THE RIVER PLATE AND DISTRICT.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XX, Issue 56, 8 March 1886, Page 4

THE RIVER PLATE AND DISTRICT.

(London correspondent N.Z. Times.) I lately received from the Consul of the Argentine Republic in London some figures about the wool and meat trades, which may be of interest. According to his statement, the export of the former commodity is rapidly increasing, having been 198 millions of lbs in 1876 ;in 1880, 215 millions ; and in 1884, over 268 millions. Ali these wools are in the grease, and 50 per cent goes to Antwerp ; only about 2 per eent finding its way into the country. These returns are somewhat less than others which I have had from another source, but there can be no doubt that these importations are largely in. creasing, and in a circular issued by <one of the largest firms of wool brokers it is observed that the " improving growth and style of a large portion of the South American clip should command the serious consideration of many colonial sheep-farmers in the matter of quality as well as growth." Elsewhere they remark " there must be many classes of colonial wool which do not, at present prices, leave any profit on their production; this will doubtless tend in' future to a curtailed growth, and necessitate that being of better bred and better conditioned wool." In fact, reducing the weight of South American bales fco the average of those from the antipodes and fche Cape, iti is observable fchafc fche former is only a million ponnds or so behind fche export of the latt r. From an interesting series of letters in th« Times on the state of fche Cape Colony, ib appears that the farmers in that district are contemplating mending their ways in fche matter of attending to the improvement of the cultivation of wool. The Boer farmers in this, as in everything else, have been obstructives, aud have refused to assist; through their representatives in Parliament to the passing a Scab Acfc — yefc they cannot understand why ib is that tbeir produce does nofc fetch in the European market the same prico as the Australian wools. The truth beginniug to dawn on their dull intellects, ic is now fully believed they are about to turn over a new leaf, and if so, further competition in this quarter is in store for the antipodean farmers. There was such considerable activity in the Yorkshire mills duriug the past year thafc the turn-out has been considerable, though at a small margin of profit. Referring to the satistics from the Consul before mentioned, he estimates the number of sheep in the Argentine republic at over 90,000,000, with an annual increase of something like 25 per cent. Beyond scab, there is but little disease in the flocks. The frozen meat trade appears to be as yet practically undeveloped, though there are two or three companies engaged in great efforts to do some business. The latest amount of exports to Europe that I have seen, viz., for November, amounted to 86,200 sheep and 1000 bullooks. The production.. of wheat and maize in South Amimcla is vj&ry considerable,;- and I have lately been^ibld /of -. some samples of the former^ from Patagonia that commanded a higher price "than any other corn in the market. The quarter, however, from which tbis formidable competition has come is as yet being worked on a very small scale, bufc as efforts are about to be made to colonise largely, and a railway is to be built from the coast to the wheat-growing distriots, some fifty miles inland, it is oertain that in a few years we shall hear a good deal about this matter. California has just been sending hops to the London market and selling them at the price of £1 a bale, which, as a California bale weighs nearly 2 cwt, is a monstrously, indeed absurdly low .price, which it would be impossible for Kentish farmer's ~to compete. What witjr frozen :whitebait from New Zealand and salmon from Hudson's Bay arriving in excellent condition, our home tradesmen may well ery " Hold, enough 1"