Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-08-20
FACTS ABOUT
GREAT SOUTHERN CITY
Buenos Aires Has Passed Phila.
delphia-Second to Paris
in Latin World.

Washington, D. C.-What are the
names of the three largest cities in the
western hemisphere? About 100 out of
every 100 we'll posted citizen of the Uni
ted States would promptly answer
New York, Chicago and Philadelphia.
And, according to a communication
just received by the Pan American
union they would guess wrong. This
message states that the corrected re-
turns of the recently taken census
show that the population of Buenos
Aires has grown to 100000, thus pass
ing Philadelphia and crowding her out
of the third place.
The growth of the Argentine capital
has been phenomenal. In 20 years it
has almost trebled its population and
become the largest city in the world
south Of the equator. the largest Span
ish speaking city in the world, the sec
ond largest Latin city-Par1s alone out
ranking it--and the third largest city
in the western world. immigration is,
of course, largely responsible for this
rapid increase, but the city's birth rate,
BAL per 1000, has cut considerable
figure.
Some more interesting questions, the
answers to which are not very general
~ known, might be asked in this con-
AiSSIiolI. HoI lllSldlNCc. WIlele Is the
finest Jockey club in the world? Where
the most expensive theater in the
Americas? Where the most remarkable
newspaper building in the world?
Where the most deliberately housed
municipal waterworks station? Where
the most architecturally artistic bust
ness street? And the answer to each
is Buenos Aires.
A few other noteworthy facts rela-
tive to the Argentine metropolis are
the following: Not only is it the
greatest South American seaport, but
in point of entrances and clearances
Of vessels engaged in foreign trade it
is ahead OF even New York, while in
tonnage and value of foreign commerce
it ranks next to New York in all the
Americas. 1t is the g! test WOOL
exporting port in the world, late re-
turns showing that it has crowded Sgd
ney, Australia, out of first place. In
exports of frozen and chilled beef Ar
gentina leads the world; next to Rus
STA, it exports more wheat than any
country in the world; in the production
and export of linseed it leads the world
while in the export of corr it more
than trebles the United States. and. of
course leads the world.
Relative to the newspaper building
mentioned above. in a descriptive
article in a recent issue of the Monthly
1bF VI WV AZ ID a. llIiDIl,
Edward Alces writes:
THE building is on the Avenida de
Mayo, not far from the Plaza, and is
said to have cost over SO, 900, 600. In
addition to the newspaper plant the
of La Prensa (The Press) main
tain at their own expense a free med
ical ~dispensary, an able physician and
assistants who prescribe for and attend
charity patients; a law office where
the poor may go for free legal advice;
a free library; and a free employment
agency. A large concert hall, beauti-
fully decorated with paintings and
~frescoes, Is maintained for its staff Of
employees. who also have a mas SUM
and a private restaurant. Finally a
suit Of rooms is maintained, consisting
of a banquet hall, smoking room, la
dies boudoir, reception room, and
s~umptuously furnished bedrooms, for
the accommodation OF distinguished
guests of the nation in general and Of
La Prensa in particular. These apart
ments are not Inferior in their furnish
ings n artistic decoration to many of
h renowned palaces of European roy
atty. Incidently the paper claims to
service Of any paper in the world"
THE Avenfda de Mayo is u~nuuestion-
ably one Of the greatest thoroughfares
In the world. It is about IL feet wide
and nearly a mile and a half long. ex-
tending from the Plaza de Mayo at the
lower end to the new plaza In front of
the capitol at the upper. Along the
middle, suspended from ornamental
iron posts, Is a double row OF arc lights,
and on each side near the curb Of the
20-foot sidewalks. is a row of fine trees
extending the entire length of the
street. The main feature which strikes
the stranger. however. is the uniforms
ity In height. and the fine architecture
OF the buildings. The municipal gov