TRELEW AND THE WELSH 37 



in Patagonia and made a market for their products, they 

 began to prosper. Then in 1900 without warning the rains 

 fell in the Andes some 600 to 700 miles to the south- 

 west. Lakes Musters and Colhue-Huapi overflowed and 

 a flood came down, filling the whole valley, and destroying 

 most of their previous work. That and a previous drought 

 pretty well discouraged all the settlers; so when they 

 appealed to the Federal Government for help, the duties 

 on all imports into Patagonia were remitted, and these 

 ports still (after ten years) were free ports. The help was 

 effective, and prosperity is today greater than in the pre- 

 fiood days. 



In the Spanish stores in this country the custom in 

 trading is still to have no marks on goods. The storekeeper 

 asks a price, the customer makes an offer, and the purchase 

 after a proper amount of dickering is made at an inter- 

 mediate price. The result is, varying prices to different 

 men, according to the skill of the traders. These methods 

 did not appeal to the Welsh, and very shortly after arriving, 

 they formed the Chubut Mercantile Company to buy 

 supplies in England and sell to themselves. This was 

 organized as a cooperative concern which they claim is 

 the oldest one still doing business. It is over forty years 

 old and now at the height of its prosperity. The original 

 stock sold for $5 a share, and these same shares are now 

 worth $60. The managers are salaried, the prices are 

 fixed on a percentage-over-cost basis and clearly marked 

 on the goods. Members and non-members buy at the 

 same price; but a record of all sales to members is kept, and 

 at the end of the year the profits are figured up and a 

 dividend is declared on both the face value of the shares 

 and on the purchases at the same rate. This dividend has 

 for years been between twelve and twenty per cent. The 

 parent store was so successful that thei'e are branch stores 

 all through Chubut, and not only the Welsh, but the Ger- 

 mans, Scotch, and Spanish are also shareholders. The 



