Evening star., 1942-10-25
ARGENTINA: u. S. Trade Rival

U1tft UfLtCH LDC SHuTC LHe western
Hemisphere. At the request of
The Sunday Star the National
Geographic Society, as a part of
its many educational actipities, g.
has prepared the basic data and
accompanying maps from, its rich
resources OF geographic knoDl-
edge and surDeys. By clipping
this series from Ueek to 1Ueek,
adults and school pupils may ac-
quire an up-to-d1te collection of
maps and notes on our neighbor
continent to the south.
Argentina is more like the United
States in certain geographic ways
than any other nation south of the
Rio Grande. It lies almost wholly
within the temperate zone, stretch
ing south Of the Equator from the
2lst to the 55th degree OF latitude,
as the United States extends north
of the Equator within the 25th and
50th degrees.
This South American republic thus
has the same wide range Of tenn
peratures as the United States, re-
versed in direction, from tropical
and subtropical weather in the
north to snow and chills in the far
south.
Raise Competing Products.
The vast pampas of Central Ar
gentian, rolling west to the Andes
as United States prairie land rises
toward the Rocky Mountain foot
hills, are planted to many of the
same crops-wheat, corn, alfalfa. 1t
is this similarity of important pro-
duction, plus Argentina's heavy out
put of cattle and other livestock
products, that long has raised prob
lens OF exchange between the two
countries.
Argentina's early settlers, like
those Of the United States, pushed
hostile Indian aborigines westward.
Its development-with variations
followed that of the United States
west. The emphasis was first on
livestock production, then on farm
ing, and now is beginning to turn
toward the familiar pattern of in
dustry with factories steadily in
creasing in number and variety.
But there are also striking con-
trasts between Argentina and the
United States. The southern ma
ton has less than one third of the
total territory held by Uncle Sam.
The United States is some $500
miles across; Argentina only about
800 miles at its widest. Argentina
is about 1900 miles long, north and
south, tapering almost to a point at
the tip of the continent. The north
south dimension of the United States
is approximately 1900 miles. Ar
gentina, except in the broad central
reaches, is as yet undeveloped, par
ticularly in the hot, moist Chaco
regions of the north and the lonely,
cold and windswept plateaus of
Patagonia in the sorth. Also i'm
portant to remember, Argentina has
about 100000 people, compared
with more than 133,00O,0OO in the
United States.
Immigrants Built Country.
Four factors stand out in the
story of Argentina: European immi-
grafton, railways construction, i'm
ported and improved livestock and
refrigeration.
More than 95 per cent of the
Argentines are of European stock,
mostly Italian and Spanish, but
with additional groups from the
British Isles, Poland, Germany,
Russia and elsewhere. The Indians,
decreasing in numbers, are estimated
at no more than 10000.
The heaviest waves of immigrants
landed in Argentina after 1880, when
new lands were opened up. Those who
remained (many of the early travel
ers were seasonal workers, shifted
between Southern Europe and South
America) settled chiefly in the PAM
pas, the heart of tn" country, and
still source of most Of its wealth.
BY 1927 Argentina's population had
grown to more than 100000 from
little more than 1,000,000 in 1869.
With the influx of people came
the introduction of European capi-
tai. chiefly British. Railways were
built, linking the outside world with
a new, productive hinterland of vast
cattle and grain ranches, again re-
mindful of the westward expansion
of the United States. More than
$4,000 miles of railways are today
in use in Argentina, greater mile
age than exists in any other country
in Latin America.
Symbol of the old Argentine
pioneer days is the hard-riding,
meat-eating gaucho who roamed the
pampas and lived by the knife and
rope. The real gaucho, however, is
rare now, and any foreign visitor
who expects to find such local color
in Argentina's metropolitan centers
is as liable to ridicule as if he looked
for Indian tepees in Chicago.
Refrigeration Revolutionized Trade.
The development of refrigeration
revolutionized Argentinas export
business (once chiefly in hides and
dried and salted meat) and laid the