NEW ZEALANDER IN ARCENTINA.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 157, 27 March 1908, Page 2

NEW ZEALANDER IN ARCENTINA.

■ MR. R. M'LAREN'S IMPRESSIONS., : Mr. R W- M'Laron, a nativo of, AVai« rarapa, who has been for tho past; six yean acting as manager, of '■ a 16,000-aoro , cattle ranch, 350. miles up from. Buenos Ayrcs, Ar gontine, is at present on a short visit te Now .Zealand, 'and yesterday accorded an, interview to our Wairarapa correspondent.- •••: Tho American Crasp. "Is it a factj 'Mr. M'Laron, that/the Americans'are trying to nionOpoliso ibenleat trado of South America?" . . ' "Absolutely no doubt about it, eo faraa

.' • ■■ ;hilled "beef is concerned. Swifts, a. Chicago C'irm, have bought; lip-the 1 Cokl-Storago COlll- - - worksj /er.ecteXl,' by , ; tiliti fwaj;; ;.by ail Australian. aiid' thef'; same;/com: pauy , has . also : : acquired a- controlling iritorost ■in t-lio La Blanca (Buenos Ayres) / .Works,vlt is froely .said; that' or.co, the Americans - have-got -hold' of the chilled meat busi- ■ ness, they, are going in for frozen mutton. Of course, it may bo years before the_Ar- •' / gentino becomcs a serious competitor to New /.//Zealand in t'rozen -'mutton,'b realise the peoplo there are only just now being educated the fat'lamb: business, "but, so .far as chilled beef is concerned, the .Argentine .must- take a' bigger and bigger hand each succeeding yea; / Labour: is cheap, ' and cattle grow luxuriantly fat on altilta,' or, as you call it : here, lucerne. Oil tho place l am-managing, 1 havo, fattened about; 8000 head' of cattle in - ■ a: period; of: eight, months. -You-can get idea of ' tho 1 .vcUttlebusiness'm Argentine ■ when I toll you that from ,1500 to 2000 head ; aro sold in '.the, mar.ket -at -Buenos Ayres every morning. In addition; they run: through fromUOOO' to 10,000 'sheep: at tho same time. • There is!at present-tremendous, competition ;: - for, chilled ■ meat: Sheep; , however; are not '' . doing so -well: ,;.The farmers have gone 111 for ''^•<;V-liincolns',ili^'tio":pastV ar ® P us "- ing llomneys and also ' black facts. Twenty, Years' Start. - . "Holv long do,you, think it- will be before Argentino/beoomes ' a/serious rival t;0 the . Dominion in frozen mutton ?"• ■■■• ... It' may be .twenty years. There will then .. be "much smaller areas than now, with greater facilities for breeding'. the proper article. There'-aro a number' of ( New Zeala-iidcrs in Argentine, and they are nearly all managing • big farms' successfully, and teaching all they V know: ih ;the way of feeding sheep .for -export. • The ;|>edplo kriow'. very well that , theyare-.'much'/nearer ;"t-ho London market /. . than' New Ze'alanders are, and "this is a'kuow- ,., 7 ledge / which"' is / constantly.', spurring , them ! ' on /, to'-greater'efforts; / ' /Another / point/ .is -.the 1.. presence' .of. English capital in', tho,'place'. J.-' 1 ; xjiorel' are ; from- /80,000 90,000,--English people in Buenos Ayres, and-they own all tho : railways and a great amount of the business trade. 1 ' , A Stud Market. ; . .S'/ 1 It i's ■ wprtli vwhilo New' Zealand ~ ingi tho .question, of: opening up a -market for .'"::: : J'Btudt'sheep', ; again in" the, .Argentine?" v;• -; /? 'v;//Hard to say. Tho". Now .Zealand sheep ' which hayei-arrived there generally have been . ' in. such ;a . wretched 'condition that the people would nbt/lopk: atj. them;.:-. Yes'/, it (is a fact,, 1 believe, : that ' tho New Zealahd Land Company's recent.. sheep -. consignment .averaged' * more than aii Eriglishone, but they niust :.have / - -beep,;bared for ; much'better ithah: those I saw. Thb'''Argontinq' peoplo /do not mind what they pay for'a good..sheep. One of thom . -'paid £1400 for. a Riby-bred ram some' months ago:, .But tho"aninials must be in first-class condition..,. Arid'there is ho idoubt' that the : English - breeders know how to send/ awaya sheep for [the foreign buyer." -— How.is'dairying going.on?"/■- . ' • r v ",Well, ,you may say. that tho Argentine is just' starting' :that--;-indiistry., -.; Reynolds is , 1 running a big ' dairying /business .for. Runci-: man, and . Co.: •' ■' jßutter' is tho, chief product, but, : there are private; cheese factories also," • - Mr. M'Laren is;in New Zealand/primarily for the purpose of,obtaining: ariother/.oonvert . for Argentine in the ;person of a Masterton -. . young. lady, who is to . return ito the great - continent as Mrs. M'Laren.