Baron Hirsch's Colonisation Scheme.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 208, 2 September 1893, Page 4 (Supplement)

Baron Hirsch's Colonisation Scheme.

Jews is tub Argentine,

Lieutenant-Colonel Goldsmid's Report

on Progress Made.

Lieutenant-Colonel Goldsmid, of tho Army Reserve, who has jusb returned from the Argentine Republic (eaya tho 'Pall Mall Gazette,' of Bth June), where he went fourteen months ago to organisa Baron Hirach's colony, in an inberriew with a Daleljl repreaenbabive made the following statements regarding the progress of the new colony:—' When I arrived in the Argentine Republic,' said tho Colonel, ' I found the thousand or more families, with tho exception of about 30 residing in tents and iron huts, and suffering great misery and! hardship- Thoy are divided as follows : —500 familios in tho provinco of Buenos Avr.9B (tho Mauricio colony), 300 families in Santa Fo (Moisesville), and about 200 famiVea in Entre Ribs, divided bebween the colonies of Clara, St. Antonio, and Primo deMaj'o. The lands are unallotted, and no work- ia being done. Tho firab thing I did was to rid the colonies of about 200 fainilios t bat wore unfit for agriculture, or morally a.nd physically nob fib for colonising purposes. Some left of their own accord, and some drifted to North America, and thonce fraclc to Europe.

Then I reorganised the colonies. Ab the present time there are over SCO families in Maorioio. Thi3 colony I divided into units of from 8 to 15 houses each, the units being organised in sections, about. 10 to 12 units to a section ; the sections into districts, the colony being divided into two districts. Every family has a house—a well-built rancho constructed of barro (a mixture of mud a.nd straw), or of sundried brick, roofed with galvanised iron, or thatched, containing two rooms, 6 metres by 4 ia tho usual size; many with two shed 3to atfrre their agricultuval implomentp. Nearly every family is provided with focr yoko of oxon, ono horse, one cow, two ploughs and harness. Ono carb is provided per unib. Every family will have a cart eventually, but) tlie building of the3o carts takes a long time. The usual land allotment per family amounts to 50 hoctares (125 acres.). In this colony thoy already had a *>mall wheat harvest .covering a little over 1,000 acres, and a larger maize harvest. Tho soil is very good, although the top soil is nob so deep in Bnb.ro Rios. Water is found within four metres ot the surface. This colony covers 10 square leagues. Tho colony of Moisesvillo contains about 70 families, and is four square leagues in extent, two of which are incUlf'erenb in soil. This colony has boan organised on a selfgoverning principle, the old colonists taking charge of the administration. Although the harvest had previously been much injured by locnate, they had over 2,000 acres of wheat under cultivation this year. The colonies situated in the EDtre Rios province can boasb of magnificent soil, containing more than a metre deep of black earth. The colony of Clara contains nearly 300 families, of whom the greater proportion were removed by me from MoiseviMo, GLira ia organised on the unib and croup system, and is under tho administration of tho company's agents. The unifcsystom hero comprises four houses to the unit, aba junction of cross roads, each house standing on its own allobment of 50 hectares. Each group comprises 20 to 40 families in small villages. The groups aro named Carmel, Rachel, Ida, Roshpina, Baron Hirsch, and Miguel. Carmel is inhabited by 10 Bossavabian families, who prove excellent colonists. Tho houses are built! on cither sido. of a road, 125 metres apart. There i 3 a small garden behind each house, and meadows for cabbie on each side. Behind those again ia a quinfca (a kind of garden) for growing lucerne, maize, etc., as fodder. All round lie the fields, the allotments of bho colonist. Tho other groups are arranged with a largo portoro (meadow) tor cattle, with houses on each Bide, two close together, and 250 metres apart from the next two houses. Each house has a quinta ot 6£ hecbares for growing fodder, tobacco, and vegetables, in addition to the allotment of 50 hectares of land for cultivation around the village. Tho water wells in this district vary from 15 to 25 metres in depth. Tho colony of San Antonio haa about 100 families on the four-houso unib system already described. Both theso Enbre Rios colonies suffered terribly this year from locusts and drought. All the colonies are now being organised wibh a view of rondoring them ab an early date selfgoverning. The colonists of Primo do Mayo are all moved to Glara. Tho health of the colonists loaves nothing to be desired. Out of tho 100 families in Sb. Antonio nob a single death occurred in twelve months. In Clara thera were only one or two deaths, including those of infants, during the whole time I was there. Clara comprises between 270 and 280 families. As regards the village of Miguel, belonging to the colony of Clara, that has only laboly been built. The peoplo came from Monigotes, in the province of Santa Fd, whero thoy had settled some two or three years aeo, bub having failed to set on they applied for assisbrmco to Baron Hirsch, who accepted them as colonists and gavo them land in Clara. Thoy are a very promising lot, as are many of our colonists, but a certain percentage has yet bo be weeded oub, who aro physically and morally unfit. When I came oub this greab mass of peoplo were living in tents and huts, surronndod by indescribable tilth and disorder. They had a great many rioba, and were dissatisfied because they had no opportunity of working. ■ Now all the real, workers :u-o perfectly satisfied. The completion of the installation presents great difficulties on account of the large quantity of bullocks required, over 2,400 having to be provided for 300 families, bub (ho installation is now approaching completion. Ib ia only possible bo judgo of fully installed families whether bhey will turn oub good colonials. No families were senb out while I was there, but more will bo sent later on from Russia of a bottnr class, selected agriculturists, which moab of bho colonists are not. Thab circumstance makes our bask much more difficult bhan we anticipated. Wo own now land amounting to about ton square leagues in the provinco of Buenos Ayres, four in Santa Fe and batweon thirty and forty in Entre Rios. Whether the colonisation will turn oub a success ib is boo early to say. Some have turned oub better than we anticipated. Whether it will prove a permanent success in timo nobody can foretell in this initinl stasra. Several yeai'3 of spoilt crop would be disastrous to any colonisation scheme. So far all bhe colonists eeb money (illowai)CQS from bho company. Wo enter into contracts with parties who open shops in tho different colonies to supply the paople with provisions. Of course we take corn that our people get good material ab low rates, Thoso money allowances will be lowered gradually, and will bo stopped eventually altoaetber, but nob before some i good liprvesbe have been reaped.

All tho colonists are subject to tho Argentine law ns applied to foreign residents. Tho children born there are Argentine subjects. All the best colonists nre fully alive to tho benefits arising from the magnanimous help extended to" them by Baron Hirsch, and have not hositated to freely express their gratitude to me on many occasion?. Of course, the idle and worthless, whom nothing will satisfy, ore to be found everywhere, and we intend to have a thorough sifting when once tho colours are fully installed, If they refuse

to work, wo shall pay their passages and send them back to Europe. We cannot send bhem to the Unibed States of America, because our instructions are to sond no one there who is unable to earn his own living. I intend shortly to go back to tho Argentine Republic, in order to bring our colonisation scheme to as near completion as possible.