OUR SOUTH AMERICAN RIVAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 340, 14 February 1902, Page 3

OUR SOUTH AMERICAN RIVAL.

From statistics published in a reeont issue of the London Times we get a good idea of the present agricultural and pastoral resources of the Argentine, which country has been brought into prominence lately as a successful competitor for the Army meat contracts. The exports of frozen meat and butter from the Argentine show a continuous expansion since 1899. During the first three-quarters of 1901 the amount of frozen mutton exported was 45,828 tons, an increase of 2180 tons on the previous year’s total. Frozen beef for the same period shows an increase of 16,366 tons, and frozen butter an increase of 188,0331b5. It will be noticed j that, while the increase for frozen mutton is comparatively insignificant, that for beef is very marked. As a matter of fact, the exports of frozen beef from the Argentine have been doubled since 1900, and, from being only one-eighth of those of mutton, the proportion has now risen to two-thirds. The figures go to prove that there are fewer sheep available for export than formerly, a conclusion whioh is strengthened by the disproportionate returns in connection with the export of live sheep and cattle. Owing to the appearance of foot-and-mouth disease in the Argentine, and I the consequent closing of British ports to Argentine live stock last year, there was a marked decrease for the year in the exports of both sheep and cattle. But while the exports of sheep have sunk to one-twen-tieth of what they were in 1899 those of cattle have not declined even to one-third. Apparently the exporters’ difficulty of obtaining foreign markets is greater in the case of sheep than it is for cattle; but apart from that element in the present position, it would seem that there are fewer sheep to export than was the case two years ago. The frozen butter export trade shows a continuous though not a rapid increase. The amount of butter exported from Jan. to September last year was 1,628,5721b5. The wheat exports from the Argentine for the same period showed a decrease of over 50 per cent., while the figures for maize, on the other hand, were nearly doubled.— Press.