THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8115, 21 May 1906, Page 2

THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC.

A TARANAKI RESIDENT'S ' OPINION.

A Taranaki gentleman, who has just returned to New Zealand from a trip through Australia, South Africa, the Argentino Republic, and England, was interviewed by a News reporter on Saturday morning, and he gave an interesting account of his travels, and some instructive information and comparisons of farming methods in the various countries through which he passed. Our informant is of opinion that the land in the Argentine is richer than ours, both from the grazier's and the agriculturist's point of view, and there is no comparison in the matter of price. Land just outside Buenos Ayrcs is sold for £7 an acre, and 28s an acre will buy the best land arotnd Sante Fe and Cordova; 32s is asked for land on the La Pampas Central, this prico purchasing the freehold, with buildings, fences, sheds, dips, and so on. Tlio big farmers, oE course, have vast areas, which are calculated in leagues, not acres. He said that Mr Lcarmouth, formerly of Southland, has on his estanchio no loss than 18,000 throc-yeai'-old bullocks, 10,000 breeding cows, about GOO breeding horses, and other wcilbrcd stock. The country there is in places as level as a table, and tlio bulk of it can bo traversed in a buggy without difficulty. On theso largo grazing runs, the eattle aro roared on the mothers, and strenuous efforts are made to improve and maintain the quality of the stock. This has resulted, he says, in the stock being much bettor bred than ours, the bullocks averaging DOOlbs in weight. For these beasts about £8 15s a head is obtained. The beef is chilled, not frozeh for the Loudon Market. To give you an idea of the extent of the cattle rearing industry," said our informant," I may say that there are no less than 27 different freezing works. The biggest concern is the ' La 1 Plata,' where 8000 sheep and 2000 bullocks are killed daily. Tlio smallest is the 'La Blanca,' handling3ooo sheep and 100 bullocks a day. They are swamping the London piarket, and are opening shops in every large town for the disposal of the meat.

" And here is where New Zealand has a danger to face. If a customer goes into these shops and asks for ' New Zealand mutton,' ,or 'New Zealand beef," the salesman cuts off the joint and sells it—from the La Plata beast, for-the simple reason that nothing else is kept. Unless New Zealand takes steps to combat these—and tfie only way to do it 13 for the Government to open retail meat shops—this colony's produce will have to take a very lon price, and take a bank scat generally. " But returning to the Argentine, I must mention the great drawbacks that the country suffers from. First, there is the bad winter. The cold storms which sweep down from the Andes kill stock by the hundreds, sometimes hundreds in a night. Then in the very dry weather, lambs die from want of nourishment, the ewes being starved and unable to suckle their young." " But would you advise New Zealanders to go there P" " No," was the answer. " Unless a man has from £SOOO to £IO,OOO he is better off in New Zealand. If a man is doing comfortably hore on a comparatively small capital, he should stay in New Zealand. And emphasise this—tho Argentine is no place for the worker. Spanish peons and halfcastes there are in abundance to do all the work, although their pace is slow and their work not of tho best."