THE PEOPLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2805, 18 December 1907, Page 15

THE PEOPLE.

I " Descendants of almost every race >4|i ' iEusopey^ -f«pße3*xMr Elder to' a question f/as to wliat the people were like. " They ; ,*j6b inclined todadk of energy aiMLlnitiatiye; ' and a-ro great smokers of cigarettes, which ;^^^j&£gen£%ls£L Some of them are revengeful, but not all.. .^ Of course^ a^lqj,,. = 313tei|iDrs cointef i^ofje "bi^a^&repscannot ape**"^*© I*,ngtiage,-*aas -^tSufiderstandings * arke. The sailor uses his fists, and then pHlg a -knife; bef^ihe «to«ies of t bloodshed and vrodictiveness are cxagr i goiatecl. *A«' r|^e.t mtemj>eri»ffie ."fe 1 " not marked, .but it -je^SSSlng. is abeo- ' )lui«ly«o «fetriction ton the 'sale of liquor, • 'nafojesieii on Sunday*. "'""Sonle bf the more enlightened, howevor, -ire realifemg' the , danger of this, and are stepa. accor- . a d&giy. ' v Conacrlptipa; js^thje order' in the Argentine, and" everyone 'ISorn in the country is bound" to serve his time in the standing army. In "the event of a' revolution this army usually aplits up, some Teginfren** retttmnin^ ldyal to the Govern-menbv-'wbile -othens join the rebels. 1 Generals are numerous. The country people let revolutions Severely alone, being content to get on with their work and to leave the fighting to the Presidents, soldiers, and the police, who are then called upon to fight. -Yes, there was a revolutiori in my time, ' but. we did not eee'iiiuch of it, because during ite .duration"* our town was cut off from train and telegraphic communication from the re3t of ihe world. * All the regular poiice had been t*ken away to fight for the Govjernment, and we. had to. get up a scratch 'te&m.qf policemen from among the local residents. ' The ■ cause of much of the trouble -used to be that men like Rivadavia, Sarmiento, and' Mitre, made, such excellent Jaws' that the people were quite .unable, to live up to ihem? Tilings are .now- improving all roimd." RESOURCES. "li may not be generally known," oontinue4:!MifElol«r»"<hat Argentina produces as much wheat as Australia and Canada put "together. .In 1905 Argentina produced 3.913.J543 tons , -of wheat to Canada*. 2,282.609 icns, and Australia's 1,586,957. The Argentine in addition produced 3,567J78&- " tofts of mAiie:' »f nd exported 3,887,7*9 rrarc»*eßr rarc»*eß g ofc frocen mutton, and 100,966 tons of ,begtf w '3Hbere is an impression abroad "that me United States have greater 'iv*erss*»-«t '«take- in- the Argentine than England has. This is a mistake, for ! British-, »md not American, capital is largely instrumental in - the development of the . .country. „ - British capital invested there ■amount*; to £288,000,000, o£ which' £115,000,000 is in railways. . People visiting the Argentine frpin America have usually to go there ' -via England, as the- trade between America - and- the-'Argentine hardly warrants - the running of "a regular ""passenger service. ' Last year the Argentine welcomed 250,000 immigrants, and has increased ite popula- ' tien-by a million and a half during the last 10 years^ It is interestiqg. to note that | its population is new equal to that of Bng- ; land 200 year* aap, and to that of the iUnitet£Se*f#s 100 years* ago. *." Tne Argentine posseeees a good navy, built mostly in England." . . WOX>D ANI?i WATER. - ' - Mr Elder went on to say that almost any kind of 'climate was available. The South of Argentina was about the coldest place in the .Southern i Hemisphere, .while •th© NoTth J! w*r in tfii trVpiteV The climate of Buenos Aires resembled that of Sydney. Unfortunately, where the climate tras best the land was poor, a Urge district near Buenos Aires being so charged with saft -as • to . 4» ptaetioaily m. decert As to riven, the La Plata was, of course, the third largest in 1-he world, and was 30 miles across opposite the capital. 0 You could ascend by steamer to the Parana, and then penetrate 2000 mite* by water to Ouvaba in the heart of Braxil. The greater part of the- Argentine ■ was woodless, but on . the slopes of the Andes magnificent forests fcbotmded. Railway*, bowser, had not vet tapped this di»trict, and Mr Elder wondered if it would not pay to export wood to the Argentine from New Zealand, instead of burning it, as they did in the North Island. . The absence of coal was a great drawback, 'and that commodity" had to be imported from England. THE PRESS. Questioned concerning the Argentine iMjwspapem, Mr Elder fjave our representative,to understand that country paper* were country papers all the world over, especially in Argentina. The little weekly and bi-weekly sheets were very much like those in New Zealand, only more so, and Spanish. They boasted four dailies in Tres Arroya*. One stood out for "The Situation" (rather a good Argentine name for the party in power), and the other throe \ wens Opposition, Labour, and Independent organ; ■ 'Buenos Aire* newspapem were equal to almost any in Europe. La Preusa and La Nacion possessed » splendid telegraphic service, and special correspondents m every European country, also at Wa*h- r ington and Montreal. ' Their readers,' there- < fore, were kept f uHr informed the happenings of the world. Mr Elder said that ' when in Buenos Aires he was in closer touch with European politic* than he had ever,, been when in England. Thi* might . be explained by the fact that the people of Buenos Aires hail from everywhere. Therefore the papers cater for them accordingiy. THE EXILES. New Zealanders and Scotsmen being übiquitous, it seemed superfluous to ask Mr Elder if he had met many of the former in the Republic. Yes, he had met ' them. ' Some were in business doing remarkably well, while others would be only too glad of an opportunity to return. When in England he had often been asked as to the most desirable place to emigrate to, and he invariably replied. " New Zealand, Australia, and Canada are Jthe ideal places for a Britisher seeking a new home, while the goal for the Latin races is naturally the Argentine." He believes that an Englishman will have just as good a ohance of making a living in New Zealand a* in the Argentine, and that in the former he will find higher educational and moral advantages for his children. The Rev. Robert F. Elder has been appointed director of the Central Mission work in Buenos Aires, whither he returns in February, via Cape Horn. The work, he says, is being greatly developed, educational attributes and a nursing staff being added to the evangelistic branch, One object be has in lecturing is to supplement j the sum already^in hand for the erection of ; a church and classroom* in Buenos Aires which are to cost about £3000. A