Friends Again

In friendly fashion, though not as if nothing had happened. Brazilian bankers gathered in bright, glamorous Rio last week to count the monetary cost of Brazil's ''bloodiest civil war in South American history" (TIME, Oct. 10).

Both the Federal Treasury and that of revolting Sao Paulo State started to print money as soon as the war began last July. "We issued more than 50,000,000 milreis," admitted the Paulista bankers. "We issued 400,000,000." confessed Rio's moneymen. But what is a total of 450,000,000 milreis ($32,400,000) between friends?

The great fact last week was that Brazilians are again each other's friends. Their bankers opined persuasively that "the inflation has not been sufficient to affect commerce." Amid national rejoicing President Getulio Vargas reopened Santos Harbor, Brazil's famed coffee port, blockaded throughout the civil war.

Spot wholesale prices for Brazilian coffee in Manhattan climbed from 9 1/2 cents per pound July 9 when the civil war began, to 16 cents on Sept. 28 when fighting was fiercest. Last week the price was falling, had passed 12% cents, was expected to reach the pre-civil war price of 9 1/2 cents soon after S. S. Western World, which left Santos last week with 61,000 bags of coffee, sights the Statue of Liberty.

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