BACK FROM THE ARGENTINE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81878, 31 October 1906, Page 4

BACK FROM THE ARGENTINE.

A SCATHING INDICTMENT. WARNING TO INTENDING SETTLERS. (Wellington "post' ). ii;. ltrasun of its position a- a for maablc r.val. the Argentine R'pub i ,iv has ol leieni year- posse* ed a •li.rial m..u-t foi Ne.v /-a. andeiv \\ j navf had at'ln»t and at seconc iu.nd vaiuus accounts of Uie coliiUa ,ts conditions, and lis people, anr .:.c-e nanauuits, \..iile toucn ng 10 i i..ght ex.ent upon souk of the -ii ac vantages, have generally le,t an inc n iavo,abie to t.ie country and a dt=iio with S'.iu. 10 uy taeir loriun' there.

That impression should be eut.tely .emoved by cae repot; 01 M. G. M 11s Mason, of tlr- Waiwetu, Lower Halt, a well known farm r, who ueni io the Aigmiinc a few ninths ago. ~th the vi-'w cf takiug up iand ti.e.e •n behalf of himself anci hi ■ ■ ons, if iac cond.iioni were t'avoiab c. His enquiries and expe.bitccs thetc so disgusted him wiih the place from an ag I.cultural, social, and aJ most every point of view, that ne has just returned to the colony. On landing at Buenos Ayres, Mr

Ma-on found smallpox was r.fe in the iOwn, and he lost no time in getting vaccinated. It was quite a common sight to see men in the streets with their faces sti,l raw —not properly healed after an attack of the dreaded I disease. Some valuable information was obtained form Mr Herbert Gib-on, who .te had learned from the "Pastoral,st» Review'' was always glad to welcome colonists and give them cveny assistance regarding agricultural natters in the country. He explained to that gentleman —who is a resi- ' Jent of some standing and of very high ability—that he proposed, with lis sons, to take up iand for sheep arming. A prompt invitation was ioithcoming to v:sit one of his sta.ions, at Cachari, and to stay there

is long as the visitor pleased. Mr Fitzherbnt an ex-New Zealander was managing that station. Going down a the train, Mr Mason kept a good .00k out at the land and stock. The first sheep he saw were a very inferior class, and scabby, and none of them nad been dagg=d. After passing vtral and seeing all t .K: •heep in the same condition, he re liar ked on them after to his cicerone. • Oh, thai " the scab,'' was the re,»ly. "But the sheep are so dirty is well,'' said the New Zealander. Mr Gibson laughed, and explained that le did so because he himself had only last year, for the first time, crutched my of his sheep. "Why doe n't the Government do something to eradicate the scab,'' was the next query The answer was that the Government had asked Mr Gibson to undertake that task throughout the country, ind had offered him a free hand, but ae declined as the personal risks to aimsclf were too great. Mr Mason remarked that it was

impossible to get healthy lambs from -heep in that condition, and that fact tvaa admitted. The percentage of ambs reared there, he learned, was about 40. The last average in New Zealand was from 100 to 13s —all good iambs. That the Argentine could not be 1 very formidable rival to New Zealuite clear that the closest watch had jested. '•I have come back fuHy satisfied," declared Mjr Mason, "thait jieijSiKf New Zealand nor Australia need fear competion with the Argentina as re gards frozen lambs for years to come.

As to mutton they may be competitors. Their cattle arc magnificent.' The procuring of land was the next subject touched upon. From reports received, Mr Mason was undei the impression that there would be no difficulty in obtaining accessible land at ftom iz/6 to 15/ i)< r acre. .Ic found to his surprise that these •ands were only to be obtained out of ill communication wilh railway, and the buyer chanced its being good, or oeing able 10 i.|>tain water on i.ands available for use nearer 'lie ailway, and from 400 lo 500 miles distant from the capital, could be obained at from £4 to £5 per acre, lie ilso ascertained that within a radiuf JOO miles of Buenos Avres, where vas some of the finest land he had •ver seen, and which was formerly considered to be the finest country or sheep in the Republic, there were 10a very few sheep owing to the dis•a>es that had attacked them—lung ind other diseases toe numerous to mention. From different sources Mr Mason heard a good deal of the depredationa sheep and cattle. which made ii 0 be kept and il.e greatest care taken. 10 bekept and .Ik greater care taken. A iam worth upwards of £5 would be taken as quickly as a ewe or lamb, and he heard of one instance were 400 fat bullocks were stolen, and enly recovered qui:e by accident through a Mr Stent, formerly of Wanganui, see;Bir them being driven thiiough a township miles awe ( y. He recognised the brand, and enquired if they had been sold, and so they were traced. I'll'- punishments 'inflicted were 0 slight that they did not have a deterrent effect. The climate of the Argentine is a peculiar one. It has a most lethargic effect, not only upon human be'Dg-, but upon the stock as well. New Zealanders who go there were, a- a rale, energetic for about a year, then imperceptibly the climate so affected them that they got into the lazy, languid manner of the Argentine people. The heat of Buenog Ayres was fat greater and more enervating than the dry heat of Queensland. On occasions business places had been closed 00 account of ths heat. The fact that "man.ma"—to-morrow—is a word heard very frequency on all side- speaJjj for itself. The physique of the men is very poor, and :iiat was' greatly due to excessive' cigarette smoking. On the social s de Mr Mason speaks with much emphasis. He is quite satisfied that the Argentine is not a safe or a propei place for any man to take his wife, sister or daughter to, for reasons that were made quite clear to the Interviewer. Mr Mason condemns the glowing reports which induce our young men to go to the Republic. The Argenliner himself N not a farmer. and desired to get the best of our farming young men to go there and teach them our methods. These vf'ung men to start with get, as a rule, .£4O a year with the promise of more later. Young men thinking of going should bear in mind that tlrey w :ll be rut off fmm all communication «iih their fellows. There on'iv a'sonates will be the peons, and po—sibly one or two men ih;>y meet at the railway station. It wojltl be \vr,r-e 1 than going into the furthest barkof New Zealand or elsewhere I n a civilised British country. Even in the towns wherp there arc a fp\v trood salaried position-, th?re is ni> social lifo worthy the name, no artno literature and no healthy recreations.