The Daily News. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20. THE ARGENTINE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 194, 20 September 1909, Page 2

The Daily News. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20. THE ARGENTINE.

In view of the important part which the Argentine plays as a competitor in the meat export trade any authoritative information concerning that country must be of special interest to Sew Hollanders. Quite recently Mr. 11. E. S. Twopenny, one of the proprietors of the Pastoralists' Review, paid a visit to the great South American Republic, and his impressions are particularly interesting. Mr. Twopenny commences by giving an excellent description of Buenos Ayres, the chief city of the Argentine. It is much larger'than either Melbourne .ir Sydney, but, according to the visitor, the conditions of life are unattractive to a colonial. To use his own words: Over and beyond the main drawback of havi.ig to live amongst foreigners and put up with foreign manners and customs, the city «s so crowded as to be inconvenient and noisy, the facilities for outdoor aniiiscniets are inferior, the cost of living is higher than in Australia, and. above all, with a climatc~whicli is a mixture of Sydney and Riverina, there is no hill country to escape to in hot weather, and the nearest I seaside resort is a night's journey off. The overcrowded condition of the narrow streets was brought home to me the day after my arrival, when 1 was knocked down by the cowcatcher of a fast-moving tram in trving to get past the block on the pavement by stepping into the street, i don't know that it is much consolation to rind in the municipal reports that there were 1074 accidents and 3199 collisions in the streets of Buenos Ayres last year, and already the remedy of only allowing traffic to drive one way (in the same direction I as the tramway lines, which run : n opposite directions in alternate streetsi has been tried.

It is very evident that itherv are grave drawbacks'to life in the Argentine city. Coming on to Hie question of labor, 'it must not be forgotten that Mr. Twopenny's own journal., the I'astoralists' Review, has always displayed a zeal almost approaching fanaticism in its fulit against tlie demands of modern laboritcs. In this connection we arc told that the laborers Xm the Argentine railways are mostly Italians getting fron 5s to 6s a day, which seems poor remuneration when one considers the high cost of living in the country, in the "camp'' Argentines and Basques are chiefly employed, the Italians having no experience of handling stock, and the rates of wages, though nominally lower than in Australia, do not seem to dinVr very miwli i n proportion to the workdone, even (hough the hours are longer. The i-eal advantage of the Argenti:ie pastoralist lies in that he is still tlie ''master.'' with a real command over his "hands." Here Mr. Twopenny tritely observes:—

In Australia and New Zealand there are practically no master; left. Between employe,, and employee there is only the difference of a letter, and it is very much more dilTteulTTo get work properly done under demncrntir conditions.

Speaking broadly, it may be said that Argentina is being "run" industrially by the foreign capitalist and his cniployees. Most of the laud is owned ' v British companies, and the pastoralis't one meots, though he mav be drawing anything from £2OO to £2OOO a .your, is generally a manage,- and nqt an owner at all. Taken as a class, the Englishman in Argentina is an employee, in many cases doubtless an able administrator, but still only an oflicia], and the country is really owned and directed from London. Regarding the polities of the country, corruption is rife and such a thing as honest and impartial government is unknown. Labor troubH are dealt with in a summary manner. During strikes the Government proclaims "a state of siege" within the rinke area, which means that attempts to annoy free laborers are dealt with under military law. and rioters may l>.> shot down o n sight. A special law anthonses the forcible deportation of agitators and other mischievous persons. The military law arrangement (says Mr. Twopenny) may seem severe, but it must be remembered that the majority of lhe_ .strikers arc Italians, and the Argentine Government is more interested in the preservation of order than in meting out strict justice to a few immigrants.