Argentine Republic.

Northland Age, Volume 1, Issue 13, 8 November 1904, Page 3

Argentine Republic.

Australasia’s fliief Com-

petitpr. (Continued from last issue.)

The National Constitution of the Argentine Republic is based upon the broadest, principles of liberty and justice, and affords the most ample guarantees for the enjoyment of full civil rights by and for the protection of the material interests of all the inhabitants. In one of its first articles its principal objects are declared to be "to create national unity, to consolidate justice and internal peace, to provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and to assure the benefits of liberty to us, to our descendants, and to all the jieople of the world who may reside in Argentine territory.” In this instrument, provision is made for a separate but correlative existence of the powers forming the Federal and the Provincial Governments, the* constitutions of the various provinces being based upon the same republican representative federal system in accordance with the principles, declarations, and guarantees of the National Constitution. Thus, all the public Acts and judicial proceedings of one province have the full force of law and authority in the others. Act 20 of the National Constitution declares " that foreigners may freely exercise their callings of any profession for w'hich they aro qualified, navigate the rivers and coast*, make testamentary dispositions, marry in accordance with the laws of the republic, own and deal in real estate, and, exempt fropi differential taxation, travel,.associate for lawful purposes, petition, and do all such things as may be legally done by born citizens of the State. They may obtain naturalisation papers on completing a term of two years’ residence in the country, or such lesser tenu as may be fixed by the Executive Government in cases of proof of service to the State, such naturalised citizens being immune for ft period of ten years from date of naturalisation from compulsory military service.” Other articles of the Constitution provide for the free exercise of all religions, and establish the piinciple of official encouragement to European immigrants, especially laying down that the Government shall at no time limit, or reduce, or charge with taxes, the entry into Argentine territory of foreigners whose object is to devote themselves to agriculture, industry, science, or the arts. Foreigners, after four or six years of naturalisation respectively, become eligible for election as national deputies or senators, but without being naturalised may hold administrative and official positions in the Executive Government-. The Government of the nation is divided into three branches established by the Constitution—(l) the legislative power which makes the laws ; (2) the executive power w liieh carries them into effect; and (3) the judicial body w liieh construes and applies them in eases of conflict. The executive power of the nation is exercised by the President, who must be born in the republic and profess the Roman Catholic religion. The President is the supreme head of the nation and has charge of the general administration of the country, assisted by a Vice-President and eight iSccretaric-s of State, the latter lieing directly appointed by himself. The legislative authority is vested in a National Congress, consisting of a Senate and a Chamber of Deputies, the former numbering 30, two for each province and two for the capital, elected by a spfeial body of electors in the capital and by the legislatures in the provinces. A senator must be thirty years of age, have been a citizen for six years, possess an income of 2,000 dollars, and be a native of the province for which he is elected, or have resided two years therein. A senator is elected for nine years and may be reelected. A third of the Senate ie renewed every three years. The deputies are elected by the people in the proportion of one for every 33,000 inhabitants, or fraction not below 10,000. At the present time there are 120 deputies. The age qualification is 25 years, four years’ citizenship Wing obligatory. They are elected for four years and may be reelected, half the number retiring every two years. Both Chambers sit in ordinary session during each year from the Ist May until the 30th September. The Vice-President of the republic is Chairman of the Senate, but otherwise holds no political power. Should tiro positions of President and Vice-President become vacant the Senate lias the power to fill the vacancies. The President is Com-mander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, and appoints to all civil, military, and judicial offices, subject, to the approval of the Senate, and has the right of presentation to bishoprics. Population and Immigration. According to the census of 1895, there were in the country about 3,000,000 Argentines (all children W>rn there of foreign parents are Argentines) and about 500 000 Italians ; these latter by far the largest number of immigrants, and they are far better than the emigrants of the same nationality that go to the United States, from what I have seen. Some of the best and most intelligent people in all kinds of business and industries, especially in agriculture, are Italians. Next come the Spaniards f over 200,000 in number; next French, somewhat less than 100,000; next English, about 22,000; next Swiss. 15,000; and lastly ti e North Americans, as we are called, 1,400. These figures refer to the year 1895. The number of foreigners in the country at the 31st December, 1899, w’as 199,808, an increase of 20 per cent, on the returns of the year 1895. Immigrants in 44 years, 1,935,077; Italians, in fourty-four years, 1,198,550; Spaniards, 361,079; French, 162,636; British, 34,031 ; Austrians, 31,698; Germans, 27,834; Swiss, 24,873; Belgians, 19,082. Colonisation. The national and provincial Governments have made great efforts to promote colonisation on the large tracts of land w’hich are available for settlement throughout the country. Private industry has also done a great deal in this same direction. The railway companies did a great amount of work in the early days of the opening-up of the roads, and largely by British capital new settlers were induced to settle on the agricultural and stock-raising land, particularly in Cordoba and Santa Fe, which is the central part of the Argentine. Many of the wealthier Spanish people have done a great deal to encourage settlement on the land. During the past few years the cnjonjpatioii " stroedev ” and railways

have organised about thirty colonies on the land, W’hich cover more than 400,000 hectares, which also have twelve or thirteen new towns, with a population of about 17,000 souls. The Government offers every facility for new settlers purchasing land od time payment. Education. In reference to education, the primary education is compulsory from the age of nine to fourteen; secondary education from fourteen to nineteen is optional, as also the university or higher education from nineteen to twenty-five or twentysix. No man can enter into any of the professions, including engineering, and take a prominont position in the Government without being a graduate of the National University, and having taken the course outlined in the above division of ages. In 1901 there were 470,000 pupils in the public schools, which are free to all, and free to people of all religions. Although the Catholic religion is the national religion, neither it nor any other religion is allowed to be taught in the schools.

In the National University there are four faculties —law and social science, medicine, exact physical and natural science, and philosophy and letters. In 1901 there were 3,562 students in the University.

fTo be Continued.)