1922 Encyclopædia Britannica/Ecuador
ECUADOR (see 8.910).—The population of Ecuador was not altered much during the period 1910–20. Immigration was very slight. No census had been taken. In 1920, an official estimate gave the pop. as 1,500,000.
Government.—In a message to Congress in 1914 President Plaza G. raised the question whether or not presidential government in Ecuador had met the test of experience. Upon that subject he held conferences with the members of a special committee of the Chamber of Deputies and hoped that, as a result of its report, a joint committee from both Houses of Congress would be appointed to draw up a project for the reform of the constitution of 1006. The Senate, however, did not favour this action. President Plaza G. again mentioned the urgent need of constitutional reform in his message to Congress of Aug. 10 1915. Upon the following day he addressed a special message to Congress proposing the political reorganization of Ecuador by the introduction of the parliamentary system. Annexed to his message were certain proposed amendments of Ecuador's fundamental law which were framed to accomplish this end. These, however, were not accepted by Congress. On June 28 1917, President Baquerizo M. promulgated a decree regulating the duties of his Cabinet. The Minister of the Interior was to be charged with internal administration, municipalities, police, prisons, houses of correction, public works, railways, sanitation, concessions, and with government of the province of Oriente and the Galápagos Islands. The Minister of Foreign Relations was to have direction of international affairs, consuls, post-offices, telegraphs, telephones, immigration, and colonization. The Minister of Public Instruction was to be charged with public instruction, statistics and civil registry, fine arts, theatres, charity, justice, religion, agriculture, improvements and national forests. The Minister of Finance was to supervise the collection of the national revenues, the auditing of accounts, public credit, the administration of national property, commerce, public lands and trade marks. The Minister of War and the Navy was to control the regular army, reserves, war vessels and lighthouses. By a decree of Sept. 22 1919, the control of the province of Oriente and the Galápagos Islands was transferred to the Minister of Foreign Relations.
Communications.—In recent years measures were taken by the national Government for the improvement of roads, most of which were merely trails or bridle-paths. Some internal traffic was carried on by the rivers, especially by the Guayas river and the tributaries of the Amazon. The most important railway was the Guayaquil and Quito railway, opened to traffic in 1908. To shorten the route between these two cities the Government planned a railway between San Juan Chico and Riobamba. Other short railways were projected, and in some cases partly completed. A contract was signed whereby a railway was to be built from Quito to Ibarra, thence to Tulcan, and to the coast in the province of Esmeraldas. Surveys were made and construction was begun on a section of the roadbed near Ibarra in Aug. 1917. Construction was begun also on a railway between Ambato and Curaray in Jan. 1913. By June 1918, the section between Ambato and Pelileo was practically completed. In 1914 work was begun on a railway between Huigra and Cuenca. After some preliminary surveys had been made the Government decided in Aug. 1915 to build it from Sibambe to Cuenca, and actual construction began the following month. A railway projected between Bahia and Quito had, by 1917, been built and opened as far as Chone. In 1913, one was completed between the seaport of Manta and Portoyiejo, and by 1915 that road had been opened to Santa Ana. A short railway was begun in 1914 between Guayaquil and Salinas, and another was being constructed in 1920 between Babahoya and Guaranda. During a large portion of the year 1920 Ecuador was almost isolated from the world by sea; for, because of the prevalence of the bubonic plague and of yellow fever at Guayaquil, that port was avoided by large vessels. In April 1914, a radio station was officially opened at Quito and wireless communication was established with a small station in Guayaquil.
Sanitation.—Sanitary work was begun seriously when, in Dec. 1913, a contract was signed between the Ecuadorian Government and White & Co., of London, for the paving of Guayaquil and the instalment of a modern water system. A yellow-fever commission of the Rockefeller Foundation made a scientific study of Guayaquil in 1916. A fight against the fever was, however, postponed because of the World War. In 1918 squads of men under Col. Gorgas began a scientific attack upon the stegomyia mosquito in Ecuador. So successful was this campaign that, on May 27 1920, the director-general of public health at Guayaquil issued a statement that yellow fever had been eradicated from that city as well as from the towns in the provinces of Guyas, Los Rios, and El Oro, where it had been endemic.
Foreign Commerce.—There was some fluctuation in Ecuador's imports and exports from 1910 to 1918, but not much increase. Figures compiled by the Pan-American Union show that in 1913 the imports of Ecuador amounted to $8,836,689 U.S. currency; and that her exports in that year amounted to $15,789,367. In 1918 her imports amounted to $8,111,690, while her exports came to $13,364,774, in both cases a decrease. Her import and export trade with the United States had grown greatly at the expense of trade with European countries. In 1913 imports from the United States amounted to $2,817,754; in 1918 they aggregated $4,632,761. In 1913, out of a total export trade of $15,789,367 her exports to the United States came to $3,833,728, while in 1918 they amounted to $10,429,150. Among Ecuador's most important imports in 1918 were textiles (other than silk), food-stuffs, hardware, machinery, paper, and perfumes; while her most important exports were cacao, ivory nuts, Panama hats, coffee, gold and wool.
Army and Navy.—In 1917 the navy of Ecuador was composed of a destroyer, a cruiser, a coastguard vessel, a submarine, a launch, and a tender, with a small personnel. The territory of the republic had been divided into six military zones which were in charge of army officers. A general staff was in control of the regular army, made up of 10 battalions of infantry, two squadrons of cavalry, three regiments of artillery and a company of engineers. The regular army including officers, numbered 5,200.
Education.—Although by a law of Ecuador primary education was free and attendance compulsory, the percentage of illiteracy was high. In 1914 an Ecuadorian writer estimated that over 70% of children from 5 to 14 years of age were illiterate. In a message to Congress in Aug. 1915, the President stated that there were in Ecuador 1,054 primary schools with an attendance of 95,019 pupils. Secondary education was being conducted in 13 national colegios (academies) with 1,778 students. In addition there were schools for professional or technical training: normal schools, a school of agriculture, schools of arts and trades, a school of fine arts, and a national conservatory of music. Later commercial schools were founded in important cities. In 1916 and 1917 decrees were issued reorganizing the curricula of normal schools, of the school of arts and trades at Quito, and of the national military academy. In 1917 the President decreed the establishment at Quito of a museum of archaeology and of a national gallery of painting and sculpture. Higher education is carried on in universities at Cuenca, Guayaquil and Quito. The central university of Ecuador at Quito is composed of colleges of science, medicine and law. The younger universities at Guayaquil and Cuenca have colleges of law, medicine and pharmacy.
Finance.—In Ecuador's budget for 1914 the revenues and the expenditure were balanced at 20,441,955.92 sucres (nominal value $0.486 or one-tenth part of £1 sterling); the income for that year, however, amounted only to 16,913,768.97 sucres, while the expenditure came to 20,220,794.83 sucres. Revenues from import duties which were estimated at 10,883,055.02 sucres came only to 7,707,191.26 sucres. The end of the year left the Government with a deficit of 3,307,007.86 sucres. This deficit would have been larger but for certain economies and the postponement of some payments. In 1915, partly because of the decrease in import revenues due to the World War, Ecuador had to borrow 20,000,000 sucres from local banks. The Minister of Finance announced that on Dec. 31 1917, her domestic debt amounted to 34,001,651.04 sucres, while her foreign debt came to 18,923,508.10 sucres, making the total debt 52,925,159.14 sucres. Of the domestic debt 131,547.27 sucres and of the foreign debt 6,618,115.04 sucres were interest unpaid. The minister stated that up to Dec. 31 1917, the service of the foreign debt in interest and amortization was in arrears 10,710,276.55 sucres, because of the decrease in revenues.
History.—Gen. Eloy Alfaro's term as president expired Aug. 31 1911. On Aug. 12, however, he resigned the presidency and his resignation was accepted by Congress two days later. Emilio Estrada, who was elected in Jan. 1911, was inaugurated Aug. 31, but died Dec. 21 following. Dr. Carlos Freile Z., president of the Senate, who had served as chief executive upon the resignation of Alfaro, again assumed executive authority which he exercised until March 5 1912. Meantime a revolt, having as its object the overthrow of the legal Government and the establishment of Gen. Alfaro as supreme magistrate, was quelled. That leader was taken out of the penitentiary at Quito by the infuriated populace and killed in Jan. 1912. Acting President Freile Z. was succeeded by Dr. Francisco Andrade Marin, speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, who exercised presidential authority from March 6 to Aug. 10, when Dr. Alfredo Baquerizo M., president of the Senate, took the reins of power and served as president until Aug. 31 1912. Upon that day, as the result of a special election held in April, Gen. Leonidas Plaza G. was inaugurated as president for his second term. He selected Alfredo Baquerizo M. as his Minister for Foreign Affairs, who was succeeded by R. H. Elizalde. The first years of his administration were stormy, being marked by revolts and civil wars. Even after a troublesome insurgent leader, Gen. Carlos Concha Torres, was captured by Government soldiers in Feb. 1915, his followers were loath to lay down their arms. In elections held in Jan. 1916, Alfredo Baquerizo M., a Liberal, was elected president: he was inaugurated on Aug. 31. Various steps were taken by the President and Congress to lessen the economic and fiscal strain due to the World War. Embarrassing disputes arose between Ecuador and the Guayaquil & Quito Railway Co. about the execution of their engagements. On Aug. 31 1920, Dr. José L. Tamayo was inaugurated as president for the term to Sept. 1 1924.
International Relations.—Part of the territory claimed by both Ecuador and Peru has been occupied by Peruvians. Provision was made for the settlement of the boundary dispute between Ecuador and Colombia by a treaty signed at Bogotá July 151916. This treaty drew a boundary line between Ecuador and Colombia; it also stipulated that a mixed commission should be appointed to place marks along that line where natural boundaries were not sufficient and to make such minor reciprocal compensations of territory as might be necessary to fix the boundary exactly. That commission began the delimitation of the Colombian-Ecuadorian frontier line about a year later, and it completed the task by July 1919.
The World War.—On Aug. 17 1914, the Ecuadorian Government issued a decree announcing that it would observe the strictest neutrality in the World War and stating that it would adhere to the Hague Convention of 1917 and to the general principles of international law. Soon afterwards France and England complained that Ecuador had permitted violations of neutrality, allowing German war vessels to use the Galápagos Is. as a naval base. On Nov. 21 1914, Minister Elizalde issued a justificatory circular to American chancelleries about the neutrality of his Government. Seven days later President Plaza G. issued a decree containing certain regulations that were to be observed by all neutral vessels reaching Ecuador. In Oct. 1917, when the ex-German minister to Peru, von Perl, who was also representative of his Government to Ecuador, expressed his intention to proceed from Lima to Quito, he was informed by the Ecuadorian minister at Lima that his reception by Ecuador would be incompatible with the principles of American solidarity. On Dec. 8 following, the Minister of Foreign Relations sent cablegrams to Ecuadorian legations stating that Ecuador had severed relations with Germany. As a party to the Treaty of Peace with Germany, Ecuador had the opportunity of becoming a member of the League of Nations. At the instance of its committee on foreign relations, on Nov. 1 1920 the Ecuadorian Senate postponed action upon the League until the next meeting of Congress.
See Annual Report of the Council of the Corporation of Foreign Bondholders (London, 1910—); Anuario de Legislación Ecuadoriana (Quito, 1911—); Boletín Estadístico Comercial y de la Hacienda Pública (Quito, 1910—); Circular á las Cancillerias americanas acerca de la Neutralidad del Ecuador (Quito, 1914—); El Ecuador Guía Comercial, Agricola e Industrial de la República (Quito, 1911); A. Espinosa Tamayo, El Problema de la Enseñanza en el Ecuador (Quito, 1916); Informe del Ministro del Hacienda y Credito Público á la Nación (Quito, 1915); Informe del Ministerio de Obras Públicas (Quito, 1918); Mensaje del Presidente de la República al Congreso Nacional (Quito, 1910—); Monthly Bulletin of the International Bureau of the American Republics (Washington, 1910—); Pan-American Union, Ecuador, General Descriptive Data (Washington, 1909—); Proceedings of the First Pan-American Financial Conference (Washington, 1915); The Rockefeller Foundation. Annual Report (New York, 1916). (W. S. Ro.)