The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-05-08
WHERE ARGENTINA HURTS.

140W utuo the money question W0olo
sssm to have to DO With the economic cen
dstions OF the United States might IA .
MEASURE Be learned from the relative con-
Mtions In England Engiand's money sys-
tenn does not pretend to recognise silver
except for subsidiary coin. yet she mas just
gone through from one 60 two years Of the
mes; prosperous times known IN modern
years for many OF her industries. Our
lower tariff and her cheaper labor have had
something 10 do with these conditions. so
II must Be admitted that even the great In
crease In our imports from that country
fall very Tar short Of making the vast ad-
dition to her commerce which England has
experienced. But. we have been told. the
lower tariff. while II may have injured our
the effect Of reducing our exports. This II
true; bat that II IL due to our money sys-
tenn does not seem warranted when pre-
oiseiy similar evils are concerning Eng
land, which holds firmly to the gold stand
ard.
The explanation. a. to some Agricultural
prices and volumes. is to BE- found In the
large production from other countries
which has been within the past few years
added 20 the resources Of the world. Con-
spicuous In this respect Is Argentina.
which II recovering from the effects Of Its
financial disaster by devoting It's attention
10 extending agriculture. Considering the
figures which represent Its capital. popula-
tion and cultivated area. the progress made
by that country 10 very remarkable. In
1881 the wheat acreage was 200: In 1886 II
was 100000. and this year IL probably
6.soo.ooo. The increase has been constant
and almost uniform. year by year. The land
il fertile. and the yield Of grain per acre
large. A few years ago. In the eighties. q
venturesome trader sent 5000 bags Of Ar
gentine wheat TO London. and thereby
caused q nine-days sensation This was
tho thin end Of wedge In 1891 no less
than 2.t7s.eS cwt OF Argentina wheat
found market In Great Britain, and re-
allied value Of more than IS. 500 900. This
was getting serious. British farmers sur
vcycd the figures in dismay. and colonial
wheat growers scented a possible rival
Steadily as ala the acreage. the trade In
wheat expanded. until In 1894 Argentina
sent 20 Great Britain no less than l2z77.-
l2 cwt.. worth more than sl7.ooo.ooo Last
year . very bad season and poor crops
caused some dimInution Of the trade; what
II win be this year no one yet knows.
But tho competition has extended also
70 the beef trade. As late as 1899 the
number of beef cattle shipped to Great
Britain from the Argentine was SO small
~ to get no separate mention In statis-
tics. But In 1893 ~ was s.Ssc. and In 1896.
Boa Tho same II to be said OF sheep.
In 1898 the exports OF them to Great Brit
ain were .7.sss; in 1894. 7s.&is. and In 1896.
300. oe4 while the quantity OF dressed NUT
ton was also steadily increasing. Dairy
producti. too. are beginning TO present
a figure. In the last three months OF 1895
no less than 10000 kilos of Argentine but
ter reschea London in prime condition.
and successfully competed. In quality and
price. with that OF Great Britain and the
continent
How this Affects us In very soon shown
when q comparison Of the figures brings
on. the fact that the South American re-
public sends 10 the British markets now
more than half as much wheat as the
United States. II IL sending to that coun-
try NOW nearly as much as Russia and
more than all the rest OF the world put
together. The wheat formerly sent by
those countries 20 England Is now COM
peting with the United States. also. In it's
trade with other countries than England.
For the time, II Is disturbing the whea,
marke, az much a. Dakota and Minnie
sofa did In the years OF their greatest
production as new producers.
A problem tn reciprocity Is presented
by this case. The United States and Ar
sen,ins would both PROD, by the intro
ducticn TO that country Of cur improved
agricultural appliances. but we DO not
want their principal product IN return.
and the more and better machinery We
supply them with. the greater will be their
competition with our own wheat rsisers.
The competition with our wheat Is there.
however. and American commercial in
senuity ought TO devise some means by
which some iaterests in this country can
derive benert from the expanding trade
and growing prosperity OF car neigheor.
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THE MAN IN THE MINORITY