to its different qualities at 
the prices of sixty, thirty-five, and thirty dollars per quintal. This 
produces an immense good to the Bolivian cutters and laborers, 
who formerly never saw the price of the best bark exceed eighteen 
or twenty-two dollars a quintal. Finally, the national Treasury 
receives for duties twenty-five to fourteen dollars a quintal; which, 
on seven thousand quintals that the bank has the privilege of ex- 
porting annually, amount to $142,000, which are paid into the 
custom-house of La Paz in advance in monthly sums of §11,833.2 
reals. Such are the advantages that have been realized, and so 
great the interest promoted at the same time. It is true, that 
among the shareholders there are some privileges in the number of 
their shares, but these are the contracting directors of the bank, 
those who manage a business so vast and of so great responsibili- 
ties, those who guarantee to the Treasury its duties, and to their 
