The farmer and mechanic., 1915-05-04
ARGENTINE WORK AND WAGES
Behind the Scenes Among the Laborers OF the
Rio de la Plata.
Rio de la Plata.


square and their only light and ventl-
lation came in from door in the CEN
ter. Just outside each room IN the
court was a bowl or box of charcoal.
This formed the cook stove OF the
ia mily within. Some OF the boWE
were alight, and pots of Steaming soup
rested upon them. Here they were
broiling meat over the Goals, there
they were cooking macarom, and fur
ther on stewing or boiling. The peO-
pie were mostly Italians. Many of
the women were young and there were
girl mothers of fourteen and fifteen,
washing and cooking while their
babies sprawled about on the stones.
The scenes in the second stories were
much the same save that there the
cooking was done in the galleries.
The children swarmed. The court
was full of them. They were Of all
ages and sizes, from infants in arms
| to half grown men and women. They
! seemed happy and healthy, and I am
| told that they thrive Notwithstanding
| their surroundings. The climate here
is good, and the average mortality Of
! Buenos Aires compares favorably with
| that of other great cities. 1t is better
| than that of New York, Liverpool or
| Manchester, and much better than
that Of st. Petersburg, Moscow or
| Madrid. The death rate is only about
Is per thousand, whereas that Of Lon
don is eighteen, Paris eighteen, st. Pc
| tersburg about tWenty-six, and Mos
| cow and Madrid each more than
twenty-seven. The death rates Of
Buenos Aires and London are just
| about the same.
Big families were the rule in this
court. Some had as many as ten chill
dren; and children and babies and
parents and grown-up sons and
! daughters, may all sleep together in
a space not more than twelve feet
square. The birth rate is large, that
of the Italians being about SO per cent
higher than the average birth rate
of Europe.
Rents are increasing all over Ar
gentina. In Rosario the average rent
of a workingman'S house of three or
four rooms is about $12 a month. In
Buenos Aires one pays IS or $40 a
month for a room in cOnventillo,
and house of FIVE rooms costs $40
or $50 a month. In Bahia Blanca
tive or six room houses can be had
for $50, and board and lodging can
be had there for SIS a week.
Since the war began food prices
have risen and beef has gone up SO
per cent. The markets are good and
vegetables and fruits cost less than
in the United States. Most families
buy their bread and the poor have nc
facilities for baking. The bakers are
licensed and they carry the bread
from house to house. But little corn.
meal is used. Many onions are eaten
and frequent sight is the onion ped
S dler, who goes about with long string:
e OF onions over his shoulders Out il
! the camp the laborers live almost en-
n tirely on meat, and on some of tn,
r big eStancias several beeves are killed
: daily to supply the food for the men
+ Beef is sold by the kilo of two an,
q one-ftth pounds, and many othe
h things are sold the same way. Mill
: is sold by the liter, and so are win
S. and kerosene Oil.
e The people live simply and tn
d average Argentine family either il
e the cities or out on the farm spend
n much less for it's food than a famil
OF the same class in the United State.
y Many of the people eat only one fu
e meal day, and that in the evenin
% after they have stopped work. The
s. Will have a cup Of tea or tea and
n piece of dry bread upon rising, an
IN perhaps another cup of tea and brea
A at noon If they are Italians or Spar
&c | lardS they may take wine instead {
ne tea; and If they are Argentinos the
lg will begin the morning with a cup ,
lie mate, as the Paraguayan tea is calle
sh The Italians make excellent imm
cS | 81 IduIS lie IIlOSI OIL Cnom nave con
We from the farms of Lombardy, and tn,
he are good agriculturists. They are n
ly afraid OF work, and are thrifty. Mar
no of them send a large proportion
nd their savings back to Italy Whe
he they rent farms they live meanly, sa
;. ing their money to buy land, al
be adding to their possessions until tn
os finally accumulate respectable e
by tate. Large numbers of them cor
'ut without expecting to stay. They t
of back and forth across the ocean
Id the swallows do over the land, wor
Ter ing for year or so and taking tht
nd earnings back home. There is a fix
a class of such men, known as swallt
gh immigrants. Out of $4,000 INN
ms grants who arrived here in three yea
Dry more than 100000 went back. It
out estimated that each of those who
ng. turned carried away with him abe
the $50, making a total of $4,000, o
the thus taken out of the country.
vet.
10 of 70 q