The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-21
basis in,er,ec,ed unproduct,ve regions

loss. The 1900. 900. 900 or so OF British
capital invested has been producing OF
recent years, after turning back very
generous amounts Of revenue fos extern
zion OF trackaRe. dividends of per
cent: and English investors are begin
ming to be chary OF sinking additional
capital at the same time that the Ar
gentines are beginning to have misgiv-
ings over the extent Of foreign control.
The Central Argentine Railway has
5000 miles OF line, most of 1t radiating
from Buenos Ayres through rich coun-
try. Between Buenos Ayres and Ro-
sario. called the London and Liverpool
of the country. Il maintains a splen-
didly comfortable and efficient passenger
service. It's suburban traffic totals 15oOo,-
900 passengers year. Its line to Tucu-
man In the north runs through open re-
gions Of wheat and grazing land. with
heavy freight consignments to the river
ports. The road carries nearly 100000
tons a year. II Is engaged in irrigation
enterprises that promise heavy ultimate
increases In traffic. II employs more
than $4,000 workers.
The Buenos Ayres and Pacific oper-
ates 3,i17 miles Of road. OF which 2,011
miles are leased. Crossing the pampas
and the Andes to Valparaiso. II Is In
creasingly popular with tourists. the
only transcontinental line in South
America. The transandean line has re-
duced the Journey between Buenos
Ayres and Valparaiso from thirteen
days to thirty-eight hours, and brings
Chile nearly fortnight nearer to
London. The Great Southern. running
south from "B. A" to Bahia Blanca,
with a western extension. operates
nearly 1000 miles OF road. It's passen-
ger trafio has grown steadily: 1909,
1s, SOS 200: 1910, 1s,eo6,505; 1911. 22,-
231.li2: 1912. 24,o69.974; 1918, 27,454,-
719. OF this last number 1884, 156
represents suburban traffic and serves
to indicate the activity of Buenos
Ayress environs. In 1913 freight tom
mage was nearly 100000, almost
double that OF 1909. In 1909 the road
carried 5.576.9s head OF cattle; in 1918,
6.5s2,e51. This road had for the last
fifteen years paid steadily a dividend
OF Z per cent. said to be the laws linn
II. Railroad policy In Argentina favors
amalgamation and agreement in regard
to spheres of interest rather than line 10
line competition. A peculiar factor in
railroad management is the country's
lack OF coal, entailing heavy expense for
importation Of steam making fuel. The
lack OF native coal and oil may limit
the land pretty closely to agricultural
and pastoral activities and prevent
modern large scale industrialism. in
manufacturing electricity generated by
steam Is used.
In view OF the large dependence OF
hn stock raising and
tho fitness Of the land for that pur-
pose It Is remarkable that the great
herds are not Indigenous but descend
ants OF imported stock. The aborigines
got meat and wool from the llama
which was also used as beast OF
burden. though II could not carry heavy
loads. Horses, cattle, sheep and goats
were brought from Spain In a rounda-
bout way through Brazil and Chile.
In the nineteenth century the haphaz-
ard breeding Of herds began to be taken
in hand by the Argentine. Fine strains
were imported from Europe, and a
mania for pedigree" developed. I'M
provement OF the cattle breed was in
culcated as a viDtue of patriotism: and
Argentina Is "noisily patriotic" "the
emphatic patriotism OF the American is
tepid alongside the hot blooded nation
atty of Argentina An outgrowth OF
this fervor is the Argentine Agricul-
tural Society. whose annual show is
national institution. There are now
in the land 5000. 900 horses, 10000. 00C
head of cattle and s0.0O0.0 600 sheep: and
Il Is estimated. In view OF the extern
| slve tendency Of the industry and the
! wealth OF available lands for its pre-
sentation, that by 1924 there will be
200, 100000 animals cropping the pas
lures of the republic: figures enthu-
siastic but not wildly improbable Mr.
| Fraser describes in his vivacious yet
confidence commanding manner the
Argentine beef business from the view
points OF grower. butcher and mar
keter. The interesting thing is the i'm
plication to the Argentines of a real.
ization Of the needs of increasingly in
! dustrial Europe. realization that gen.
crates a definite policy of preparation
for the time when the old transatlantic
nations shall turn without reserva-
ton to pastora. South America fol
cheaper meat supply; when that time
does come Argentina IL determined e
| be ready with a full basket"
In the older countries population 4:
concentrating in the Industrial centres
agricultural opportunity grows less a,
its need becomes greater. There is in
\ creasing need of vast reservoirs Nf
purely agricultural wealth Of sup.
ply. Mr.. Fraser seems to think ever
the United States will soon have e
| look elsewhere for food, but that !:
certainly questionable 1t may be. bu
II should not be true. But there is Rus.
STA, making inadequate use OF her agrl
cultural opportunities: and in Austria
liza wide spaces are strangely left vir'
gin Of plough and harrow. Canada 1:
not neglecting her opportunities of thu
field But Argentina has a tremen
dous area of fine wheat land; the drift
Of her population Is not to tho urbar
but to the agricultural districts. Sh,
receives a net addition to population
each year of probably 100000. in which
the Italian element Is prominent 4
not predominant. She will be better
Off as these people get opportunity I,
cultivate small plantations instead OF
leaving the land 20 be divided int
| huge estates the cultivation OF each
of which constitutes business On
terprise OF no mean proportions. TIL,
| English observer sees hope of success
not long delayed. for schemes looking
| to the establishment of agricultural
| banks and the erection OF warehouse,