El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-04-03

/ two or three years and have saved
| enough TO buy land at home. It is the
great desire Of the Italian to own a
little farm in Italy. The result is that
I he begrudges every penny spent away
from that country, cutting his ex-
peuses to the bare necessities Of life,
and returning in about the same cloth
ing that he wore upon his arrival
When he has saved $500 or $500 he IS
ready 10 go back home, and he takes
the money with him.
Those who return carry millions OF
dollars out of the country. Such men
are known as swallow immigrants.
They fit back and forth like swallows.
They do not confine their working
places to Argentina. Some stop off in
Brazil TO aid in harvesting the coffee
crop, and thence move on down to
Uruguay and Argentina There are so
many Of these people that the steam
ship companies make a big profit in
carrying them back and forth. The
total fares from immigrants and emil
grants amount to something like $780,
100000 per annum, and this is said to
give the steamship owners a profit OF
about S25,0O0,000.
Nevertheless the bulk Of the immi-
grants are permanent settlers. The
population of Argentina Is now 7,0OO.s
600 or 100000. and it has been largely
made up by the new settlers. Within
the past so years such arrivals have
half has bsen from Italy and one-third
from Spain The rest has come chiefly
from France, Russia and Syria. The
Germans and Austrians together have
about $4,000, whereas the total immi-
grafton from North America during
that time has been less than 5000.
One of the chief Troubles.
One Of the chief troubles OF the In
coming settler is the way land is held
The ~ the 7e divided
into very large tracts. There are more
than a hundred men here each Ct
whom owns more than $4,000 acres.
There are about 40 who own from So,
600 to 100000 each, and a thousand and
more who own from 1900 TO $4,000
acres. There are about $4,000 who own
from 200 TO 500 acres, and the holdings
are so punched together that il Is al
most impossible to build up a popula-
ton Of small farmers It will be only
by dividing the big estates that salts
factory social conditions can be Gre
ated. and at the present outlook that
condition is far in the future.
The government is doing what IL can
to encourage subdivision. and some Of
the estancieros have sold lands TO the
immigrants. but the majority OF the
great estates are intact
As to the government lands, the best
Of them have gone into the hands OF
rich Argentinos and foreigners The
total area OF the republic is about 1SO,-
oe0, 600 acres. Of which perhaps half is
fitted for agriculture and grazing. The
rest Is mountain and desert, a great
deal Of which can never be used. and
the most of which belongs to the gov
eminent.
Land at 16 Cents an Acre.
The public lands include all told
about zoo. 900, 600 acres. OF this, three
fourths are in Patagonia They are
for the most part arid, but have some
rivers running through them that may
be used for irrigation. There are also
public lands in the north but they are
covered with woods and will have to
be cleared before farming. Some Of
the government land has been sold at a
few cents per acre, and many square
leagues have been disposed Of as low
as. 16 cents per acre.
Other lands have been granted to
colonies and today the government is
doing all It can to encourage COLOMBIA
ton. It grants land to such compR-
mics as viii undertake to bring in set
tiers. and it sells grazing lands at low
prices in lots OF 5000 acres. Govern
ment lands may be leased, and there