Argentina Part 12

[Ill.u.s.tration: FREIGHT TRAIN FOR ENTRE RIOS CROSSING NEW BRIDGE.]

It is certainly true that our country has very little system in placing information before our traders. The Consular Reports are valuable, but each refers to a comparatively small district, and, apart from the fact that very few steps seem to be taken to bring them to the notice of traders, there is great inconvenience in collecting information piecemeal, nor is the form, in any case, sufficiently stimulating. We ought to take a lesson from the handsomely ill.u.s.trated publications of the States, and the scientific and literary ability with which the French expound their theme. Our work hitherto has been fruit-bearing, but not light-giving. One of the commonest exclamations of an Englishman when he has spent a few days in Buenos Aires is: "Well! I wish the people at home knew about this." Few people read statistics, fewer still remember them, and fewest of all understand them; and consequently the signs of industrial prosperity are almost stupefying. Still, as railway companies seem to find photographs the most effective advertis.e.m.e.nts, it can hardly be doubted that well-ill.u.s.trated pamphlets setting forth the industrial promise of Argentina would make many people in England realise the true state of affairs. Certainly, the Argentine Government does all in its power by exhibitions and the dissemination of intelligence to attract capital and settlers.

Perhaps, as a prelude to this subject, a word may be said about the British capital invested in the country, for this is one of the most striking features.

Englishmen have from the beginning taken the lead in developing the resources of the country, and this fact is fully appreciated by the people of Argentina, who owe no less their pre-eminent position in South America to the stream of English capital, which has been pouring in for generations, than to their fine climate and immense natural wealth. In the old Spanish days England had a leading share in the contraband trade, and during the Napoleonic war her merchants were almost as welcome guests as her armies and fleets were unwelcome. The English were the pioneers in railway construction, and still own the most important lines; they have founded banks and freezing establishments, lighted the streets, laid down tramways, and built harbours.

Up to May 31, 1908, the amount of English capital invested in Argentina was as follows:--

Railways 137,845,000 Banks 8,580,000 Tramways 8,010,986 Sundry enterprises 20,910,580 ------------ Total 175,346,566

France comes second. Her investments are chiefly in railways and harbours, and amount to about 21,621,000. German capital, princ.i.p.ally in banks and tramways, stands at 12,000,000. Belgium has 4,000,000 of capital invested in the Republic.

Among the many marvellous industrial features of Argentina the railways[92] may claim the first position, for they hold in the Plate country the same place as in the United States: they are the arteries which bring life-blood to the system. The travellers of two or three generations ago all remarked upon the wealth of the Pampas and lamented the impossibility of utilising it owing to the absence of transport, and the same lament is made by those who now visit Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela. But now Argentina has a splendid railway system, which is being developed with unflagging enterprise.

Its mileage is greater than that of Mexico.[93]

The first line was laid down in 1857, but progress was very slow, for Argentina shared the bad reputation of all South American Republics, and there seemed reason to believe that the next quarter of a century would be as barren as the last, for foreign and civil wars appeared to be insuperable barriers to progress. But in the booming times of the eighties construction went on apace, and no temporary checks to the general prosperity availed to circ.u.mscribe the growing network of railways. Taken as a whole, they are one of the most brilliant examples of English enterprise in a foreign land.[94]

The oldest of the Argentine railways is the Buenos Aires Western, which in 1857 made a modest beginning with a 6-mile track to Flores.

Its early days were full of trouble, and before long it fell into the hands of the State. It was sold to an English company in 1890, and since that time has flourished exceedingly. Although the smallest of the broad-gauge lines, it is a very wealthy concern, and has 1,305 miles of track. Up to Mercedes it competes with the Buenos Aires and Pacific, but thence it bears southward, to Banderalo in one direction and Toay in another, and finally joins the Bahia Blanca and North-Western Railway at Bahia Blanca itself. It serves a very fertile district, and grain forms 60 per cent. of its goods traffic. The lines are well laid, the rolling stock excellent, the management of the best, and it has long paid a dividend of 7 per cent. upon its ordinary stock. Altogether it is a highly meritorious concern, and though it has less scope for development than some of its rivals its future can hardly fail to be one of continuous prosperity.

[Ill.u.s.tration: LOCOMOTIVE, BUENOS AIRES GREAT SOUTHERN RAILWAY.]

The largest of all the railways is the Buenos Aires Great Southern.

Formed in 1862 to take over a Buenos Aires State line of 71 miles, which was opened in 1865, it has gradually extended over the Province and beyond, and now has 2,745 miles of line and is also the richest railway company in the country. The capital is about forty million sterling, and for ten years interest at the rate of 7 per cent. has been paid upon the ordinary stock. It has the great advantage over all compet.i.tors in serving nothing but rich country, and practically all its points are within 200 miles of the ports of Buenos Aires or Bahia Blanca. The policy of the Great Southern, while financially sound, has been one of remarkable enterprise, and the distant future has always been kept in view. Money has been spent lavishly with the object of obtaining all strategical points and access into promising country. At Bahia Blanca a large steel mole and grain wharf have been constructed, with the best machinery for loading and unloading, and accommodation for fourteen ocean steamers. Control has also been obtained of a dock company at La Plata, as well as an important interest in the Buenos Aires Southern Dock Company, where accommodation is provided for twenty steamers. Nothing has been left undone in the way of providing docking facilities, and the rolling stock is in excellent condition and great abundance. This is necessary for grain-carrying lines, because their goods traffic comes with a rush at one time. Congress has sanctioned the construction of additional lines of 1,176 miles, chiefly in the region of the Rios Colorado and Negro. As the irrigation schemes will make this a rich grain district, the railway may look for large traffic increases. In the future there will be strong compet.i.tion in the Province of Buenos Aires from several French and State lines, but the history of Argentine railway development has been largely the record of the absorption by a great line of its smaller compet.i.tors, and the position of the Great Southern is now so strong and its extensions have been so judiciously planned, that its continued prosperity may be confidently predicted. It works the Buenos Aires Midland and the Buenos Aires, Ensenada, and South Coast.

The Buenos Aires and Pacific Railway looms more largely in the view of the world than its neighbours, and its history presents so many features of interest that it deserves to be described in somewhat fuller detail. Although its present mileage (2,712) is very nearly as large as that of the Great Southern, it is not an old line. The Company was formed in 1882 to construct a broad-gauge line from Mercedes to Villa Mercedes, and this was soon extended to the City of Buenos Aires, which became the headquarters. This, however, was insufficient scope for the enterprising Company, and in 1904 control was obtained over the Bahia Blanca and North-Western Railway, which now has a length of 665 miles, and thus an immense step in advance was taken by securing a terminus at a town which will probably be the chief grain port in South America. Four years earlier a similar, though less important, step was taken to compete with another rival by taking over the Villa Maria and Rufino Railway. This was a short section from the town of Villa Maria between Cordoba and Rosario to Rufino on its own main line, and thus the Buenos Aires Pacific was in a position to make terms with its northern rivals. But a still more important extension than either of the above was to follow. The Argentine Great Western ran from Villa Mercedes to Mendoza, and had also branches to San Rafael, San Juan, and other small places. Thus it had a monopoly of the wine traffic, which is very valuable in itself and doubly so because it comes on at a season in the year when it does not interfere with other traffic. This line has a mileage of 500 miles, and gross receipts of about a million sterling. For a long time the Argentine Great Western stood out, but was in 1907 induced to give way on somewhat extravagant terms, and thus the enterprising Company was not far from its goal of being a real Pacific Railway. In fact, there was included in this deal an arrangement which practically a.s.sured this result, for the Great Western had already taken over the Argentine Transandine, which thus became a part of the Buenos Aires Pacific system. This is a small line of 111 miles of metre gauge, which runs from Mendoza to the Chilian frontier, where it joins the Chilian lines at Las Cuevas. Here a great tunnel has been completed under the Andes, and it will be open for traffic by the time this book is published. The magnificent system is the admiration of the whole world. The Buenos Aires and Pacific is the only line in South America which has established through communication between the Atlantic and Pacific, and up to Mendoza the line is well laid, and it carries pa.s.sengers speedily and with all possible comfort. But it has had to pay for its footing and the expense of acquiring sections, which are valuable rather as rounding off its own system and preventing encroachments by other companies, has been enormous, and it has been obliged to make repeated applications for capital in the London market. The traffic with Valparaiso, although the extension is a showy scheme, is not likely to pay for many years, and the difficulty of running trains through winter blizzards and snowdrifts will be considerable. The heavy expenditure has had a temporary effect, and the stock has experienced a heavy fall during the last few months. But the Company has placed itself in a position where it has little to fear from compet.i.tion and where it can secure the full advantages from the future development of Argentina. This railway may be considered one of the most magnificent commercial enterprises in South America.

[Ill.u.s.tration: RAILWAY STATION, BUENOS AIRES GREAT SOUTHERN RAILWAY.]

The Central Argentine is one of the most prosperous of railways. It has the largest gross receipts and makes the most profit per mile and it is also of very long standing. It began in 1864 with a line from Rosario to Cordoba and for a long time met with severe compet.i.tion from the Buenos Aires and Rosario line, which worked practically the same districts, but in 1902 an amalgamation was effected. But the Mitre Law has been unfavourable to it, and for some years the Government insisted that the two lines should continue to be worked separately, and it was only last year that their complete union was sanctioned. Rosario is the centre of the system, and here the Company owns extensive dockyards, and lines run both to Tuc.u.man and Cordoba. A port, Villa Const.i.tucion, within 32 miles of Rosario, is also being developed, but compet.i.tion is feared from Santa Fe, where very large extensions are being made, and although the Central Argentine has access to that port, a French company is in a better position for taking advantage of the facilities. In fact, the line is exposed to very severe compet.i.tion from two French companies, the Cordoba Central, the Buenos Aires Central, and the Rosario and Western, a light railway, but it is large and wealthy and should have little to fear. It has an enormous grain traffic, but it serves the older and more settled districts, and therefore cannot hope to increase its traffic in the immediate future as rapidly as some of the pioneer railways. However, it has been pointed out in another chapter that the development of the Gran Chaco and extensions into Paraguay and Brazil must ultimately vastly add to the wealth and importance of Rosario and hence to that of the Central Argentine. But this is a matter of the distant future. The Central Argentine pursues a conservative policy in finance and has for many years paid 6 per cent. on the ordinary stock.

It is in a very sound position, a most comfortable line, and the management is highly efficient. The length of line is 2,392 miles.

There are two competing lines which serve the eastern river district adjacent to Uruguay, namely, the Entre Rios and the Argentine North-Eastern. Both have a gauge of 4 feet 8 inches. The Entre Rios is a short line of only 656 miles, but it is of some importance on account of its ferry service which connects Zarate with Ibicuy on the left bank of the Parana. The railway then runs north to the important town of Parana, which is the headquarters. No dividend has yet been paid on the ordinary stock, and the c.u.mulative preference is somewhat in arrears, for the district is mainly pastoral and that part of the line which was taken over from the Provincial Government in 1891 is badly laid, but when Entre Rios becomes a large grain-producing region the prospects of the Company will improve, and already it does a good trade in supplying Buenos Aires with fruit and vegetables, while the management is economical. Of its traffic some 17 per cent. is live stock, 15 wheat, and 11 linseed.

The North-Eastern, which has 510 miles of railway, should be a.s.sured of a prosperous future, for Posadas, the northern headquarters, is now connected with Asuncion by the Paraguay Central Railway and will get much benefit from the development of that hitherto secluded country.

It is still a pioneer line running through swamps and forests and country which is to a great extent unpopulated, and the goods which it carries consist chiefly of cattle and their products. The swampy nature of the country entails considerable expense in construction, but the Company pays a strict regard to economy, and the capitalisation per mile is only 8,680. Since June 30, 1907, the working expenses have been cut down from 65.10 to 57.17 per cent. Although the prospects of this line are fair they would undoubtedly be better if an amalgamation could be effected with the Entre Rios, for the district does not yet possess sufficient traffic for two competing lines. The scheme has long been under consideration, and as the policy of amalgamation has been carried on so extensively in recent years it may be that it will eventually be accomplished.

A small railway of 167 miles, under Argentine management, should here be mentioned. It runs westward from the capital to Rojas, and there is also a very important branch of 27 miles which runs to Zarate and connects with the Entre Rios system by a train ferry. In 1906 this Company took over the Tramway Rural a Vapor from Messrs. Lacroze Bros.

The line has a gauge of 4 feet 8 inches. The Company owns valuable property in Buenos Aires and has a terminal station at the suburb of Chacarita, and it serves a profitable district and is also a link with the Argentine Mesopotamia, but it has been obliged to make heavy outlays upon the permanent way. The line was originally a light railway and therefore in indifferent condition for heavy traffic. The ordinary share capital of the Company, which is exclusively held in Argentina, has been increased to over a million sterling. There were issued also in 1907 600,000 4 per cent. First Mortgage Debentures to extend the line from Salto to Rojas. This was subscribed in London.

It is a good property.

[Ill.u.s.tration: RAILWAY CARRIAGE, BUENOS AIRES CENTRAL RAILWAY.]

Of the remaining lines the most important are a group of northern railways. The Cordoba Central Railway is metre gauge and is divided into two sections. The "Original Line" is 128 miles long and was formed in 1887 to connect Cordoba with San Francisco. The latter is an important town half-way between Cordoba and Santa Fe. Shortly afterwards the Company bought the Central Northern Railway from the Argentine Government at a cost of 3,174,603, and also spent about a million sterling on improving the line which runs from Cordoba to Tuc.u.man and has a length of 550 miles. In 1899 the purchase was effected of the North-Western Argentine Railway, a loop-line from Tuc.u.man to La Madrid, length 87 miles. The "Original Line," after leaving Cordoba, pa.s.ses through a poor and spa.r.s.ely inhabited country, and this section could be of little value but for the terminus at San Francisco. However, it is economically managed and shows a profit of 800 per mile. The longer section also, between Cordoba and Tuc.u.man, runs through a poor country, but in compensation it has the valuable sugar traffic of the latter city. Sugar forms a quarter and timber nearly two-fifths of its goods traffic. Closely connected with it is the Cordoba and Rosario Railway, which is also metre gauge and connects Rosario with Frontera on the "Original Line." There is also a branch line to Rafaela, which links up with the Central Argentine and the French lines. In 1895 the capital had to be reorganised, and there can be no doubt that it has not yet seen its best days, for it will have to wait for the development of the auxiliary lines which form the connecting links between Tuc.u.man and the capital. But in any case they have to face very severe compet.i.tion from the Argentine Central and the French lines. It is open to doubt whether the connection with Buenos Aires itself is necessary, for there are already a bewildering number of lines serving the district between Buenos Aires and Rosario, and at harvest-time there is immense congestion at the former place. In fact, the trend of commerce seems to be rather towards the diversion of bulky exports from the capital and the directing of them to Rosario and Bahia Blanca. This criticism receives point from the position of the newly opened Cordoba Central Buenos Aires Extension Railway, upon which the up-country allied lines largely depend for their success. This c.u.mbrously named Company was formed in 1905 to acquire a concession granted by Government to the Cordoba Central Railway to build a metre-gauge line of 187 miles. It runs parallel with the Central Argentine system between Buenos Aires and Rosario, and it was only recently opened. Its district is, of course, one of the very richest in the country, consisting of fine agricultural and grazing land in the zone of black soil. But, as already stated, there is strong compet.i.tion, and this not only from the other lines, but also from the river, which follows it from end to end. Now the dock of this Company at the capital will not be finished till the end of 1910, and the Company is at present renting accommodation and therefore suffering considerable inconvenience. The work of reclaiming land and dock building is being done by the Buenos Aires and Pacific, and the cost will be about a million sterling. The office of the Company also is to cost 225,000, but a large part of this will be let off.

Every large company naturally wishes to have its headquarters in Buenos Aires, but in this case the question arises as to whether the game is worth the candle. Few lines have had to pay more heavily for obtaining their extension privileges; the ordinary stock has been watered to a considerable degree and bonds of the value of three and a half million sterling have been issued. To meet the interest upon these bonds alone its profits will have to be 175,000, and thus a profit of 935 per mile is postulated. To obtain such a profit under economical management the gross receipts will have to be 389,000, or nearly 2,100 per mile, and no broad-gauge line in Argentina has yet reached this figure. In 1909 its gross receipts were only 1,613, its net 654 per mile, but as the line is only in its infancy these figures must not be taken as a criterion. However, the payment of a large dividend on the ordinary stock appears to be a remote eventuality.

[Ill.u.s.tration: VIEW OF MARSHY COUNTRY, BUENOS AIRES CENTRAL RAILWAY.]

Numerous small lines, chiefly Government or French, have been incidentally mentioned, but they do not require detailed description.[95]

No account of the railways would be complete without a reference to the important Mitre Law, which was introduced some two years ago. Some of the railway concessions were expiring, and several provincial Governments (which are not always as enlightened as the Federal) were believed to be planning increased taxation. Legislation was accordingly introduced to put matters upon a proper footing. Such companies as accept the Law are granted exception from all kinds of taxation and allowed free importation of all materials till 1947. In return the companies must pay a tax of 3 per cent. upon net receipts, which, however, will be applied by the Government in constructing and maintaining bridges and roads which give access to the lines. Certain rights of tariff revision are given to the Government, and no watered capital is recognised. The Law is most valuable to the railways, and the expenditure on roads and bridges will be highly beneficial. The effect will be to limit working expenses, for when the gross earnings for three consecutive years exceed 17 per cent. of the recognised share and debenture capital, the Government has a right to revise the tariffs. The Law has been accepted by all the English companies except the Entre Rios and the Argentine North-Eastern.

The above account will show that compet.i.tion is very severe. This tends to bring down profits, and the cost of labour and coal and materials also makes the working expenses high. The extensions of the broad-gauge companies are, it is estimated, to cost 9,000 per mile for track and stations alone. Another fact which adds to the expenses is the necessity of keeping a very large rolling stock for use during harvest-times. This must, in part, stand idle for the rest of the year, and as a corollary to this the great bulk of the traffic is to the sea, and thus many wagons have to return inland empty. Pa.s.senger traffic, again, is light, owing to the spa.r.s.e population. The Government naturally encourages compet.i.tion; but its att.i.tude has also a very favourable side, for it puts no obstacles in the way of construction, and does not attempt to bleed the companies. Of this the Mitre Law is an example. On the whole, it may be said that the great ability which has. .h.i.therto been shown in railway policy will have to be maintained at the highest point if profits and dividends are to be kept up.

On the other hand, it must be remembered that the volume of traffic steadily increases, and that wheat alone will be exported on a scale greater than anything which has yet been seen in any country in the world. The area of cultivation expands yearly, and when a more intensive scheme of tillage is adopted the yield will increase and with it the goods traffic. Pasturage is being driven further afield by the husbandmen, and as more farmers settle within the railway area the import trade will expand in sympathy with their growing wants and purchasing power. There is no reason to doubt that the railways will continue to share in the increasing prosperity of the country, and will be enabled to take advantage of the vast scope for development both north and south.

Manufacturers in Argentina are heavily protected, but they have as yet made no great progress. Writers who deal with the business side of Argentine life usually treat them in a very cursory manner and devote themselves to the vast pastoral and agricultural production and other characteristic industries, but the question of manufactures is worth consideration, for it is a sign of the times that every nation is anxious to supply itself with home-made goods and is straining every nerve to encourage home production. A large proportion, indeed, of the Argentine factories are merely auxiliary to the production of raw material, being creameries, b.u.t.ter factories, freezing establishments, cheese-making factories, and the like.

Brewing and distilling are both important, and there are said to be 130 distilleries and 32 breweries in Argentina. The sugar factories of Tuc.u.man turn out a great quant.i.ty of rum. As sugar-planting is being successfully pursued in the Territories of Misiones, Chaco, and Formosa, the manufacture of that article is naturally increasing. The cost of planting one hectare with cane is about 10. It was estimated that the Republic produced about 120,000 tons of sugar annually, and this amount is not quite sufficient for domestic needs, but when the Gran Chaco is opened up there can be no doubt that not only will enough be produced to supply the increasing population but that there will also be a large export.

In 1907 there were 303 flour-mills turning out 699,000 tons of flour.

There are also 77 tobacco factories producing an output valued at about 2 millions sterling. All kinds of textiles are produced, but there are only two cotton-spinning mills and 62 weaving factories.

There are also numbers of miscellaneous industries, the most important of which perhaps are paper, matches, gla.s.s-ware, tanning, clothing, and building material. In general the factories are fitted up with the very best English machinery, and there is a determination to leave nothing undone to secure success. That they will continue to prosper cannot be doubted, for they have still a much larger home market than they are capable of supplying. A considerable number of the manufacturing industries, notably the sugar factories of Tuc.u.man, are in English hands, and an enterprising Scotch firm has forsaken the United Kingdom and is engaged in manufacturing cheap shoes of imported hemp, which are exported largely to j.a.pan. The high tariff wall is a luxury much appreciated by manufacturers, but not to-day or to-morrow will Argentina compete with Manchester or Bradford in the world's markets. Want of coal is a capital hindrance, and that very protection which confers local prosperity helps to make the establishment and upkeep of factories very costly. In this respect Argentina is but a beginner, and no one can say what her manufacturing future will be.

FOOTNOTES:

[92] Valuable articles appeared on this subject in the Economist, beginning No. 3,457, November 30, 1909.

[93] The following figures show the progress of railway construction:--

1866 73 miles 1874 150 "

1884 2,290 "

1890 5,745 "

1899 10,285 "

1908 15,476 "

In 1909 the railways carried 50,810,000 pa.s.sengers. The gross receipts were about 20,715,000, the net profits about 8,200,000.

[94] The following are the princ.i.p.al lines:--

Argentine Great Western.

Argentine North-Eastern.

Bahia Blanca and North-Western.

Buenos Aires Central.

Buenos Aires Great Southern.

Buenos Aires Midland.

Buenos Aires and Pacific.

Buenos Aires and Rosario.

Buenos Aires Western.

Central Argentine.

Cordoba Central.

Cordoba Central Buenos Aires Extension.

Cordoba and Rosario.

Entre Rios.

Villa Maria and Rufino.

The above are mainly English. There are several smaller private lines and several belonging to Government, while there is an important French line--the Province of Santa Fe Railway. As will be pointed out, several of the above have been practically amalgamated with larger lines.