ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. 



EXPENDITURE. 



Ministry of the Interior $4,987,795 



Foreign Affairs 238,760 



Finance 12,066,557 



" Justice, Public Worship, Public In- 

 struction, etc. 2,756.264 



War and the Navy 6,598,387 



Total ordinary expenditure $26,592,713 



To which is to be added : 



Expenditure extraordinary .... $1,562,529 



Grand total $28,155,242 



On the subject of the national finances it 

 would be superfluous to add any comments to 

 the remarks contained in President Roca's 

 message (see page 26). To the same message, 

 and to page 28 of our volume for 1881, we would 

 refer for details relating to the national debt. 



By the terms of a law, promulgated in 1881, 

 the duties on exports and imports were in- 

 creased one per cent. 



The values, sources, and destinations, re- 

 spectively, of the exports and imports for the 

 year 1881, are exhibited in the following table : 



If to this last amount be added $6,351,048, 

 the value of exports in transitu, the total value 

 of the foreign commerce of the republic will 

 be raised to $116,449,801, against $100,563,- 

 000 for the year immediately preceding. But 

 this increase of $15,886,801 is merely appar- 

 ent, since the value of the exports in transitu 

 for 1880 was not included in the official re- 

 turns for that year. 



On viewing the foregoing tables of exports 

 and imports, it is observed that the total value 

 of the trade of the United States with the Ar- 

 gentine Republic is but a little over $8,000,- 

 000, against $80,000,000 approximately repre- 

 senting the value of the Argentine commerce 

 controlled by European countries. Frequent 

 reference has been made in these volumes to 

 this unfavorable state of things, with explana- 

 tion of the circumstances to which it is due. 

 As the subject is one of paramount interest to 

 the commerce of the United States, it is deemed 

 advisable to insert here the following remarks 

 on " European vs. American Trade Methods in 

 Destinations. EXPORTS. values. the Argentine Republic," contained in a report 



Belgium .' $13,644,951 transmitted by United States Consul Baker to 



gj irreiii the Department of State at Washington : 



France' 16'il7'l32 Those nations will secure the largest share (of trade) 



Germany ...... '. '. ........ '. '. '. '. . '. . . . . . . . . . . . . . '. . s'875^684 'which offer the speediest and easiest facilities for ef- 



Great Britain 3,763,952 fecting exchanges ; that is, for transporting cargoes, 



Holland 8,936 disposing of them promptly, and remitting the pro- 



ceeds. This is the cause of the commanding position, 

 with reference to the commerce of the Argentine Ee- 



1 228s41 P u Wic, which the great maritime nations of Europe 



United States ... 8,'924!s77 enjoy to-day. Having products to sell and products 



Uruguay '........... ....'.'.".'.". '. '. '. . '.".'. l',936,023 to buy, they have labored to make such traffic easy 



West Indies 985,384 and certain. By gradual but sure methods they 



South Africa 150,807 have laid the foundations for a fixed and permanent 



trade - The y have arranged, as we may say, the tools 

 and i n8trument s by which thev can handle the largest 



Total $56 069 104 commerce with certainty and dispatch, and at the 



same time with profit to all through whose hands it 



From IMPORTS. values. passes. This really has been of more concern to them 



Belgium $8,338,550 than idle panegyrics on the excellence or superiority 



oli Y ia Jo'l^f f w ^at tne 7 k a< * to se ^ '> * or tnev ar g ue <l, and argued 



J 11 22805 correctly, that if the people of another nation have a 



France 9948\67 demand for any particular article of merchandise or 



Germany'.'.. .... 8,413J71 manufacture, they will buy it even though its qual- 



Great Britain .' . . . .' .' .' .' .' .' .' .' .' .' .' .' .' ...... ......... 15,517,979 ity may be inferior where they; can procure it with 



Holland 450,508 the greatest ease and receive it in the quickest time. 



Italy 2,726,177 The methods emploved by them thus to secure the 



PortSSf 9 42'o<S trade of tte Ar g entme -Republic have not been secret 



Spain^* 1 8315051 or concealed, but are patent to us and to all the world, 



United States' ..! 4,'l30,'421 and may be stated in a word. They are 



Uruguay ....'....'.'.*.. \'.\.\\' '*........ \\\\\ 8',16ll559 1. Eegular steam communication with the Argen- 



West Indies 85,862 tine Eepublic, where by the receipt of merchandise 



Other countries 4,175,251 can be counted on to a day. This means of inter- 



In transitu 15,078 communication is now so extended that there is hardly 



T . fal KI nao fi , Q a day in the week that a steamer from some European 



tal ; $54,029,649 rt J does not ^^ i? tne Eiver p ]ate> The En | lish 



The values of the dutiable and of the free nave six or seven different lines; the French have 



commodities for the year above referred to three ; the Germans have foiir; the Italians have 



werft as f nllowc, rpanApH VA! v three ? tlie Belgians have two ; the Spaniards have one ; 



[lows, respectively. and the p^ have one? and there ig not a gingl( ; 



IMPORTS. maritime port of importance on the coast of Europe, 



Dutiable $53,022,774 or in the Mediterranean, but is connected by regular 



Duty free 1,006,875 steamers with Montevideo and Buenos Ay res. The 



Tntoi mr> u rv>o <MO stimulus and impetus which these constantly arriving 



import8 $54,029,649 &nd constantly ^^1 steamships give to trade i! 



EXPORTS. incalculable, and it is all directed to Europe. Sailing- 



'"J 1 *, e * 5 !H 2 ?-rH vessels are no longer employed, except for the heaviest 



)uty free 5 - 846 ' 893 freights, such as coal, br lumber, or salt, or wines. 



Total exports " 56069,104 Everything in the hardware, grocery, or dry-goods 



line, intended for the Buenos Ayres market, comes 



Grand totai $110,098,753 here by steamer ; and the merchant who gives the 



