Corco Habla (1966)

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UNA ISLA EN CAMBIO ^Como es Puerto Rico en verdad? ^Esta en re alidad la isla convirtiendose tan rapidamente como proclaman los titulares en una sociedad industrial? ^Constituye de hecho Puerto Rico, sin petroleo ni grandes mercados quimicos propios, un buen potencial para el desarroUo petroquimico? ^Como compara el pais con otras regiones del Caribe como centro

Is the island emerging as an industrial society as rapidly as the headlines proclaim? Does Puerto Rico, without any crude oil of its own or major chemical markets, truly offer a good potential for petrochemical development? How does the island compare with other

turistico?

travel posters say, "as close to paradise as man will ever

Hace poco unos cuantos centenares de visitantes de Estados Unidos, traidos por la Commonwealth Oil, tuvieron oportunidad de viajar por la isla y verla trabajando y divirtiendose, y encontraron las contestaciones por si mismos.

Esto fue en ocasion de inaugurarse la fabrica de

see?"

Recently several hundred visitors from the States invited to Puerto Rico by Commonwealth Oil, had an opportunity to tour the island, to see Puerto Rico at work and play, and discover the answers for themselves.

aromaticos petroquimicos en Penuelas.

petrochemicals plant at Penuelas on Guayanilla Bay.

What is Puerto Rico really like?

areas in the Caribbean as a vacation spot? Is it, as the

The occasion was the dedication of Corco's aromatic

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Map shows location of hundreds of new manufacturing plants established in Puerto Rico in past 15 years.

Corco Director Edward M. Carey and President Sam H. Casey greet John A. Walstrom, formerly of Asiatic Petroleum, at San Juan International Airport.

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BIENVENIDA

A SAN JUAN Buses were waiting on the carry guests to their hotels.

Un miercoles, temprano en la tarde, dos grandes jets

leras y quimic^ÂŽ, banqueros, representantes de firmas

de la PAA se sucedieron en cuestlon de minutos sobre

inversionistas, ap^rte de editores de periodicos y revistas.

A medida que avanzaban hacia la ciudad por la Ave-

El Morro, la centenaria fortaleza que ha venido custodiando la entrada al puerto de San Juan. Pocos minutos despues aterrizaban en el Aeropuerto Intemacional de San Juan. Despues de ser recibidos per miembros de la Junta de Directores y funcionarios de Corco, a los acordes de una banda de acero, los invitados fueron llevados en guagua a sus respectivos hoteles. Entre los invitados habia muchos ejecutivos de companfas petro-

Sid Goldin, vice president of Asiatic Petroleum, was among the visitors.

nida Baldorioty de Castro tuvieron amplia oportunidad

de ver pruebaÂŽ

crecimiento de Puerto Rico: los

nuevos caserios, los esbeltos condominios, los grandes centros comerciales albergando empresas tan conocidas

como los supsrniercados Pueblo.

El progreso quÂŽ caracteriza a la isla se nota a primera vista.

Several magazine editors arrive to cover the three-day program.

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Coming into the city, planes flew low over massive El Morro, old Spanish fort at entrance to San Juan harbor.

Two big Pan Am jets, minutes apart, streaked over El Morro, the great fortress that for centuries has guarded the entrance to San Juan Harbor, early on a Wednesday afternoon, and minutes later landed at San Juan Inter

national Airport. Here, after being greeted by Corco officers and directors, and the Caribbean rhythms of a steel band, guests entered buses for a trip to their hotels. Among them were many executives of oil and chemical companies, bankers, investment house repre

People from government,and oil and chemical companies poured out of planes by the score.

Guests on incoming-planes also had a good view of the beautiful hotels and lovely beaches in the famed Condado area.

sentatives, and newspaper and magazine editors.

As they entered the city along broad Baldorioty de Castro Avenue, they had ample opportunity to note the signs of Puerto Rico s growth â&#x20AC;&#x201D; new housing develop ments, condominiums shooting skyward, big shopping centers featuring such well-known local stores as Pueblo supermarkets and stateside firms like Grand Union.

The feeling of progress that characterizes the island

today is apparent to even the casual eye in San Juan.

Sam Casey says hello to Milton Lipton, and Mrs. Casey adds a smiling welcome.

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In the receiving line at El Convento, Mrs. Casey welcomes Mr.and Mrs. Dudley Blanchard, of New Haven, Conn.

El Convento is in Plaza of the Nuns in the city's old section.

La Primera Noche...

Para darle a los visitantes oportunidad de familiari-

UNA NOTA DE

zarse con la herencia hispanica, que es la que ha moldeado el caracter nacional puertorriqueno, la primera

LA MADRE ESPANA

Esta parte de la ciudad contaba ya medio siglo cuando

noche de agasajos se desarrollo en el casco de San Juan.

se estaba fundando a San Agustm, en La Florida, en el ano 1565.

La fiesta de bienvenida de Corco se celebro en El

Convento, un elegante hotel que siglos atras sirvio de residencia a una familia noble de Espana y que mas tarde se convirtio en convento de monjas.

Para llegar al hotel los visitantes tuvieron que cruzar estrechas calles, pasando frente a viejas casas de balcones de hierro forjado y patios interiores; pasar por plazas antiguas, catedrales de cuatro siglos y restaurantes de primer orden.

Muchos de los invitados regresaron a explorar la ciudad por su cuenta y experimentaron la sensacion estimulante de estar en una ciudad antigua de ambiente de Viejo Mundo, contigua a una ciudad moderna, con todo el buUicio del siglo XX, como Santurce.

In the former convent, now transformed into a hotel that recaptures some of the magnificence of old Spain,

guests had an opportunity to gel acquainted and exchange impressions about their first day in Puerto Rico

The hotel's dining room wui filled to overflowing.

A TOUCH OF OLD SPAIN To give visitors a taste of the Spanish heritage that has shaped the Puerto Rican national character, the first night's festivities were set in old San Juan. This section

of the city was a half century old when Saint Augustine, Florida was founded in 1565.

Corco's welcome party for stateside visitors was held

in El Convento, an elegant hotel that centuries ago served as the town house of a noble Spanish family, and later as a convent.

To reach the hotel, visitors had to travel through the narrow streets past the old houses with iron grillwork balconies, and interior patios; past the ancient plazas, 400-year old cathedrals, and fine restaurants.

Many of the guests returned in subsequent days to explore the area and experience the excitement of being in an ancient city with an old-world atmosphere immediately adjacent to a modem, bustling twentiethcentury city like Santurce.

Visitors found Latin rhythms easy to dance to

Planes landing at Ponce in rapid sequence discharged one load of visitors and immediately returned to San Juan for another.

DE LA CANA A LA QUIMICA Un Salto por Encima de la Isia

FROM CANE TO CHEMICALS

A Hop across the Island

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On their way to the Corco complex, visitors heard guides describe points of interest in the Ponce area.

In Ponce's main plaza — Cathedral

of Our Lady of Guadeloupe.

Visitors arriving at the Corco plant were greeted by this big sign.

Ponce's old firehouse, painted in vivid red, black, green and yellow stripes.

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A la manana siguiente los invitados madrugaron y se Uevaron en guagua hasta el aeropuerto y volaron a lo ancho de la isla hasta Ponce, la segunda ciudad de Puerto Rico. Ponce queda como a 75 millas en linea

recta de San Juan, cosa de 23 minutos de vuelo, pero a

tres horas en automovil por una carretera montuosa y

tortuosa.

Para llegar a Ponce desde el aeropuerto de esta ciudad, los viajeros cruzaron las siembras de cana de la Central Mercedita.

A pesar de que Ponce conserva el sabor de una vieja y orgullosa ciudad espanola, los visitantes se pudieron dar cuenta que es una ciudad en progreso, expandiehdose

por la influencia estimulante de la industria, construyendo nuevas vias, caserios y centros comerciales.

If Guests rose early the next morning in their Santurce hotels, and were bussed to the airport and flown across the island to Ponce, Puerto Rico's second largest city.

Ponce, about 75 miles from San Juan as the crow fl ies, is about 23 minutes away by plane, but a three-hour drive by car over rugged, tortuous hills.

Leaving the Ponce airport, visitors passed through the vast canefields of Central Mercedita — a sugar mill — on their way to the city.

While Ponce still retains the flavor of a proud, old Spanish community, visitors found that it is also a city on the move, spreading out under the stimulus of in

dustry, building new roads, housing projects and shop ping centers, adding automobiles and telephones by the thousands.

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The plant looked beautiful, gleaming in the midday sun, as visitors walked through with guides for a first-hand look.

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Before the start of the tour, Corco officials briefed features of the plant, and answered questions.

Sam Casey, Corco Director Ed Carey and Leon Hess, president of Hess Oil and Chemical.

A steel band, musical phenomenon found mainly in the Caribbean, entertained visitors.

Un Paseo al Sol

A Walk in the Sunlight

Al llegar a la fabrica, situada como a 17 millas al oeste de Ponce, los invitados giraron una visita a la refinerla de petroleo de Corco que produce 115,000 barriles al dia; despues fueron a la nueva fabrica de aromaticos, la mayor del mundo, que tiene una capacidad de 182 millones de galones al ano.

Upon arriving at the plant site, about 17 miles west of Ponce, guests were taken on a tour of Corco's

All! se enteraron, entre otras cosas, de: 1 — Que la modema y flamante fabrica de aromaticos que relucia bajo el sol representaba una inversion de $41 millones y que ya habia logrado atraer otras tres fabricas petroquimicas a la costa sur de Puerto Rico.

2 — Que la nueva fabrica, que comenzo a embarcar a fines del verano tolueno, benceno y xilenos a la Asiatic Petroleum de Europa, habia alcanzado plenamente la

capacidad para la que fue disefiada pocas semanas despues de estar funcionando.

3 — Que mas del 95% de los empleados actuales de Corco se contratan localmente, incluyendo mas de 100 miembros del personal supervisor.

115,000-barrel-per-day oil refinery, and then of the new aromatics plant, world's largest, which has a capa city of 182 million gallons a year.

Among the things they learned: • The aromatics plant, sleek and shining in the sun, represents an investment of $41 million, and has already

attracted three other petrochemical plants to Puerto Rico's South Coast.

• The new plant, which started shipping benzene, toluene and xylenes to Asiatic Petroleum in Europe at the end of summer, reached full design capacity within a few weeks after startup.

• More than 95 per cent of Corco's present employees were locally hired, including more than 100 members of the supervisory staff.

• 84 employees have been with the company practically since it started operating over 10 years ago.

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At the end of the program, visitors boarded buses bound for El Ponce Intercontinental and lunch.

Lee Patterson of Corco(second from left) explains plant details to newsmen.

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El Gobernadory el Administrador de Fomento Giran una VIsita Y Lanzan una Mirada Mas Alia del Horizonte El Gobernador Roberto Sanchez Vilella y Rafael

nuestras familias tengan un ingreso de por lo menos

Durand, el Administrador de Fomento, estaban entre los que visitaron la fabrica. El Presidente de Corco, Sam H. Casey, los acompafio.

$2,000.00."

Luego de haber dado una vuelta que cubrio la mayor parte de las 66 cuerdas en que esta ubicada la fabrica, el senor Durand declaro que la inauguracion de la nueva unidad "representa un gran paso de avance en el camino

de formacidn de capital."

Aunque urgid "una participacidn mucho mayor de la

que nuestro programa de desarrollo industrial ha de

recorrer para alcanzar los nobles propositos y las altas metas que nuestro Gobiemo se impuso cuando los unicos recursos con que contabamos eran la esperanza y nuestra gente."

El Administrador de Fomento anadio que "los graves problemas con que Commonwealth Oil tuvo que enfrentarse en sus primeros afios pudieron resolverse frente a

dificiles obstaculos", y que en pocos anos la compania ha pasado "de extrema debilidad a fortaleza considerable".

El Gobernador Sanchez senalo que "el desarrollo

econdmico de un pais es fundamentalmente un proceso

iniciativa y el capital puertorriqueno en el campo de la manufactura", subrayd tambien que la economia puertdrriquefia no puede generar por si sola todo el capital necesario para el crecimiento a que se aspira. "La base principal del acelerado crecimiento industrial de Puerto Rico ha sido el extraordinario flujo de inversiones privadas del exterior, principalmente de Estados Unidos", dijo.

Para estimular el continuado desarrollo econdmico,

declard el Gobernador, la polftica de su gobierno consiste en crear "un clima industrial saludable y propicio

mediatos es abolir el concepto mismo del desempleo.

a la iniciativa empresarial".

El Presidente de Corco, Sam Casey, al darle la bienvenida a los invitados a las ceremonias de inauguracidn, hizo notar que algunos habian venido de Europa, algunos de Venezuela, algunos de otras islas del Caribe, aproximadamente 300 de Estados Unidos y centenares de otras poblaciones de la isla. Uno de los puntos culminantes del discurso del senor Casey lo constituyd el anuncio de que la Junta de Directores de Corco habia

Otro de nuestros objetivos inmediatos es elevar el nivel

aprobado el estudio de una fabrica de etilbenceno en

de vida de nuestra poblacion hasta el punto en que todas

Pefiuelas.

El Gobernador Sanchez en su discurso dijo que a pesar de que la isla ha progresado extraordinariamente en su desarrollo economico, solamente ha alcanzado la mitad de su objetivo.

"Nos quedan todavia 90,000 desempleados", dijo el Gobernador, "y todos los anos se suman a la fuerza obrera 15,000 personas. Uno de nuestros objetivos in-

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(Above)Governor Sanchez Vilella has apparently told a good story.

(Left)Sam Casey welcomes the Governor.

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(Left to right) Mayor Onofre, of Yauco; the Governor; Mr. Casey; Mayor Torres^ of Guayanilla Mayor Candelario, of Penuelas;and Mayor Ruberte, of Ponce.

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(Above) The Governor emphasizes a point in conversation with Mr. Casey and John Walstrom (Right) A serious interlude as the head of the Government and Mr. Casey tour the plant.

Henry Ruben (right), of the U. S. Department of the Interior, chats with the Governor and Corco's president.

The Governor and EDA Administrator Take a Tour.. .

And Look beyond the Horizon Governor Roberto Sanchez Vilella and Rafael Durand,

Economic Development Administrator, were among those who toured the new plant. They were accompanied

by President Casey.

After driving around much of the 66-acre plant site, Mr. Durand said that completion of the new unit repre sented another great stride down the road "which our industrialization must move if the Commonwealth of

Puerto Rico is finally to attain those great and noble goals set for us when hope and people were our only resources."

The EDA administrator added that Corco's early problems had been "overcome in the face of extremely long odds," and that in a few years "the company's position has been transformed from one of extreme weakness to one of substantial strength."

Governor Sanchez, in his address, said that while the island had traveled an extraordinary distance in its

economic development, it had reached only halfway toward its goal.

Governor Sanchez pointed out that the "economic

development of a country is fundamentally a process of capital formationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;that is, the accumulation of . . . factory buildings, machinery, equipment,communication media, power systems and the like."

While he urged "a much greater participation by Puerto Rican capital and initiative in the manufacturing field," he also stressed that the Puerto Rican economy is not by itself capable of generating all the capital it needs to attain the growth desired. "The main basis of

Puerto Rico's accelerated industrial growth has been the extraordinary influx of private investment from abroad, principally from the United States," he said.

To encourage continued economic development, the

Governor declared, it is the government's policy to create "a climate at once healthy for investment and rewarding for entrepreneurial initiative."

Corco President Casey, in welcoming guests to the dedication program, noted that some had come from Europe, some from Venezuela, some from other islands

"There are still 90,000 people unemployed," the Governor said, "and every year 15,000 more join the

in the Caribbean, approximately 300 from the States and

labor force. Yet one of our objectives is to abolish the very concept of unemployment. Another immediate

objective is to raise our standard of living so that every

island. As a highlight of his talk, Mr. Casey announced that Corco's Board of Directors had approved the plan ning of an ethylbenzene plant at the Penuelas site, with

family has an income of at least $2,000 a year."

completion scheduled for mid-1967.

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hundreds more from various communities around the

(Right) More than 700 people jammed under a big circus tent to hear the dedication program.

(Below)Speak louder!I'm interestedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;but I can't quite hear what you're saying.

[ Rafael Durand, Fomento administrator, delivers one of the key speeches.

Monsignor Raul Irizarry (below), of Ponce, pronounced the benediction at the ceremonies, and Rev. Antonio Rivera Rodriguez, of San Juan, gave the invocation.

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Las Fiestas Ajter allâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;it's been a long day!

qua Hubo There Were Parties

The old fort was particularly beautiful that night. A gay crowd filled every corner.

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(Left to right)R.H. Milbrath, Es.so International; Bernardo Mendez, Esso Puerto Rico;Ray Royo,International Petroleum;and Frank Becerra, Molinos de Puerto Rico.

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4^1 (Left to right) Sam Casey, Rafael Diirand, Corco Vice-President Herman Gimter, George Grimes, petrochemical plant manager.

Corco Directors George Bennett and Angel Sanz, the Governor, Guillermo Rodriguez, Board Chairman Teodoro Moscoso.

Cuando terminaron las ceremonias mas de 700 invi-

tados invadieron el Ponce Intercontinental para almorzar. Muchos fueron llevados en grandes guaguas hasta el bello hotel que domina la vista de Ponce y el Caribe, las que formaban una impresionante y ruidosa caravana.

Por la noche, una concurrencia aun mayor—mas de

At the ceremony's end, more than 700 guests thronged into El Ponce Intercontinental for lunch. Many were carried to the lovely hotel overlooking Ponce and the Caribbean in big buses which formed an impressive procession as they roared up the winding curves of the steep hillside.

That night, an even larger crowd—more than 800— came to a party at historic Fort San Jeronimo, which

800 personas—asistieron a una fiesta en el historico fuerte de San Jeronimo, que se yergue del pasado con sus macizas murallas en las margenes del Atlantico.

La tradicion hispanica puertorriquena se dejo sentir

Atlantic Ocean.

fuertemente esa noche; pero las fuerzas que moldean la historia del Puerto Rico de hoy estaban all! presentes

that night; but the forces shaping the island's modem

tambien, encarnadas en el exgobernador Luis Munoz Marm y otros miembros del grupo que han hecho de este pals una de las tierras mas progresistas del mundo.

rises thick-walled out of the past at the edge of the

Puerto Rico's Spanish traditions were felt strongly history were there, too, in former Governor Munoz Marin and other members of the group that has made

Puerto Rico one of the world's most progressive lands.

Arcilio Alvarado, Speaker of the House, chats with former Governor Munoz Marin.

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Seminaries A la manana siguiente varios de los industriales mas

importantes de la isla y personal clave de Fomento participaron en dos seminaries organizados para beneficio de los visitantes en el Hotel Sheraton.

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Los seminaries sirvieron para dar a conocer hechos come los siguientes; 1 — Come Manufacturar en Estados Unidos . . .

Cuando se manufactura en Puerto Rico no existe la

dificultad de bregar con moneda extranjera, dijo un miembro del grupo participante. Los productos tienen libertad absoluta de movimiento entre Puerto Rico y el continente en la misma forma que entre los estados. Los puertorriquenos son ciudadanos de Estados Unidos, continuo el orador, y, come tales, usan la misma moneda y

mismo sistema judicial y postal y viven—y en tiempo de guerra sirven en las fuerzas armadas—bajo la misma constitucion que el resto de los ciudadanos.

— Contribuciones . . . Se indico que una operacion manufacturera que cualifique puede recibir en Puerto Rico de 10 a 17 anos de exencion contributiva corpora-

tiva sobre ingresos y propiedad . . . y que como el gobierno federal considera ingreso extranjero todo ingreso derivado de fuentes en Puerto Rico, una firma que opere en el Estado Libre Asociado puede vender sus

productos en Estados Unidos y retener el total de sus ganancias.

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■ Ayuda del Gobierno . . . Los conferenciantes de

Fomento recalcaron la disposicion y voluntad del go bierno a cooperar con la empresa privada en el reclutamiento, entrenamiento y seleccion de trabajadores, en

todos los niveles, para cualquier tipo de operacion.

4 — Informe de Progreso . . . Puerto Rico ha manteThese Fomento representatives participated

nido una tasa de crecimiento de casi 10% durante los

in a seminar, "Opportunities jar the Chemical

ultimos diez anos.

Process Industry." From the top: Leticia

El ingreso per capita ha aumentado de $279 a $900 del 1950 para aca; el niimero de vehiculos de motor de

Tede.schi, legal counsel; Esteban Ddvila, director, industrial promotion; Amadeo I. D. Francis, economic advisor to administrator.

61,000 a 321,000; y los telefonos de 32,000 a 200,000.

Puerto Rico se ha desarrollado hasta llegar a ser el quinto mercado mundial de Estados Unidos—anual-

mente Puerto Rico compra bastante mas de mil millones de dolares en Estados Unidos.

Esteban Davila, de Fomento, dijo lo siguiente en el resumen que hizo: "Tenemos interes en que los manu-

facturcros ganen dinero de modo que puedan mantener su negocio aqui y crear empleos, en ese sentido hacemos

todo lo que se pueda por ayudar."

On another seminar panel were Richard Godfrey, of Ibec Housing; Frank Becerra, of Molinos de Puerto Rico; Mr. Casey; Teodoro Mo.tco.w, then of Banco de Ponce; Luis Antonio Ferre, of Empresas Ferre; and Edward T. Krieger, of International General Electric.

And There Were Seminars The next morning, several of the island's top indus trialists, and key people from Fomento participated in two seminars for visitors at the Hotel Sheraton.

Out of the seminars came such facts as these;

1. Like Manufacturing in the U. S. . . . When you

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manufacture in Puerto Rieo, there are no difficulties in

dealing in foreign exchange, said one panel member.

Products move back and forth as freely between Puerto Rico and the mainland as between any of the states.

Puerto Ricans are U. S. citizens, the speaker continued, and as such, use the same currency, the same postal and legal systems, and live—and in war, serve—under the same constitution as do all other American citizens.

2. Taxes ... It was pointed out that a qualified man ufacturing operation in Puerto Rico can receive from 10 to 17 years of 100 per cent corporate income and prop erty tax exemption . . . and that since the Federal

government treats as foreign income all corporate in come deriving from sources inside Puerto Rico, a firm operating in the Commonwealth can market its prod ucts in the States and retain its profits in full.

The point was made also that most of a company's depreciation can be postponed until after the expiration of tax exemption.

3. Government Help . . . Fomento speakers em phasized the government's readiness and willingness to cooperate with private enterprise in labor-training, re cruiting and screening — for any operation and for all

A large group of industrialists and newsmen attended the morning-long seminars.

Antonio Luis Ferre, president of Puerto Rico Cement, gives his viewpoint on industrial development.

levels of workers.

4. Progress Report . . . Puerto Rico has maintained a growth rate of nearly 10 per cent over the past decade.

Per capita income has increased from $279 to $900 since 1950; the number of motor vehicles from 61,000 to 321,000; and telephones from 32,000 to 200,000.

In 1950, only 82 plants had been established in Puerto Rico under the Fomento program. Today there are about 1,200, including plants operated by 24 of the largest U. S. corporations.

Puerto Rico has now developed into the fifth largest market in the world for U. S. goods—buying well over a billion dollars" worth of goods a year from the States.

In his sum-up, Esteban Davila said: "We want man

ufacturers to make a profit so they will stay in business

here and give employment, and to that end we will do everything we can to help."

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El Mono, begun in 1539, rises 140 jeet above the sea. Through the centuries, it has withstood many assaults, including one by Sir Francis Drake in 1595.

Owen Heald, of Shell International Petroleum, caught a 60-pound sailfish off San Juan.

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The Capitol of Puerto Rico rises impressively between Ponce de Leon and Munoz Rivera avenues, on the approach to Old San Juan.

Hotel Barranquitas is located in rugged hills that form the island's spine.

De Visita por la Isia Una vez terminada la parte seria del programa, los invitados se convirtieron en turistas interesados en des-

cansar y desparramarse por la isla en busca de sitios de

Touring the Island

diversion.

Algunos jugaron golfo en los famosos campos del

en Luquillo, una de las mas deliciosas playas en todo el

Once the serious side of the program was completed, visitors became tourists bent on relaxation, and spread out over the island to find the fun spots.

Some played the famed golf courses at Dorado . . . some fished for marlin and sailfish in the rough Atlantic,

mundo bordeada por abundancia de palmas de coco . . . y El Conquistador, un hotel de bellos alrededores en-

where you have to be an uncommonly good sailor to maintain normal composure and equilibrium . . . some

Dorado . . . algunos salieron por las picadas aguas del Atlantico a la pesca del marlin y el pez vela, para lo que se necesita ser buen marino si se quiere guardar la debida compostura y equilibrio . . . algunos estuvieron

caramado en un alto desde donde domina el mar.

visited Luquillo, where one of the world's loveliest

Hubo quienes viajaron por el interior, en donde el chofer tiene que estar concentrando en lo que hace cada segundo so pena de caer despenado por las quebradas

beaches is ringed by forests of palm trees . . . and El Conquistador, beautifully-landscaped hotel perched on

vertientes de los montes. El bosque pluvial El Yunque resulto ser tambien muy popular entre los invitados de Corco. En este lugar la vegetacion semeja a las selvas de la Nueva Guinea o del Amazonas; helechos gigantes alcanzan altura increible y las orquideas se dan silvestres.

Algunos invitados visitaron tambien la Bahia Fosfo-

a cliff overlooking the sea.

People toured the interior, where the driver of a car

has to keep his mind on his job every second, or risk plunging down jagged hillsides. The Rain Forest at El Yunque also proved popular with Corco's guests. There, vegetation resembles the jungles of New Guinea or the Amazon; ferns tower above your head and orchids grow

rescente en La Parguera, donde en noches sin luna las

wild. Some people also visited Phosphorescent Bay off

aguas brillan como si fuesen atravesadas por miles de

La Parguera, where during the dark of the moon the waters sparkle as if inhabited by a myriad lightning bugs.

There was fun to be had in San Juan, too, of course-

cucubanos.

Tambien San Juan, por supuesto, fue punto de diver sion. Buenos restaurants, "night clubs" para todos los

Good restaurants . . . night clubs to suit every taste . . .

gustos . . . la vieja e historica ciudad que explorar . . . y,

the historic old city to roam around in . . . and, of course,

jno faltaba mas!, las playas maravillosas de Puerto Rico, que los invitados supieron aprovechar hasta el limite.

the beachesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Puerto Rico has lovely beaches, and the visitors took full advantage of them.

21

This is the model of the Hercor

plant now being constructed by Fluor Western,general contractor.

The new Hercor plant looked like this in January. Plant is scheduled to be completed and start up in a few months.

El Complejo Se Extiende Aunque la fabrica matriz de aromaticos de Corco

embarca actualmente la mayor parte de su produccion a mercados ultramarines, cuenta ya con un cliente local: la Puerto Rico Chemical, en Arecibo. Corco le suple a la

fabrica de Arecibo todo el ortoxileno que necesita como materia prima para la manufactura de anhidrido ftalico.

La compahia contara con tres clientes locales adicionales cuando se terminen de construir las nuevas fabricas ya anunciadas.

Las fotos que aparecen en la pagina opuesta muestran una de las nuevas fabricas—la Hercor, que se espera que este produciendo paraxileno este mismo ano y que queda contigua a la fabrica de aromaticos.

Hercor es una empresa conjunta de la Commonwealth

Oil con la Hercules Company. Representa una inversion de aproximadamente $10 millones. La fabrica funcionara con xilenos e hidrogeno suministrados por la fabrica de aromaticos de Corco y su produccion terminara convirtiendose en tales cosas como fibras sinteticas utiliza-

bles para telas de vestir y peliculas de alta calidad para envolver.

En un futuro cercano, en otra empresa conjunta, Corco y una de las companias de la Royal Dutch/SheU iniciaran la construccion de una fabrica de ciclohexano

en la region. El ciclohexano es uno de los principales ingredientes del nilon.

La fabrica de etilbenceno recientemente anunciada

por el Presidente Casey se levantara en otra seccion del lugar en que queda la fabrica de aromaticos. A1 igual que las unidades productoras de ciclohexano y paraxi leno funcionara a base de materias primas suministradas por la fabrica matriz.

A1 presente Corco se encuentra en mitad de conversa-

The Complex Grows While Corco's base aromatics plant is now shipping most of its production to markets overseas, the plant already has one local customer—Puerto Rico Chemical at Arecibo. Corco furnishes the Arecibo plant with all of the ortho-xylene it needs as feedstock for the manu facture of phthalic anhydride.

But the company will have three more local customers when construction of new plants already announced has been completed.

The photos opposite show one of the new plants, the Hercor project which is scheduled to start producing para-xylene in 1966, next to the aromatics plant.

Hercor, a joint interest venture in which Common wealth Oil is participating with the Hercules Company, will represent an investment of approximately $10 million. The plant will operate on xylenes and hydrogen furnished by Corco's aromatics plant, and its production will end up in such things as synthetic fibers for clothing and high-quality transparent wrapping fihn.

In the very near future, in another joint venture, Corco and one of the Royal Dutch/Shell companies wiU start building a cyclohexane plant in the area. Cyclohexane is a principal ingredient in nylon.

The ethylbenzene plant, mentioned at the dedication program by President Casey, will be constructed on another section of the aromatics plant site, and like the cyclohexane and para-xylene units, wiU operate on feedstock from the base plant.

Corco is currently in the midst of discussions which are expected to lead to the estabhshment of still more plants as part of its Penuelas-GuayanUla Bay complex.

Perhaps the most important fact about Puerto Rico pointed out to Corco's visitors during their three-day

ciones que se espera conduzcan a establecer todavia mas fabricas como parte del complejo petroqufmico en Penuelas y Guayanilla.

Tal como dijo el consultor de Fomento James L.

stay was this:

Walker en uno de los seminarios: "Puerto Rico esta

political climate.

maduro para el desarroUo de la industria quimica, y la

Puerto Rico today has all the essential ingredients for major industrial growth, particularly in the chemical process industry.

necesita economicamente."

El Sr. Walker hizo notar que la fase pionera de la

From one plant can come many—when the necessary raw materials are available; when construction costs and

other costs are competitive; and when there is a stable

industria petroquimica era ya cosa del pasado.

Quizas el dato mas importante revelado a los invitados de Corco durante los tres dias que aqui pasaron fue el siguiente: Una fabrica puede generar muchas mas siempre y cuando exista la necesaria materia prima, los costos de construccion y de otra naturaleza sean competitivos y

CORCO HABLA published bimonthly by

COMMONWEALTH OIL

exista un clima politico de estabilidad.

Puerto Rico hoy dia tiene todos los ingredientes esenciales para un crecimiento industrial de primer orden,

REFINING COMPANY, INC.

particularmente en el campo de la industria quimica.

No. 1

Penuelas, Puerto Rico

at Guayanilla Bay VOL. VII February 1966

23

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Vida Nooturna en Guayanjila- lii Ni el reloj ni el trabajo paran nunca Mi^la Meva

fabrica de aromaticos petroquimicos de Corco .V. la mas grande en su clase en el mundo.

Work goes on around the clock at Corco's new aromatic petrochemicals plant. . . largest of its kind in the world.

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