Belo Horizonte (1949)

[Applause] the office of the coordinator of interamerican Affairs presents Bella Orizon a planned city with a [Music] [Applause] plan less than 50 years ago Brazil's Coral Del re mountains looked down on a hamlet hidden among the rolling Foothills today on this site stands Brazil's 7th City Bell Orizon home of over 200,000 far thinking people capital of the state of minur located in the south central part of Brazil Bella Orizon is 287 mi from Rio de Janeiro Brazil's largest city and world renowned for its fabled [Music] beauty 463 miles from s Pao Brazil's Second City and the ranking industrial city of Latin [Music] America prior to the year 1897 the unique and interesting Colonial city of Oru pru now preserved as a National Monument served as capital for minus but enterprising mineros or miners as citizens of this state are called with characteristic foresight saw the need for a more centrally located City one which would permit unlimited expansion the foothills of the Coral Del re mountains were selected as the site but before ground was broken literally before one pickaxe Disturbed The Serenity of the lovely Hills engineers and Architects translated into maps and blueprints the hopes and dreams of the founding fathers a people's Pride envisioned this model Inland City a people's spirit and strength built it justifiably proud is the minu of his public buildings and his leading officials the governor's Palace residents of the state's chief executive the department of [Music] interior the Department of Agriculture the Department of Education the main post office the city hall Executive offices of the mayor capable enthusiastic Dr jucelino kubek but Bell orante is more than a seat of government it is the commercial hub of a state fabulously rich in natural resources a visit to the F Deus a building erected to house a permanent exposition of the economic wealth of this great state will help to explain the phenomenally rapid growth of its principal City it has been said that the state of minur has a chest of iron and a heart of gold here the history of gold is the history of colonial Brazil under Portugal and more particularly of the development of the state of minur for 350 years in this oldest richest gold mining community of moru Valu within sight of bell Orizon Brazil produced more gold than the rest of the Americas combined intensive and careless exploitation plus a natural depletion in reserves has reduced Brazil today to 12th Place among World producers even even this comparatively small output of gold reflects itself on the economic life of the [Music] city the gold era is gone but a new era is being ushered [Music] in King Iron long a slumbering giant in the mountains of Minas is beginning to stir one quarter of the total known iron reserves of the world are in Brazil and itabira occurs the largest single deposit the hilly streets and roads in and around this mining town are literally made of [Music] iron this peak is estimated to contain over 100 million tons of hematite so so high grade is the ore that the average will assay 68% of a theoretically possible 72% of pure iron the railroad from Bella oranti is being extended to the peak by cutting through mountain passes and by filling in deep Gorges building Road beds is no simple engineering problem in this rugged terrain but the work goes on the ore much of which will be used to make these very rails is loaded into heavyduty trucks and haul several miles to the railroad Terminus from this point the or train proceeds toward the railroad yards of B [Music] orante at this important Junction some of the cars may be sent to the foundaries in s Pao most of them will go on on to a large steel wire and rail Mill at mon Lade employing over 2,000 people this Mill the only rail Rolling Mill in South America is but the Vanguard of even larger Mills and foundaries now in [Music] construction Brazilian industry responding to the tasks imposed by the war is on the March well do the mineros know that in this great drama on which the curtain is now only Rising their state and their Capital City are destined to play important roles on display in the exhibition building a visitor will see two other minerals quartz crystal and Micah both native to this state the excy of War has skyrocketed these minerals to an even higher place of prominence than they originally enjoyed in the peacetime markets of the world quartz crystal of which this mounted specimen is an outstanding example today is an indispensable strategic material it's the special electrical property of this mineral which has made it possible for the Armed Forces of the United Nations to have such highly sensitive and accurate communicating and detecting devices indeed without Brazilian quartz many of the these devices would not exist while a great share of the mining operations is done by mechanized equipment manual labor is imperative in order to prevent injury to the crystal enjoying equal Fame with quartz as an essential sen of war is mic the property of heat and electrical resistance makes this mineral invaluable in the manufacturer of airplane spark plugs radio tubes Magneto and many a secret military device again from the rich subsoil of minus U Comes This vital [Music] material in the cutting and trimming shops busy Minos men women and children keep these leaves of mic moving toward the stockpiles of American factories and arsenals and thus are contributing their very ample share to the cause of Freedom numerous and varied are the other minerals on display at the FAA all of them contributing to the prosperity of bell Orizon no wartime Aristocrats but worthy of more than a mention are manganes chromium aluminum Silva nickel graphite calcium kaolin colite and zirconium Bella orante is also the center of Brazil's steadily growing Diamond industry this diamond named in honor of Brazil's president Vargas is the fifth largest diamond in the world weighing 726 karat in the production of semi-precious stones the state of minur is the Undisputed leader of the [Music] world but if the subsoil of this state is rich in Diversified minerals Nature has invested its soil with amazing fertility the products grown Are Legion cast beans tea coconuts peanut nuts rice wheat beans corn tobacco cotton also on display are some of the manufactured articles of this state Cosmetics dolls bathroom fixtures iron wear thread and yarn textiles pipe tobacco soap fertilizer lubricating oils building materials such as cement and various types of marble and granite yes all this Nature has generously and bountifully entrusted to the care of the people of this great state and over all these riches they are proving themselves trustworthy Guardians to accommodate their rapidly expanding Industries they are putting into execution a plan which was well prepared in advance in this area restricted to Industry all factories will have direct access to two railroads even as the building of the road beds Bridges and Viaduct proceeds large plants are springing up equally as Progressive and forward-looking were the mineros in designating and providing ample and spacious residential [Music] districts [Music] though Bello oranti is principally a city of private homes the influx of large numbers of people has given impetus to the building of apartment houses and [Music] [Applause] hotels throughout Brazil primary school education is compulsory centrally located in each Community are fine schools judged by any standard the educational system of bell orante is efficient and [Music] advanced at the conservatory instruction in music is available to young and old alike unique in vocational education is the Instituto Juan pinu attended by young boys from all parts of the state where emphasis is put on the teaching of Agriculture the veterinary and biological Institute gives Advanced courses in animal [Music] husbandry the public library houses a fine collection of reference works available to the student in Portuguese french or English great progress has been made in improving the lot of the underprivileged boy fashioned on the same pattern as father Flanigan's boy toown this school supported by the five City Newspapers trains these boys in the printers trade in dealing with crime the minus have brought pinology to a high point of accomplishment the penitentiary of navis is one of the most modern prisons in the world to return men to society as useful citizens is the ultimate aim of every prison here at the model prison of navis by the application of the honor System by making available to the inmates practical vocational instruction in Diversified trades and by providing them with well-lighted and ventilated quarters the minus are making good in their efforts to rehabilitate these men and to make them potentially useful to their respective communities typical of the many modern hospitals and sanatoriums devoted to the care of the sick is the S Vincent de Pao Hospital in planning their City the founding fathers allocated a large tract of land for a Municipal Park today in this beautifully land Cape Park in the Heart of the City the minu and his children Avail themselves of the many facilities for diversion and [Music] play one of many other recreational centers is the meus Tennis [Music] Club around attractive Lake pulia a few minutes drive from from the center of town a new residential district is being built in the traditional way of the minu according to plan already in operation is the yacht club with its magnificent swimming pool and Clubhouse across the lake at the pulia casino minus can dine dance or watch a smart floor show if they prefer they can go to the more popularly prized B and dine and dance in the open Pavilion in all his Enterprises the minu humbly has sought Divine guidance and in his free houses of worship he has offered up his thanks for the blessings it has been his privilege to enjoy proud indeed is the friendly minero of his achievements as from day to day his Capital City continues to grow and prosper to him each year on September 7th as he commemorates his independence day freedom and liberty have a special significance for free men were his fathers who planned his beloved City highly resolved are his sons to remain free as they plan for their proper place in the assured future of orderly Progressive [Music] Brazil [Music] the