The Press., 1901-03-14


to q greater degree than heretofore the.
products and resources OF these coun.
tries.
Governments asd Export Products
Of South America.
1t 10 true that exceptions to this
statement can be easily pointed out;
but. broadly speaking. It will bear In.
vestigation and will be found to be cor
rect For example. with few exceptions
the seemingly unendlng boundary dis
putes-all OF which. by the way. came
down from the old Spanish regime ae
an inheritance and which have beer
for 70 years the source of untold ex
pense and Of constant irritation auc
oft threatened war between practically
all Of the republics Of Central an6
South America-have been amicabls
concluded The closing days of the
century find that chief source Of tron
BILE ito Latin America happily reduced
to q comparatively small point 1t Is
but Just to these republics to say in
this connection that due credit should
be given them for the fact that in
reaching this result they have consist.
emily recognized the theory of arbitra-
ton to be the proper and true method
by which such international disputes
may be solved. Today no boundary
difficulty Of any kind affects the peace
of the east coast of South America, and
but two such questions are still to be
adjusted upon the west coast. Stable
government, well administered, has
been reached In very many of the re-
publics south Of us. In some-notably
In those toward the extreme south of
the continent-the most striking and
rapid advances imaginable have been
made during the past ten years in their
material development and In the pros
perity Of their people.
This has been especially true Of the
Argentine Republic and of Chile. Fifty
years ago the latter supplied -four to
the entire west coast of South. Central
and even to that of North America
The development OF California and Or
egon. however, changed this. and today
the latter not only supplies their own
wants. but as well large section Of
Central and part of Western South
America with breadstuffs. Chile on
her part has become the worlds nitrate
producer and notably so In copper.
while her vineyards have increased
with each year.
In the Argentine Republic the
changes that have occurred are even
more striking. because they relate to
things with which we of the United
States and Canada are more familiar,
1t is, for example. relatively speaking.
but few years since the United States
was shipping -four to the Argentine
Republic and to Uruguay. Today. as
result Of the immigration that has
poured into those republics. but prin-
cipally into the first country. and as a
result Of the application Of North Amer
lean farm machinery to the great allu-
vial basin of the River Plate, the Ar
gentine Republic alone exports to Eu-
rope 35,OOO.O00 bushels Of wheat and
half that amount of maize each year.
Not content with having thus become
the competitor Of the UL'*ed States and
Canada in the Old World la ssa expor
tation of breadstuffs. the same resslblic
has also become their competitor-and
strong and growing one. too-in the
expectation Of meat products. Few
have any idea Of the growth Of this in
dustry in. the River Plate republics
Thirty years ago Great Britain import
ed less than 100000 pieces of frozen
mutton. Indeed that was the begin
ming of thag Industry. Today there arr
killed. frozen and exported to Europe
each day from the province of Bueno>
Ayres alone. in the Argentine Republic
1900 carcasses of as good mutton a.
the world can produce. while innumera
bic square miles Of alfalfa fields dot
the republic and furnish rice. cheap
fattening material for 100000 or
more Of cattle possessed by the coun
try.
The advantages the people Of the
United States and Canada might obtain
by grasping the true meaning Of the
above facts would appear to me many
and their value very great.
If they would. for instance. but real
lie the significance Of the one fact
that well bred. fat steer can be and is
being produced In the Argentine Re.
public and exported to England a a to-
tai expense at least SIS less than 1t is
possible to do the same thing in either
the United States or Canada-while a
great advantage lies with the producer
Of River Plate mutton-they would
realize the strong appearance of proba-
bility to the often quoted statement
made by some that the not distant fu.
ture would bring River Plate mutton to
our tables in the United States.
Great Cattle Zones In the south.
Many public men In South America
believe this will occur. reasoning as
they do that the conditions in the Unit.
ed States are such and their develop
ment in manufactures Is SO pronounced
that 1t can he looked upon as altogether
probable that within the next ten years
meat will be probably exported to the
United States from the great cattle
zones of South America. They also
believe that the turn Of the tide that
has carried the United States into the
position Of lender of money rather
than a borrower will then carry the
well known aggressiveness and zeal of
American financiers and Industrial op-
orators into South America. where a
highly profitable field would be found
for the employment Of capital in the
development Of many Of the smaller
industries now In existence there and
In the consolidation and operation on
large scale of the meat producing
plants there and In the handling Of
breadstu1ns and all their related indus
tries.
Millions Of acres Of tillable land. in
an excellent climate. with every facili
ty except immediate transportation.
await those who win seriously look for
1t In South and Central America, and
1t was the earnest wish and purpose
Of those who formulated and planned
the Pan-American Exposition that in
all the above fields they might. through
the Exposition. do something tangible
toward bringing to all better kuowl
edge than now exists concerning the