LITTLE KNOWN COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD — URUGUAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 189, 12 August 1939, Page 5 (Supplement)

LITTLE KNOWN COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD — URUGUAY

Like all the other republics of South America, Uruguay won independence at the cost of great bloodshed and fierce warfare, extending over manyyears. It was at first a Spanish possession, being part of the Vice- I Koyalty of Kio de la Plata. With the decay of Spanish power, lighting broke out in Uruguay. In the early years of last century there was constant fighting in this little country, which threw off the Spanish voke, only to fall into the hands of Brazil. The Argentine came to the rescue of their comrades on the opposite bank of the Rio de la Plata. The Brazilians were beaten, and in 1825, by a treaty signed by Brazil, the Argentine and Uruguay, the independence of the republic was recognised. Along the flat land which borders the great La Plata basin, there is one small hill. It is not much of a mountain by Xew Zealand standards, being only 300 or 400 feet high, but it stands out in these low-lying plains. It caught the eye of the great navigator Magellan as lie sailed along this shore.' "Montevideo" (I see a mountain), he said, and this remark gave the lovely city of Montevideo its name.

Montevideo is situated on the northern shore of the Rio de la Plata, which is a great basin formed by the junction of the Parana and Uruguay Rivers. These two rivers open the way into the very heart of South America. To the south of Montevideo, far across the broad basin of La Plata, is the great city of Buenos Aires, capital of the Argentine and the largest city in South America. Montevideo has a population of about half a million, including many British folk. It is a very pleasant city and regarded as the best of the South American cities in which to live. It is modern and handsome, bustling with life, ard its ]«'<>ple claim that it is the healthiest city in the world.

The city stands on a slope that rises gently from the river, and every raiit gives its streets a thorough washing, while the water drains off quickly into the sea. The ocean breezes tem[>er the heat of summer and moderate the cold of winter. So delightful is the climate that the beaches along the coast have become popular seaside resorts for people from Brazil and the Argentine.

It is, however, the country lying behind this wealthy city which is of particular interest for the purposes of this article. Travelling by train into the interior, the traveller leaves Montevideo from one of the finest railway stations in South America. This journey carries the traveller through a lovely, rolling country, never very hot except in the extreme

north, nor yet cold enough to make stoves for heating necessary. It has broad valleys, low hills, fertile plains, pleasant groves, and clear-llowmg streams. It has no mountains, no deserts, no barren land, but is one «reat pasture covered with rich, green grass. It has been called a garden wedged in between the open country of the Argentine and the plantations of Brazil.

Stock-raising is the chief industry in Uruguay, and if all the animals in the republic were divided equally among the inhabitants, there would be enough to give each one six oows and twenty sheep and a horse to each two people.

Tliat is why the first big building noticed after the train ha« left Montevideo is a freezing works. Here thousands of cattle and sheep are killed every week, to be chilled arid sent to feed the hungry millions of Europe. As the train follows the river the passenger sees a succession of steamers, some laden with frozen meat, others with timber. Pastures, rich in grass, where cattle and sheep graze peacefully, and orchards where a wide variety of fruit is growing, can also be seen from the carriage window.

Most New Zealanders know something of the pleasant city of Montevideo,, thind in size f South American capitals, but the Republic of Uruguay, of which Montevideo isthe chief cZ is not so well known. It u more than a century old as an independent nation and although not nearly as great in area as New Zealand, it has a population of two milhons Uruguay is the smallest of the South American Republics, but il is also one of ems ' pleasant.

At one stage of this railway journey the passenger will notice a most attractive odour of soli] in the air. His nose will tell him that something of lies ahead even before his eyes catch sight of the tall chimneys glistening in the sun. The town is Fray Bentos, and the chimneys belong to the buildings which house the greatest beef extract works in the world. Here is made millions of pots of nourishing beef extracts which are sent out all over the world.

The buildings are situated oil the shore a little to the south of the town of Fray Bentos and form a little settlement of their own. At the wharves there are vessels which have brought coal, salt, timber, machinery and tinplate to be made into cans and boxes. The ships will carrv away horns, hides and tallow, bones, fertilisers, bone meal and dried blood—all this a« well as the main produce of beef extract, and the tins of soups, tongues, boiled beef and corned beef. All this is the product of one establishment, probably the greatest of its kind in the world.

The company operating these great works provides liomee for its thousands of workmen. It has its own plant for the generation of electricity, its own gasworks and water-

works. It has erected a church, a hospital and pensioners' borne*, as well as fine schools fur the children.

Although the products of pastoral industry rank easily first in Uruguay, the republic does not rely on its meat trade alone for prosperity. Wool is bein" exported in increasing quantities, 0 the clip being now about 120 000 bales. Wheat, maize, linseed and oats are the chief products of agriculture and there is also a thriving wine industry. Of recent yea re considerable progress has been made in the growing of tobacco. Silver, copper, lead, manganese and lignite coal are lound principally in the north of the republic, but these deposits have not been fully exploited and represent a source of almost untapped wealth for Uruguay.

British interests are strong in Uruguay, and the United Kingdom is tlie republic's best customer, buying great quantities of chilled and frozen beef and mutton, while Uruguay buys in return cotton piece goods and iron and steel manufactures.

Uruguay has good roads, nearly 2000 miles of railways, compulsory education with a fine university at Montevideo where there are 1800 students.