OUR SOUTH AMERICAN RIVAL.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 11190, 3 February 1902, Page 4

OUR SOUTH AMERICAN RIVAL.

From statistics published in a recent issue of the London "Times" we get a good idea of the preeenib agricultural and pastoral resources of the Argentine, wMch. country has been brought into prominence lately aa a successful competitor for the Army meat contract*!. The exports of frozen meat and butter from the Argentine show a eontinuoue expansion since 1899. During the first three-quartere of 1901 the amount of frozen mutton exported was 45,828 tons, an increase of 2180 tons on the previous year's total. Frozen beef for the same period showe an increase of 16,366 tons, and frozen butter an increase of 153,0351b5s It will be noticed that, while the increase for frozen mntton is comparatively insignificant, that for beef is very marked. As a matter of fact, tie exports of frosen beef from the Argentine have been doubled since 1900, and from being only one-eighth of those of mutton, the proportion has now ris-eu to two-thirds. The figures go to prove that there are fewer cheep available for export than formerly, a conclusion which is strengthened

by the disproportionate returns in connection with the export of -live sheep and cattle. Owing to the appearance of foot-and-mouth disease in the Argentine, and the consequent closing of British ports to Argentine live stock last year, there waa a marked decrease for the year in the-exports of both sheep and cattle. But while the exports of sheep have sunk to one-twentieth of what they were in 1899 those of cattle have not- declined even to one-third. Apparently the exporters' difficulty of obtaining foreign markets is greater in the case of sheep than it is for cattle; but apart from that element in the present position, it would seem that there are fewer sheep to export than was the case two years ago. The frozen.- butter export trade shows a continuous though not a rapid increase. The amount of butter exported from January to September of last year was 1,628,5721b5. The wheat exports fn>m the Argentine for the same period showed a decrease of over 50 per cent., while the figures for maize, on the other hand, were nearly doubled.