RAILWAYS, PORTS AND IMMIGRATION
RAILWAYS
It is often said that the foreign, mostly British, railway community on
the River Plate constitutes an _Imperium in Imperio_.
There is no denying the great influence of that community, but that
influence has been rendered inevitable and is wholly justified by the
very large amount of capital which the railway companies have at stake
in these countries; amounting in Argentina to some £200,000,000 and in
Uruguay some £12,000,000, making a total of some 212 millions sterling.
Of this total a very large proportion in Argentina and the whole in
Uruguay is British.
The total length of railway lines in Argentina is close on 21,000 miles,
and in Uruguay close on 1050 miles.
The predominant gauge in Argentina is that in use by the four “great”
railway companies of that country, viz. the Buenos Aires Western, the
Central Argentine, the Buenos Aires Great Southern and the Buenos Aires
Pacific, that is to say, the broad, 5 feet 6 inches, while in Uruguay the
great railway company of that country, the Central Uruguay of Montevideo,
and its subsidiary companies use the Standard Gauge, 4 feet 8½ inches.
[Illustration: TRANSPORTER BRIDGE, PORT OF BUENOS AIRES]
Until 1909 each of the Argentine railway companies was (as the Uruguayan
still are) controlled by the terms of its particular concession or
concessions. In that year, however, a Law was passed, usually called
the “Mitre Law,” after its initiator, the late Señor Emilio Mitre (an
eminent Argentine statesman and son of the famous General Mitre, perhaps
Argentina’s greatest President and Historian), by which all then existing
companies agreeing to be bound by its provisions should be exempt from
all National, Provincial and Municipal taxation and Import Duties on
material until the year 1947; they, on their part, to pay to the National
Government a single tax of 3% on their net earnings, the amount of such
earnings to be ascertained by deducting 10% (for working expenses) from
their gross receipts.
Only one Company was then enjoying even more favourable terms under
its original concession than those given by the Mitre Law; but as that
concession was approaching the time of its expiration it would have been
ill-judged on the part of the Company to have shown itself recalcitrant
to the evident wishes of the Argentine Government.
Therefore it exercised its option in favour of the Mitre Law, as did all
the other Companies.
Though the Argentine and Uruguayan Railway Companies rely for their
usually very handsome profits much more on haulage of Cereals and Live
Stock than on their passenger traffic, it must not be supposed that
the latter is in any way neglected by them. Quite the contrary is the
case. Possibly nowhere else in the world (except, perhaps, in Russia)
is railway travelling as comfortable as on the River Plate, either as
regards day or night accommodation or catering, the latter at moderate
prices. All is roomy, well arranged and extremely comfortable; but the
_trains de luxe_ of the River Plate are those which the Buenos Aires
Great Southern Company runs to and from Mar-del-Plata in the season,
with Pullman Drawing-room and Dining Cars. The permanent way is good
and the running smooth over almost the whole of the two Republics.
Trains going to the hotter regions are provided with baths.
Besides British, considerable French and Belgian capital is invested in
Argentine railways. The “Province of Santa Fé” and the “Province of
Buenos Aires” railways are controlled by French Companies.
Incidentally it may be mentioned that in recent years most of the shares
of the “Anglo-Argentine” Tramways Company (which owns the principal
tramway system of the Capital) had found their way to Belgium.
A short while ago a United States Syndicate, deemed powerful and feared
as menacing a monopoly, obtained control of some of the River Plate
lines, notably those of the Central Córdoba, Santa Fé and Entre Rios
Companies, under certain arrangements. This Syndicate has since, however,
been unable to command the capital necessary to fulfil its part of those
arrangements, and, practically, the control of the lines has now reverted
to the original Companies, the first and last named of which are British.
The Argentine National Government has during the past few years built and
has under construction several lines intended to develop districts which
as yet do not offer sufficient temptation to private Companies.
No fresh construction has been begun in either country since the outbreak
of the War, the Government and various Companies confining themselves
only to such construction work as is absolutely necessary for the
completion of extensions already commenced.
Railway construction in these countries does not usually offer any great
difficulties. The triumphs of River Plate railway engineering were the
line of the Buenos Aires Pacific Railway up and through the Andes and
some parts of the lines of the Entre Rios Railway Company in parts of
that Province in which for long it seemed impossible to discover a route
amid the marshy or spongy soil. Another such triumph will probably occur
when the Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway penetrates the Andes, as
it no doubt will do one day, much further south than the Buenos Aires
Pacific line.
PORTS
The River Plate Republics are very accessible to foreign Commerce;
possessing Atlantic Coasts, the River Plate and its two great navigable
tributaries, the Uruguay and the Paraná.
The Port of Buenos Aires ranks seventh among the ports of the world in
respect of the value of merchandise which enters and leaves it, and
second in America, that is to say, coming immediately after New York.
The next most important Argentine ports are those of Rosario, Bahia
Blanca and La Plata; after which come Santa Fé, San Nicholás, Campana and
Zárate, and many others on the Paraná and Rio Gallegos, Puerto Madryn,
San Antonio and others on the South Atlantic. A new Port is in course of
construction at Mar-del-Plata.
Montevideo only ranks in point of cargo values just before Bahia Blanca;
that is to say, with some £15,000,000 as against the £115,500,000 trade
of the Port of Buenos Aires.[22] Uruguay is, however, preparing in this
regard for her further development by large new port works which have
been under construction for some years past. On the Uruguay she has Fray
Bentos, Paysandú (both largely concerned with meat extract and preserved
meats export), Salto and Santa Rosa; and on the River Plate, besides
Montevideo, Colonia and Maldonado; besides several relatively unimportant
ports having as yet but scanty or no effective accommodation for vessels.
This could also have been said of many of Argentina’s minor ports not so
very long ago. Port accommodation in Uruguay will follow the increase and
demands of her export produce and the requirements of her consequently
enhanced prosperity.
IMMIGRATION
As has been noticed under the heading “Racial Elements,” most of the
immigration to the River Plate has hitherto passed Montevideo and landed
at Buenos Aires. Over 300,000 immigrants landed in Argentina in 1913;
composed chiefly, and in point of numerical importance, in the following
order, of Spaniards, Italians, “Turcos” (Syrians or Levantines), Russians
(mostly Jewish), French, Germans, Austrians, Portuguese and British.
British arrivals on the River Plate consist chiefly of the salaried
classes; who, not being classed as immigrants, do not appear on the
Government returns from which the above figures are taken. The only other
noteworthy point about Argentine immigration is that now the Spanish
element largely predominates instead of, as formerly, the Italian.
[Illustration: GRAIN ELEVATORS: MADERO DOCK, BUENOS AIRES]