PATER’S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3145, 24 June 1914, Page 79

PATER’S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

A CHAT ON ARGENTINA. Last week I said I should probably give a chat on Foster Fraser’s latest book, “The Amazing Argentina: A New Land of Enterprise.’’ When Foster Fraser wrote his book on Canada, on Australia, on Siberia, on Panama, etc., he had a definite purpose in each case —to make money ; but that is not necessarily against his books. Indeed, it may be in his favour, for in each case, 1 understand, the Government gave facilities and supplied the latest information, so naturally the books are informative. THE AREA OF ARGENTINA. It is always as well to get some conceptions of a country with, which we have trade relations, or which is to be a competitor in the world's markets. The area of New Zealand is about 104,000 square miles, and the population about 1,052,000. The Argentine—or Argentina without the “The”—is given in Hazell’s Annual as 1,135,840 square miles, but Fraser gives it as 776.000,000 acres, or . 1,212,500 square miles, a difference of 76,660 square miles, or three-quarters of New Zealand. Taking Fraser’s figures, we have Argentina nearly as large as twelve New Zealands; and containing an estimated population of about 6,703,000, . or over six times what our Dominion possesses. Indeed, New Zealand is twice as densely populated as Argentina. But make another comparison. Java, in the East Indies, has an area of about 50,5a0 square miles —less than half of that of New Zealand —yet it has a population of about 30.000. ; so that going by size we ought to be able to support over 60,000,000 in New Zealand, and Argentina about 720.000. Or over 100 times her present population. Of course, we cannot make area the measure by which to judge a nation’s carrying capacity, and we have also to consider the standard of comfort. But take it any way we will, we can see that Argentina is destined to possess a huge population in the future; and the greater the population the greater the competition we shall have to face.

But none of this is in Foster Fraser’s book. Let us take a chapter or two of that.

It -was a surprise to me to learn that Argentina supplies one fourth of the overseas food going into Great Britain. The frozen mutton, export trade has not gone ahead as much as many of us "would imagine, the increase in 10 years being from £1,250,000 to £1,500,000. Why hasn't it been greater? Fraser says becaxise the Argentine finds he can get a better return from cattle and cereals. In 10 years the export of live stock products has gone up from £23,000,000 to £36,000,000; and of agricultural products from £21,000,000 to £53,000,000. Since 1896 the area under cultivation has grown from 13,000,000 acres to 50,000,000. And here let me make a reference to Patagonia and its capital, Punta Arenas. Here Chilians are the rulers, and on many of the huge stations great efforts have been made in recent years to improve the breed of sheep. Many will remember Mr John Cameron, for years manager of the Moa Flat Station, and afterwards a land owner at Heriot and in the Gore district. He has a son managing a large station in Patagonia, with headquarters at Punta Arenas, and his father here —he lives at Anderson’s Bay,—year in," year out, has culled the best of our Corriedales and sent them over. Up to recently sheep were put into digesters by the ten thousand, the tallow drawn off, and all the rest rushed down a race into the ocean. Sheep were kept for the wool, the skin, and tallow, the flesh counting for nothing. And the tallow? It was and still is, 1 think, drawn off in grades, the top being the best, and so on to the bottom. The digesting process gives this tallow the mutton flavour, and all the tallow—was, and still is—sold to the Chilians to be used as butter. Now, however, a change is taking place. By importing rams and ewes, and by constant culling, the breed has been so much Improved that freezing works are now being erected and the huge waste Avill cease. This is a by-tlie-way, but it shows how Otago men are taking a prominent hand in developing Patagonia. Naturally, in a young country such as Argentina, values mount uu enormously.

An Irish labourer who landed there 50 years ago recently died Avorth £4,000,000. About 30 years ago land could be bought in the centre of Buenos Aires for halt-a-croAvn a square yard; now the same ground tvould cost £2OO a square yard. Camp land has gone up too—camp land is agricultural —once purchasable for a song, as the saying goes, in uoav AA-orth £IOO,OOO the square league—but isn’t Fraser Avrong in saying that a square league is three miles’? Shouldn’t it be nine square miles! 1 mentioned in the preceding paragraph that sheep Avere sent from New Zealand to Patagonia. In "the same Avay cattle are imported from Europe for Argentina, and Fraser tells us of a prize bull selling for £7000 ! Sureß- that is a record price!

THE POPULATION. Hazell gives it, as I haAe saw, at about 6,700,000; but Fraser says it is over 7.000. with a yearly influx of about a quarter of a million. “Three-quarters of the population are Argentines •, eA reryone born in the country, no matter from Avhat land the parents come, is reckoned an Argentine. Of the ucav-comers, half a million are Italian, a quarter of a million Spanish, a tenth of a million French; then come the British, numbering 25,000, Germans 18,000, Saauss 15,000, Austrians 13.000, and so on decreasingly.” In race, language, religion, the great mass is allied to Latin Europe. INTENSE PATRIOTISM.

“The emphatic patriotism of the American is tepid alongside the hot-blooded nationality of Argentina. It is daily inculcated in the schools.’’ The blue and white-striped flag has a curious origin. •‘When the Argentines revolted against Spain in 1810, and needed a banner to flaunt against the red and orange of the enemy, they got pieces of blue and white cloth (intended for garments) from an English warship at Montevideo, and made a flag of it. 'So the Argentine flag, like much of Argentine prosperity, is due to Britain.” I might add here that it is said that the British' have £300,000,000 invested in railways and tramways alone. Not only arc the Argentines ardently patriotic, hut they despise the Brazilians, Chilians, and other South Americans, and thank God that there is no nigger blood in their veins. On ocean liners we are told that care must be taken not to mix the two nationalities at the tables. “Each nation sports its own flag. Sometimes rivalry threatens tragedy.” An exaggeration, "but containing enough truth to be emphasised. I think I had better have another chat on “The Amazing Argentine.”