Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/727

 PRODUCTION AND INDUSTRY — COMMERCE, SHIPPING 605

to serve two years. There is a corps of coast artillery of 450 men, a naval school, a school of mechanics, a school for artillery, and a school for torpedo practice.

Production and Industry.

Argentina has an area of about 728,680,000 acres, of which about 253,195,000 acres may be used for agricultural or cattle industries, the remainderbeing mountain, lake, river, or arid regions. Of the cultivable portion, about 10,000,000 acres require irrigation. In the territories the Federal Government has wide tracts of land amounting to 237,768,000 acres suitable in general for pastoral colonisation, and these lands are conditionally oHeied free, or for sale or on lease.

The total area under cultivation in 1912 was 54,709,222 acres, of which 14,684,782 were under wheat, 3,169,595 under flax, and 1,659,495 under oats. The estimates for 1912-13 are as follows: wheat, 16,976,000 acres ; oats, 2,941,000 acres ; and flax, 4,312,000 acres. In 1911, 3,974,520 metric tons of wheat were produced, and 2,285,951 tons exported; 595,252 tons of flax produced, and 415,805 tons exported ; and 685,542 tons of oats produced, and 511,389 tons exported. Cotton, sugar, Avine, and tobacco are growu-

lu 1911 the number of animals within the Republic was estimated at : cattle, 29,116,625 ; horses, 7,531,376 ; mules, 465,037 ; asses, 285,088 ; sheep, 67,211,754 ; goats, 3,945,754; pigs, 1,403,591. Of the cattle about four- fifths are in five central and riverine provinces. Buenos Aires contains over 70 per cent, of the sheep within the Republic. Many })edigree cattle and sheep have been imported. In 1910 there were eight freezing establishments. 545 creameries, 18 butter factories. 111 cheese-making establishments, and 37 mixed factories. In 1910 there were 330 flour mills at work, their output amounting to 684,672 tons of flour. There are two cotton spinning mills and 62 weaving establishments. In the provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, and Entre Rios, agricultural lands to the extent of 463,000 acres have been acquired by the Jewish Colonisation Association. Of this land 158,000 acres are under cultivation.

In 1910 there were 31,988 factories in Argentina, employing a total of 329,490 persons. The total capital was 727,591,135 dollars, and the output 1,227,549,196 dollars.

According to official statistics, there were 887 strikes in Argentina from January 1, 1907, to December 31, 1911. The total strikers numbered 232,138, with an average of 248 workmen to each strike. During 1911 there were 102 strikes, 7 (6-9 per cent.) resulting favorably to strikers, 3 (2-9 per cent.) partly favorable, and 89 strikes (87-2 per cent.) negatively.

Gold, silver, and copper are worked in Catamarca, and gold and copper in San Juan and Rioja. Other minerals found are galena,, argentiferous lead, iron, bismuth, borate of lime, salt. Coal and petroleum are found in Mendoza, Jujuy, and Comadoro Revadavia, and the former is now being Avorked. There are no Government statistics as to mineral output. In 1910, 296 tons of bar copper and 2,116 tons of copper ore, and 795 tons of wolfram ore were exported.

Commerce, Shipping-.

Official values in pounds sterling (5 dollars = IZ.), exclusive of coin and bullion : —

_ lOOS ! 1909 1910 I 1911 1912

Imports. . . . ' 54,594,047 ' 00,551,219 ! 70. 534,195 1 73,176,723 76,208,607 Exports. . . . ' 73,201,068 79,470,105 70,312,172 1 64,422,498 95,126,981