014
ARGENTINE
Religion.—The Argentine constitution recognizes tlie Roman Catholic religion as that of the state, but tolerates all other religions. The state pays the clergy, builds churches, &c., controls all ecclesiastical appointments, and decides on the passing or rejection of all decrees of the Holy See. In 1895 there were 1019 Catholic churches, or one for every 4000 inhabitants. There were also sixty-eight Protestant churches, three masonic halls, one Spiritualists’ church, and one Russian Orthodox church. Of the Protestant churches twenty-five are in the territory of Chubut, which was largely colonized from Wales. In 1895 the population was divided as follows, according to religion :— Total Foreign. Argentine. 3,921,136 976,739 2,944,397 Catholics 26,755 21,158 5,597 Protestants 6,085 5,890 195 Jews 935 745 190 Others . Total
2,950,379
1,004,532 I 3,954,911
From this it appears that 991 per 1000 are Catholics, 7 per 1000 are Protestants, and 2 per 1000 are Jews, the Jews being entirely of Russian origin, sent into the republic since 1891 by the Jewish Colonization Association. Education.—The number of schools and colleges in 1899 was 3884, and of professors and teachers 11,001. The number of pupils under instruction was 280,930. Of these 192,060 attended elementary schools, 66,399 private establishments, 13,313 normal schools, and the remainder the higher educational course at the universities and at the various national advanced colleges. The national colleges are sixteen in number, and there are normal schools, a school of mines, a college of agriculture, two military schools (one with 125 cadets, the other for the instruction of noncommissioned officers), and three naval schools (one for officers and two for artificers and mechanics). The national universities are at Buenos Ayres and Cordova, and provincial universities are at La Plata, Santa Fe, and Parana. The total number under instruction represents only 7 per cent, of the population, as compared with 23 per cent, in the United States and 20‘3 per cent, in the United Kingdom. The cost of education to the state in 1899 was extremely heavy, no less a sum than £1,000,000 being devoted nominally to that purpose, an average of nearly £5 for each pupil attending the public educational institutions. The Army.—The regular army, at the beginning of 1899, consisted of 1463 officers and 12,867 non-commissioned officers and men. In the ranks were then serving 2157 recruits of twenty years of age, drawn under the conscription law in connexion with the liability of Argentine citizens to be called upon for military service. The army comprised one regiment of engineers, two of mountain artillery, six of light artillery, twelve of infantry, eleven of cavalry, and two of Andean sharpshooters. There is also the president’s escort. On 31st December 1898 the number of men enrolled in the National Guard, including the entire male population between the ages of eighteen and forty-five years, with certain exceptions, was 233,945 on the list for active service, 90,924 on the reserve list, and 13,780 on the territorial list; 5323 men liable to service were excused on special grounds. The total number of men the Government can call to arms to assist the regular troops is, therefore, 343,972. Under Law No. 3318 all youths of the age of twenty years are required to undergo a regular training and to serve two years in the army, if necessary. In 1898 the number of youths coming under this category was 34,000 ; but of these only 12,000 underwent the authorized instruction of sixty days with the colours, the remainder not being called out from motives ot economy. The main body of the National Guard is paraded and drilled on all holidays and Sundays, attendance being compulsory for two months in every year until a citizen is twenty-five years of age. The number of horses in service in 1899 was 14,432, and of mules 4169. The artillery armament is from Krupp. The Navy.—A marked development has taken place in the navy since 1874, when the Government ordered from British shipbuilders two ironclads, four monitors, and two gunboats. In 1881 the Almirante Brown was purchased in England, and in 1886 the Patagonia and Argentina were added to the list. In 1892 the Independencia and Libertad were acquired, then the cruiser 25 deMayo, and the 9 de Julio. The fear of war with Chile induced the purchase of the Buenos Ayres in 1896, of the Garibaldi in 1897, and of the San Martin, Puerryedon, and General Belgrano in 1898. A torpedo division was also created with four first-class sea-going torpedo boats, two torpedo gunboats, and twenty-one torpedo boats. At La Plata there is a dock for the use of the torpedo division, and on the river Tigre a slip and workshops for repairs have been erected. A school-ship, the Sarmiento, has also been added to the navy list. The officers on the list in 1899 numbered 640 of all ranks and classes, and the petty officers and seamen 5105. A naval port is being constructed at Belgrano, some 27
REPUBLIC [statistics miles from Bahia Blanca, for the use of the men-of-war, and there will be sufficient draught of water at this port to admit the docking of vessels up to 12,000 tons. The estimated cost of the construction of the new port exceeds £1,000,000. The machine guns and rifles now in use in the navy are all of the most recent pattern. Finance.—The revenue of the republic is derived mainly from customs and excise, and the largest branch of expenditure is the service of the debt. In 1878 the revenue amounted to the equivalent of £3,680,000; in 1881, to £4,260,000, the expenditure in the latter year reaching the amount of £5,67 0,000. The following table shows approximately the revenue and expenditure in 1893 and onwards, conversions being made at the rate of $5.04 to £1 for gold, and at the average rate of each year for paper. These average rates are shown in the last column of the table. For the years 1900 and 1901 the budget estimates are given :— Paper Dollars Expenditure. to £1. £ £ 16.32 7,592,880 8,493,220 1893 17.85 6,995,940 6,973,760 1894 17.50 7,555,450 9,479,310 1895 14.86 8,677,140 12,034,200 1896 14.61 10,223,040 12,187,530 1897 12.95 18,672,568 24,044,245 1898 11.29 14,503,140 15,325,230 1899 11.36 12,859,000 12,996,100 1900 11.36 13,078,000 12,975,000 1901 The abnormal increase of revenue and expenditure in 1898 and 1899 was due to the warlike preparations made on account of the boundary disagreement with Chile. In 1900 a 10 per cent, additional tax, which had been imposed on imports, was abolished to the extent of one-half, the remaining half being made applicable to the formation of a fund for the conversion of the paper money. The debt of the republic in 1889 amounted to about £24,000,000, and in the following year financial difficulties arose. In 1891 a funding loan, limited to £7,630,680, was issued, and the proceeds wTere applied to the service of external loans and obligations. In 1893 the Romero arrangement was made between the National Government and the bondholders for the suspension of amortization and the temporary reduction of interest. The payment of full interest was resumed in 1898. In the years 1896-99 the issue of railway guarantee rescission bonds amounting to £11,607,100 was authorized for the purpose of settling railway guarantees in arrears ; and in 1897-1900 the issue of bonds amounting to £20,284,600 was authorized, that arrangements might be made between the provinces and municipalities and their creditors. A considerable amount of the public debt arose from national mortgage bank cedulas, for which the Government had made itself responsible. In the year 1900 the outstanding and authorized debt of the republic was as follows :— £ External debt— 45,738,708 Original national loans . 31,891,657 Assumed provincial, &c. 9,945,143 National cedulas . Total external. . . . 87,575,508 Internal debt— $6,375,000 gold 1 9,896,384 98,751,300 paper j • • • • Floating debt, &c.— $23,852,751 gold 5,564,000 9,012,804 paper ]"•••• 25,600,000 Paper currency, $291,326,263 . The total obligations of the nation—external, internal, floating, and currency—thus amount to over £128,000,000. According to an estimate given in the twenty-seventh annual report of the Foreign Bondholders’ Council the cost of the service of the whole debt (exclusive of expenses) in 1900 amounted to £6,301,419. The paper currency forms an important part of the internal debt. By the emission of vast sums of paper money President Celman entered on the course which led to the financial ruin of Argentina, and by further emissions, in reality neither more nor less than forced loans, subsequent presidents hastened the collapse. The assumption by the National Government of the provincial external indebtedness was only an act of justice. These provincial loans were contracted under the law of 3rd November 1887, an Act more commonly known as the Free Banking Law. The various provinces made loans abroad to the amount of £27,000,000, and deposited the specie with the National Government through the Caisse de Conversion, the gold to remain intact as security for the value of the notes issued by the provincial banks. In return for the gold deposited in the Caisse de Conversion the provinces were entitled to receive internal gold bonds bearing 44 per cent.
