Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/702

 Immigrants

Emigrants

52,067

26,055

54,720

20,586

61,226

20,398

102,673

20,415

72,978

31,192

346 ARGENTINE REPUBLIC

no census was taken, 60,000 ; of Argentines abroad, 50,000 ; grand total, 4,094,911. The increase of population 1869-95 has been at the rate of 4"6 per cent, per annunj.

By a treaty concluded between the Argentine Republic and Chile in 1881 the latter recognises the right of the former to all the country east of the crest of the eastern ridge of the Andes, including all Patagonia and the eastern part of Tierra del Fuego. Commissioners are now at work delineating the boundary. Disputes have arisen and the Government of Queen Victoria has agreed to act as arbitrator, but the Commissioners have not yet been able to agree as to the question to be submitted to arbitration. Commissioners are also at work on the boundary along the Bolivian frontier.

The capital of the Republic, Buenos Ayres, had a population of 753,000 in August, 1898. Other towns, with populations for 1895, are Cordoba, 47,609; Rosario, 94,025 ; Tucuman, 34,300; Mendoza, 28,709; Parana, 24,261; Salta, 16,600; Comentes, 16,129 inhabitants ; La Plata, the new capital of the province of Buenos Ayres (founded 1884), 45,410; Santa Fe, 24,755 ; San Luis, 9,826 ; San Juan, 10,410.

The immigration and emigration by sea have been as follows in five years : —

Years 1893 1894 1895

1896 ,

1897 . ,

In 1897 the immigrants comprised 38,745 Italians, 13,059 Spaniards, 7,813 French, and 1,876 Germans. Of the total, 21,431 were females.

In the twenty-live years 1873-1897, the total arrivals of immigrants numbered 2,063,232.

In 1895 the number of foreigners in the Republic was 886,895, of whom 492,636 were Italians, 198,685 Spaniards, 94,098 French, 21,788 English, 14,789 Swiss, 17,143 Germans, 2,269 Portuguese, 12,803 Austrians, and 32,184 of various nationalities. By the Constitution of the Republic, all children of foreigners born in the country are Argentine.

Eeligion and Instruction.

Although the Constitution recognises the Roman Catholic religion as that of the State, all other creeds are tolerated. There are 1 archbishop and 5 suti'ragan bishops. For the instruction of the clergy there are 5 seminaries. In 1888 civil marriage was established in the Republic.

Primary education is free, secular and compulsory for children from 6 to 14 years of age. In the capital and the 9 tenitories it is under the charge of a national council of education, assisted by local school councils ; and in the 14 provinces under their resjtective governments. The elementary schools are supported in the capital anil each province by the taxes established in their Education Acts, aided by large subsidies from the general Government. The sums contributed by the general Government and the 14 provinces to the support of the elementary education in the Republic amount to over 10,000,000 dollars. In 1896 there were 2,681 public, 1,034 private, and 34 national primary schools, with, in all, 8,557 teachers and 264,294 pupils. Secondary or preparatory education is controlled by the general Government, which maintains 16 lyceums (one in each province and the capital)^ with 450