CO129-466 - Individuals - 1920 — Page 137

of beasts now employed in slow and monotonous trans- port for the tillage of the lands, thus increasing the production of crops. These are, in short, some of the advantages that such a railway would bestow on agri- culture.

Mineral Survey Necessary.

But what of mining? It is said that there are rich mines of coal at Correjon and Jagwa, and that coal ex- ists also in other parts of the Cordillera. If this is so, what would more justify such a railway than coal mines near the port of Goajira and the Magdalena river? The former to supply a coaling and shipping port in Goajira, and the latter the river steamers on the lower Magda- lena and its affluents and the Coast. Apart from coal, copper is said to be abundant in the Cordillera, but it would be impossible to work copper mines in the Cor- dillera without a railway for the importation of the ma- chinery and necessary plant and for the export of the Other minerals are said to be found, but little definite knowledge is available regarding the actual ex- tent and value of the mineral resources. This appears to be a matter of great importance for investigation, and I would recommend that a mineral survey should be made of this region to ascertain whether from a mineral point of view a railway would be justified. Such a mineral survey as I have indicated would occupy two expert geologists at least a year and would cost from say, $15,000 to $20.000 gold. The Government would then be in possession of facts that would enable it to take a definite decision on the vital and important ques- tion of railway communication in this Department.

ore.

The Cattle the Nation's Asset of the Coast. Following the question of roads and communications is the no less important one of colonization. While. however, this question is being studied, the Govern- ment would be well advised to give special attention to the development of the cattle industry, in view of the advantageous situation of this Department for the shipment of cattle, and in view of the fact that this industry requires very little labor to develop an im- mense wealth. With the limited time at my disposal I was only able to visit a very limited part of the cattle raising lands of this Department. If, however, only one-half of what I have been told regarding the cattle

raising resources of the Coast, including Bolivar, be true, then Colombia is destined to become a second Ar- gentine in the cattle raising and export trade. A fur- ther and detailed study of the possibilities of this in- dustry should be made by the Government, and the re- sults given publicity, in order to bring about the de- velopment of the Nation's best Coast asset by the in troduction of capital, which would be followed as a natural course by immigration and so help to solve the question of colonization.

Colonisation.

The total population of the Department, according to the last census, is 140,106. It is clear that no rapid progress can be made in agricultural and mining in- dustries without recourse to immigration, The Eu- ropean War precludes any possibility of obtaining Eu- ropean colonists, now or after the War. The Govern ment would therefore be well advised to encourage Japanese immigration and colonization, which has been attended with such magnificent results in other parts of South America and especially in Brazil. There are various Japanese Emigration Societies who have fur- nished Japanese settlers to many agricultural enter- prises in South America, and particularly Brazil, where there are, in the State of San Paulo, some 15,000 Jap- anese immigrants. There are also political reasons why Japanese would prove suitable settlers for Colombia. I would therefore venture to recommend that the Gov- ernment of Colombia should enter into relations with the Government of Japan or with one or more of the Japanese Emigration Companies, with the view of se curing Japanese settlers to develop the resources of this country, and particularly the large and important De- partment of Magdalena in the region of the Sierra Ne- vada,

I returned to Bogotá on January 24th, having occu pied five months in this journey.

M. T. DAWE, Agricultural Adviser and Director of

Agriculture to the Government.

Estación Agronomica Tropical,

Tolima.

30 April 1917.

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