Argentina from a British Point of View, and Notes on Argentine Life — John Shaqi
Argentina from a British Point of View, and Notes on Argentine Life
History
Argentina from a British Point of View, and Notes on Argentine Life
Argentina -- Description and travel; Argentina -- Economic conditions; Argentina -- Social life and customs
When one goes to a foreign country, and more especially when he intends
to settle there with the idea of making a fortune, he naturally turns
his attention to the value of the land, as from this he draws his views
of the prosperity of the country. Now, twenty-five years ago the
Argentine had comparatively very few railways; consequently, the lands
at any long distance from Buenos Aires (the capital) were at a very low
value. The province of Buenos Aires, the largest in the country, has
always been the most populated, and its lands have always commanded the
highest prices, and these have risen tremendously, but not so much of
late years in proportion as land in the northern provinces. During the
years 1885, 1886, 1887, and 1888, there was a great boom in land.
Foreigners were pouring in, bringing capital; great confidence was put
by foreign capitalists in the country, several railways had run out new
branches, new railways were built, new banks were opened, and a very
large extent of land was opened up and cultivated, and put under wheat
and linseed, harvests were good and money was flowing into the country.
Then came a very bad year, 1889; the harvest was practically lost owing
to the heavy and continuous rains which fell from December till July
with hardly a clear day. This, together with a bad government and the
revolution of 1890, created a great panic and a tremendous slump in all
land, from which it took a long time to recover. Where people had bought
camps and mortgaged them, which was the general thing to do in those
days, the mortgagees foreclosed, and, when the camps were auctioned
off, they did not fetch half what the properties had been bought for in
the first instance, some four or five years previously. This, naturally,
had a serious effect on the credit, soundness, and finances of the
country, but really, the crisis was not felt until some three or four
years after, and it was 1896 and 1897 which were very serious years for
the country.
To give one an idea of the value of land in four or five of the
principal provinces of the country, I must begin with the Queen
Province, as it is called, viz., Buenos Aires. In 1885, property in the
city centre was worth 2s. 6d. to 3s. 6d. a yard, whereas to-day it has
been sold up to £200 sterling per yard, while suburban lots of 20 yards
by 60 yards realised £5 and to-day are fetching £150, and camp lands
have risen from £10,000, to £100,000 the square league. Of course this
is within a radius of 30 to 50 leagues of the city; lands away to the
south and west may yet be bought at £10,000, and, still further south
towards Neuquen and the far Pampa, at £2,000 per square league. The
province of Buenos Aires is not considered good for alfalfa growing, but
has good natural grass camps.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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