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www.it-ebooks.info
PHP Application Development with
NetBeans Beginner's Guide

Boost your PHP development skills with this step-by-step

practical guide

M A Hossain Tonu

BIRMINGHAM - MUMBAI

www.it-ebooks.info
PHP Application Development with NetBeans
Beginner's Guide

Copyright © 2012 Packt Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the
publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the
information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without
warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers
and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or
indirectly by this book.

Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the
companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However,
Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

First published: August 2012

Production Reference: 1210812

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

Livery Place
35 Livery Street
Birmingham B3 2PB, UK.

ISBN 978-1-84951-580-1

www.packtpub.com

Cover Image by Karl Moore (karl.moore@ukonline.co.uk)

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 Credits

Author Copy Editor

M A Hossain Tonu Insiya Morbiwala

Reviewers Project Coordinator

Tomáš Myšík Sai Gamare
Deepak Hindurao Patil
Azizur Rahman Proofreader
Bernadette Watkins
Anthony Reid
Kaiser Ahmed
Indexer
Mushfiq-E Mahabub
Hemangini Bari

Acquisition Editor
Production Coordinator
Kartikey Pandey
Arvindkumar Gupta

Lead Technical Editor

Cover Work
Dayan Hyames
Arvindkumar Gupta

Technical Editor
Lubna Shaikh

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 About the Author

M A Hossain Tonu graduated in Computer Science and Engineering from Dhaka University
of Engineering and Technology (DUET) in Bangladesh. He has been a passionate developer
over the past six years, has worked for leading software companies in the country, such as
Somewherein and Improsys, and has developed a series of web applications, services, and
solutions for foreign clients as part of the offshore software development and outsourcing
team. He is an agile software craftsman, who loves to code, keep himself updated with
cutting-edge technologies, and play with PHP, Zend Framework, Ruby-on-Rails, JavaScript,
and more. He loves to moderate the local PHP community—phpXperts—and conducts
seminars and workshops at different tech premises.

You can reach Tonu at mahtonu@gmail.com, and his tech blog is available at
http://mahtonu.wordpress.com.

It takes many people to create a book like this, and I'd like to thank some
people for their contributions to this work.

First of all, I would like to thank my wife Shamima Rahman Jhumur

for her tremendous patience when I was unavailable to her. I appreciate
my family, friends, and well-wishers, who continuously tolerate my
computer madness.

To the people at Packt, I am much obliged: Kartikey Pandey, the man

who started the process; Dayan Hyames, for guiding me throughout;
Alka Nayak, the kind soul accepting my delays; and Lubna Shaikh,
for being such a great help.

I'd also like to thank those who provided prepublication feedback, such as
Ondřej Nešpor, Tomáš Myšík and Nurul Ferdous.

Lastly, I would like to dedicate this book to Hasin Hayder, the PHP mentor.

www.it-ebooks.info
 About the Reviewers

Tomáš Myšík is a Java Software Developer working on NetBeans, on its PHP support. He
used to be a Java Enterprise, and PHP developer working on modern websites. In his leisure
time, he likes sports (especially football and ice-hockey), reading books, and of course,
learning all new things related to software development.

Deepak Patil is a Software Architect, Mobile Web Enthusiast, and Instructor of

Standards-Based Mobile Web Development.

His initial responsibilities included the architecture, design, development, implementation,

and support of web applications, especially into the LAMP stack.

He has eight years of experience in the Internet industry, and specializes in LAMP
technologies and open source. He has experience in all areas of application development
processes, including database design, user interface, e-commerce, security, web services,
optimization, and scalability.

He is the Tech Lead at @netCore Solutions; is an Open Source Entrepreneur, and loves all
things social, mobile, cricket, and soccer; and is a proud Indian.

Deepak holds a Masters degree in Computer Applications (2004) from Shivaji University,
Kolhapur in Maharashtra, India.

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Azizur Rahman is a B.Sc. (Hons) graduate in Artificial Intelligence from the University
of Westminster, UK. He was first introduced to NetBeans IDE during his placement at a
London-based Internet Service Provider. In his placement role, he realized the power of
NetBeans IDE to develop Real Estate Management Software, which is used by the top
estate agencies in London.

After graduating, Azizur secured employment with the University of Manchester as a Web
Application Developer. Throughout his six years of employment with the University, he
successfully used NetBeans IDE to develop a variety of internal applications. Some of his
most challenging projects have been to develop secure, reliable, scalable, and robust,
client-facing web applications using PHP Zend Framework and MySQL database.

In late 2011, he decided to pursue new pastures, and currently works for a world-class,
broadcasting company in the UK, developing innovative web applications used by millions of
users across the globe, where NetBeans IDE still firmly remains the tool of choice.

A firm believer in philanthropy, he spends his spare time supporting philanthropic

causes, using his knowledge and expertise of open source technologies, and has helped
international, non-profit organizations, such as Mercy Mission World; he is currently leading
the development team at ProductiveMuslim.com. He uses NetBeans IDE to develop web
applications, custom WordPress themes, and plugins to support his work.

His keen interest in open source software makes him a regular attendee at the Manchester
WordPress User Group and wider PHP and open source community events.

I would like to thank everyone who helped in tech reviewing this book. You
know who you are; you have been absolutely amazing in supporting me
when I needed it most. Thank you for all your help.

Anthony Reid is a Software Developer, who currently works within the Information
Systems Department of a London insurance brokerage firm. Anthony has over 20 years of
programming experience. His career started in the pre-Windows era, developing database
systems in DataEase, Paradox, FoxPro, and Visual Basic.

For the last 10 years, he has focused on developing an array of PHP/SQL applications
covering financial risk management, workflow, and accounting solutions.

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Kaiser Ahmed is a professional Web Developer. He gained his B.Sc. degree from Khulna
University of Engineering and Technology (KUET), and his M.Sc. degree in Computer Science
and Engineering from United International University, Dhaka. He is also a co-founder of
CyberXpress.Net Inc, based in Bangladesh.

He has a wide breadth of technical skills and Internet knowledge, and has experience
across the spectrum of online development in the service of building and improving online
properties for multiple clients. He enjoys creating site architecture and infrastructure,
backend development using open source toolsets (PHP, MySQL, Apache, Linux, and others,
such as LAMP), and frontend development with CSS and HTML/XHTML.

I want to thank my loving wife, Maria Akter, for her great support.

Mushfiq-E Mahabub is a Software Engineer, driven by passion.

He has been writing production-level code for the last three years using open source
technologies, such as LAMP, Python/Django, YII, Zend, MySQL, and MongoDB.

Currently, he is working as a Platform Engineer for a new start-up.

After acquiring his BSc Engineering degree in Computer Science, he participated in the
development of open source software based on Python.

He has been conducting different workshops and seminars on open source software
since 2009 for university students.

He writes technical notes at http://mushfiq.com on a regular basis.

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 Table of Contents
Preface 1
Chapter 1: Setting up your Development Environment 7
Why NetBeans for PHP application development? 8
Recommended system requirements 9
Downloading the NetBeans IDE 10
Time for action – downloading the NetBeans IDE 10
Installing NetBeans 12
Time for action – installing NetBeans step by step 13
Setting up your development environment in Windows 18
Time for action – installing XAMPP in Windows 18
Setting up your development environment in the Ubuntu desktop 21
Time for action – installing LAMP on the Ubuntu desktop 21
Setting up your development environment in Mac OS X 25
Time for action – installing MAMP in Mac OS X 26
Creating a NetBeans PHP project 30
Time for action – creating a NetBeans PHP project 31
Summary 36
Chapter 2: Boosting Your Coding Productivity with the PHP Editor 37
Familiarizing yourself with the base IDE features 38
Exploring the editor for PHP 45
Exploring more with the editor 53
Using rename refactoring and instant rename 53
Using code completion 56
Using the code generator 63
Summary 66

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Table of Contents

Chapter 3: Building a Facebook-like Status Poster using NetBeans 67

Planning the project 67
Understanding JSON – JavaScript Object Notation 69
Introducing jQuery – the definitive JavaScript library 70
Understanding AJAX – asynchronous JavaScript and XML 71
Introducing jQuery.ajax() 71
Introducing PHP Data Objects (PDO) 72
Creating the NetBeans PHP project 72
Creating the status stream display list 73
Setting up the database server 73
Time for action – connecting with MySQL database server 73
Creating the database and table 74
Time for action – creating MySQL database and table 75
Inserting sample rows into the table 78
Adding sample user image files 79
Creating the StatusPoster PHP class 79
Time for action – creating a class, adding a constructor, and creating methods 80
Firing the user interface for displaying the status list 85
Time for action – adding CSS support to the document 85
Time for action – adding jQuery support and custom JS library 89
Time for action – showing the status list 92
Hatching out the status poster using PHP-AJAX 96
Time for action – adding the status input box to the interface 97
Adding new status post template to index.php 99
Creating the AJAX status poster 99
Time for action – creating status poster using JQuery AJAX 100
Working with StatusPoster.php again 103
Adding AJAX responder code to index.php 104
Testing the usability of the status poster 105
Summary 108
Chapter 4: Debugging and Testing using NetBeans 109
Debugging – the ancient art of programming 109
Debugging PHP source code with XDebug 110
Configuring XDebug 110
Time for action – installing XDebug on Windows 111
Enabling XDebug on Ubuntu 113
Time for action – installing XDebug on Ubuntu 113
Enabling XDebug on Mac OS X 114

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 Table of Contents

Debugging the PHP source with NetBeans 115

The debugger windows 116
Basic debugging workflow 117
Time for action – running a debugging session 117
Adding Watches 122
Time for action – adding the expression to watch 122
Testing with PHPUnit 125
Configuring PHPUnit 125
Time for action – installing PHPUnit via PEAR 125
Creating and running PHPUnit tests 129
Time for action – testing with PHPUnit 129
Dealing with code coverage with PHPUnit 132
Time for action – using code coverage 132
Testing using the Selenium framework 135
Time for action – running tests with Selenium 136
Summary 139
Chapter 5: Using Code Documentation 141
Writing great documentation 141
PHPDoc – commenting standard for PHP 142
Example of a DocBlock 142
Acquainting with PHPDoc tags 143
Data type tags 144
Legal tags 144
Versioning tags 144
Other tags 145
Documenting the source code 145
Documenting the functions and methods 145
Time for action – documenting a PHP function or method 146
Documenting classes 149
Time for action – documenting the PHP class and class variables 149
Documenting TODO tasks 153
Time for action – using @todo tags 153
Documenting the API 155
Configuring ApiGen 155
Time for action – installing ApiGen and configuring it with NetBeans 156
Generating API documentation 157
Time for action – generating documentation using ApiGen 158
Summary 163
Chapter 6: Understanding Git, the NetBeans Way 165
Version control system 166
Distributed version control 168

[ iii ]

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Table of Contents

Git – the fast and distributed version control system 169

Understanding Git, the NetBeans way 170
Initializing a Git repository 170
Time for action – initializing a Git repository 170
Cloning a Git repository 172
Time for action – cloning a Git repository from GitHub via the SSH protocol 173
Staging files to a Git repository 177
Time for action – staging files to a Git repository 177
Viewing changes in the source editor 180
Git window 180
Committing changes to the repository 181
Time for action – committing changes to the local repository 181
Comparing file revisions 182
Time for action – using diff from the IDE 182
Reverting the local changes of the repository 183
Time for action – reverting changes of the working tree 184
Working with remote repositories 186
Fetching source code updates 186
Time for action – fetching source code updates 186
Pulling updates from the remote repository 187
Time for action – pulling updates from the remote repository 187
Pushing source code changes to a remote repository 188
Time for action – pushing source code changes 189
Working with branches 190
Creating a branch 191
Time for action – creating a branch 191
Checking out a branch 192
Time for action – checking out a branch 192
Switching to a branch 194
Checking out files 195
Merging 195
Time for action – merging into current branch 196
Deleting a branch 197
Good practices and workflow 198
Summary 199
Chapter 7: Building User Registration, Login, and Logout 201
Planning the project 202
Understanding the application architecture 202
Understanding the DAO pattern 205

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 Table of Contents

Reviewing OOP issues 205

Namespace 206
The API 207
Designing the database 207
Creating the data access layer 208
Creating the BaseDao abstract class 208
Time for action – creating the BaseDao class 208
Creating the User DAO class 210
Time for action – creating the User Dao class 211
Creating the Service layer 216
Creating the ValidatorService class 216
Time for action – creating the ValidatorService class 216
Creating the UserService class 223
Time for action – creating the UserService class 224
Building the application 233
Time for action – creating the user application 233
Creating the user interface 237
Time for action – creating the user interface 237
Summary 247
Appendix A: Introducing Symfony2 Support in NetBeans 7.2 249
Downloading and integrating the latest Symfony Standard Edition 249
Time for action – integrating Symfony2 with NetBeans 249
Creating a new Symfony2 project 250
Time for action – creating a Symfony2 project using NetBeans 250
Running Symfony2 console commands inside NetBeans 254
Creating a bundle 254
Time for action – creating a bundle using the Symfony2 console command 255
Appendix B: NetBeans Keyboard Shortcuts 259
File menu 259
Edit menu 259
View menu 260
Navigate menu 261
Source menu 262
Refactor menu 263
Run menu 263
Debug menu 263
Window menu 264
Scrolling and selecting 266
Modifying text 266

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Table of Contents

Code folding 266

Searching for text 267
Setting tabs 267
Appendix C: Pop Quiz Answers 269
Chapter 2, Boosting your Coding Productivity with the PHP Editor 269
Chapter 3, Building a Facebook-like Status Poster using NetBeans 270
Chapter 4, Debugging and Testing using NetBeans 271
Chapter 5, Using Code Documentation 272
Chapter 6, Understanding Git, the NetBeans way 272
Index 275

[ vi ]

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 Preface
Productivity is an important factor for a software developer. A good development
environment or surrounding tools with the essence of a particular programming flavor can
boost up our coding productivity and yield a quality and optimized software product. In
order to maintain a fast-paced development, developers seek the environment with which
they feel at home. Such an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) can really accelerate
code implementation and be the magic wand to your project development.

A good IDE is more like a Swiss army knife with crafted features. It consists of:

‹‹ A source editor
‹‹ A compiler/an interpreter
‹‹ A debugger
‹‹ Database management support
‹‹ Version Control System
‹‹ Tools for Object-Oriented Programming, such as Class Browser and Object Inspector

IDE, like NetBeans, comes with greater flexibility, with such features where the developer
can feel at home. Moreover, NetBeans is absolutely free of charge and is provided by the
open source community. Simply put, the IDE for PHP will facilitate your productivity from
development to production, in every respect.

In this book, PHP Application Development with NetBeans Beginner's Guide, you will learn
how to cover different categories of web-based applications with the help of NetBeans IDE
through a couple of real-life, trendy PHP projects, and will complete the book as a confident
PHP developer.

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Preface

What this book covers

Chapter 1, Setting Up Your Development Environment, guides you through the process of
NetBeans installation and sets up the PHP development environment step by step. By the end
of this chapter, you will have your development environment ready on your operating system.

Chapter 2, Boosting Your Coding Productivity with PHP Editor, shows how you can write
faster code using the NetBeans PHP Editor. You will be introduced to killer features of the
IDE, such as code completion, code templates, rename refactoring, and code generation.
At the end of this chapter, you will have a full, hands-on knowledge of the editor's smart
features and increased coding productivity.

Chapter 3, Building a Facebook-like Status Poster using NetBeans, jumps directly to a

real-life, PHP application development that will be used to display Facebook/Twitter-like,
posted status streams. By the end of this chapter, you will be able to develop simple PHP
applications with the NetBeans IDE.

Chapter 4, Debugging and Testing using NetBeans, will explain how to debug and test a
PHP application using the IDE. Topics covered in the chapter include configuring XDebug,
debugging the PHP source code, testing with PHPUnit and Selenium, and code coverage.

Chapter 5, Using Code Documentation, guides the developer through the process of creating
source and project documentation. You will become familiar with PHPDoc standard tags
and their use, to document the source code with the help of the editor. Also, you will use an
external document generator for the project API.

Chapter 6, Understanding Git, the NetBeans Way, will show you how to use Git, a free and
open source-distributed version control system. Using the IDE, you will be working on Git
operations, such as initializing or cloning a repository, staging files, committing changes,
reverting modifications, and remote repository operations such as fetching, pulling, and
pushing, while working with branches. By the end of this chapter, you will be able to be part
of a development team using the NetBeans collaborative development feature.

Chapter 7, Building User Registration, Login, and Logout, deals with a professional PHP
application. You will design and develop a PHP application where users can register
themselves, and after the registration they can log in to the application, view, and update
their own profile, and more.

Appendix A, Introducing Symfony2 Support in NetBeans 7.2, will discover the Symfony2
PHP framework support by NetBeans. This introduces Symfony2's project creation, runs
Symfony2 commands, and introduces bundle creation from NetBeans.

Appendix B, NetBeans Keyboard Shortcuts, is a convenient reference for common NetBeans

keyboard shortcuts.

[2]

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 Preface

What you need for this book

In Chapter 1, Setting up your Development Environment the Recommended system
requirements section, explains the system requirements, and the sections beginning with
Setting up your development environment explains the PHP development environment for
specific operating systems. In summary, you should have the following:

‹‹ NetBeans IDE
‹‹ Latest package of Apache, MySQL, and PHP

Who this book is for

The book is aimed at beginning level PHP developers who wish to develop PHP applications
while taking advantage of the NetBeans functionality to ease their software development
efforts and utilize the powerful features of the IDE. Familiarity with NetBeans is not assumed.
However, a little familiarity with PHP development is expected.

Conventions
In this book, you will find several headings appearing frequently.

To give clear instructions on how to complete a procedure or task, we use:

Time for action – heading

1. Action 1
2. Action 2
3. Action 3

Instructions often need some extra explanation so that they make sense, so they are
followed with:

What just happened?

This heading explains the working of tasks or instructions that you have just completed.

You will also find some other learning aids in the book, including:

Pop quiz – heading

These are short multiple choice questions intended to help you test your own understanding.

[3]

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Preface

Have a go hero – heading

These set practical challenges and give you ideas for experimenting with what you
have learned.

You will also find a number of styles of text that distinguish between different kinds of
information. Here are some examples of these styles, and an explanation of their meaning.

Code words in text are shown as follows: "Set the installation folder using the
file browser."

A block of code is set as follows:

<?php
echo "Hello World";
?>

When we wish to draw your attention to a particular part of a code block, the relevant lines
or items are set in bold:
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;
charset=UTF-8">
<title>Status updater</title>
<link href="<?=BASE_URL?>styles/styles.css" media="screen"
rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
<script src="http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/
libs/jquery/1.7/jquery.min.js">
</script>
<script src="<?=BASE_URL?>js/status.js"></script>
</head>

Any command-line input or output is written as follows:

sudo apt-get install lamp-server^

New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on the screen, in
menus or dialog boxes, for example, appear in the text like this: "By clicking on the Next
button, you will be asked to accept the license agreement."

[4]

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 Preface

Warnings or important notes appear in a box like this.

Tips and tricks appear like this.

Reader feedback
Feedback from our readers is always welcome. Let us know what you think about this
book—what you liked or may have disliked. Reader feedback is important for us to
develop titles that you really get the most out of.

To send us general feedback, simply send an e-mail to feedback@packtpub.com,

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THE BUENOS AIRES STOCK EXCHANGE

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having been called by members of the Exchange, who are held
responsible by the Committee for the bona fides of these
announcements.
The rules are now very strict on the question of calling of bona fide
dealings only. At one time the announcement and consequent chalking
up of fictitious deals (called “gatos,” or, as we might say, “wild cats”)
became so scandalously frequent and unblushing that a stop had to be
put to a malpractice which deceived the public, since all prices chalked
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whatever one or two kinds of shares may for the time being be in
fashion for what one may bluntly call gambling. For gambling, simply,
is the end of almost everything in the shape of speculation in the
ephemerally chosen media. It is in regard to this gambling that the
note of warning to the stranger already sounded may be repeated
here. The really Argentine public has long ago had its fingers
sufficiently often and severely burnt to have decided to give all Bolza
speculation a wide berth. And here one is brought face to face with a
mystery which the present writer has as yet been wholly unable to
explain in any fully satisfactory way.
This mystery is that, given the fact that the contributions of the
public to Bolza gambling have since long ago become a negligible
quantity, it seems clear that such speculation must be confined to a
limited group of Bolza operators.
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survive for long as such? They are mostly, if not all, men of small
capital, very small in many cases, yet there they are, day after day,
busily occupied in attributing usually fictitious values to the shares of
one, or at most two (for the time being) companies. Up go the prices
of such shares, rising each day to giddier heights, till at last like
balloons they disappear from sight and another set of shares takes
their place as material for a boom. Who is the last man or men left
with shares at top price? And what on earth does he do with them?
These be questions the answers to which are hidden by a secrecy the
completeness and continuity of which do credit to the initiate few
whose common interest it is to maintain it.
The only protection of these people is a mutual defence against the
common enemy, similar to that adopted by professional buyers at an
ordinary auction against any innocent amateur who may stray into
their midst. On the other hand, the mere presence of a known “bear”
among these folk, completely paralyses all action on their part until his
back is turned again. The writer now has in his mind’s eye a well-
known figure, that of a powerful bear who was the terror of the
speculative markets in the golden days when the public still played the
game and all went merrily except for his malevolent influence. He
alone could frown all prices down; and he once held them down
against the whole of the furious remainder of the Exchange. It was a
never-to-be-forgotten conflict, from which he emerged victorious and
with a name at which even the puny bulls of to-day still tremble.
Though be it said, he now does little but lend money to those whom
circumstances, or still, occasionally, he himself, have forced to carry
over. Few Bolza members will fail to identify him from even this slight
reference to his fame. The heyday of the Buenos Stock Exchange was
that immediately preceding the passing of the “Conversion” law which
fixed a ratio between gold and paper and thus ended the speculation
in gold which had grown all too vigorous on wide fluctuations. After
that, wild cats, resorted to as the next best stimulant, quickly
undermined the constitution of the Bolza and frightened the public;
permanently, it would still seem, from its precincts as far as gambling
speculation is concerned. Such speculation, in any magnitude, has
been dead since 1906; in consequence of the collapse at that time of
a gold fever boom of which a shoal of doomed alluvial dredging
Companies were part cause and part effect.
Nowadays, the real business, of which there is a large and constant
volume, done on the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange is in National
“Cedulas.” This business has gradually gravitated into the hands of a
few large brokers. The only drawback to these Bonds is their name,
which might lead the ignorant in matters South American to confuse
them with the Provincial (Province of Buenos Aires) Cedulas, the
corrupt mismanagement of which caused a great scandal some years
ago. Still “Cedula” means a “Bond,” and it would, after all, be idle to
wish to abolish the latter word only because some English Bonds may
have proved unworthy of the prestige usually attaching to that
designation.
The question has often been raised as to whether, on the wording of
the guarantee endorsed on National Cedulas, the National Government
is responsible for repayment of the principal as well as the interest on
them. This, however, amounts almost to a quibble; of little, if any,
more than abstract interest. The amortization of these Bonds is
certainly guaranteed in like manner as is the interest on them, and
only some tremendous crisis, now unimaginable, could so wreck the
whole territory of the Republic that land values throughout that
territory would simultaneously fall to an extent which could render
impossible the redemption of mortgages granted in the first place with
a very liberal margin between the actual market value of the land and
the amounts of the Bonds issued on its security. For, it should be
noted in this connection, a Cedula is not issued by the Bank on the
Security of such or such designated property, it is issued on the
security, guaranteed by the Bank after due investigation, of all the
mortgages held by it. So that, in effect, even if the whole of a Province
were to be engulfed by an earthquake, the security of none of the
Bank’s Cedulas would be affected by the loss since, at the margin
reserved by the Bank, all the remainder of the lands on which it holds
mortgages would still be ample security for all its bonds.
The reader who is already well acquainted with these matters must
forgive me for thus setting them out in so obvious a way. I ask him to
believe that there are still very many holders of Argentine National
Cedulas possessed of only the vaguest ideas of how their Bonds came
into existence, and practically none as to the real nature of the
security for them, except a general sort of notion that they are
Argentine Government Bonds.
As will be seen, the facts justify my dictum of a few pages back that
these Bonds really offer as gilt-edged a security as anyone could wish
for.
Other securities most commonly dealt in in the Securities side of the
Market are “Credito Argentino,” National Internal debt, the “Premier
Security” of the Country, as it has been called; and some Provincial
and Municipal Bonds. On the share side, the shares of the various
Banks are usually the subject of the most really important quotations
on the slate.
Many first-class Argentine securities and shares seldom come on the
market.
 CHAPTER VIII
RAILWAYS, PORTS AND IMMIGRATION

RAILWAYS
It is often said that the foreign, mostly British, railway community
on the River Plate constitutes an Imperium in Imperio.
There is no denying the great influence of that community, but that
influence has been rendered inevitable and is wholly justified by the
very large amount of capital which the railway companies have at
stake in these countries; amounting in Argentina to some
£200,000,000 and in Uruguay some £12,000,000, making a total of
some 212 millions sterling. Of this total a very large proportion in
Argentina and the whole in Uruguay is British.
The total length of railway lines in Argentina is close on 21,000
miles, and in Uruguay close on 1050 miles.
The predominant gauge in Argentina is that in use by the four
“great” railway companies of that country, viz. the Buenos Aires
Western, the Central Argentine, the Buenos Aires Great Southern and
the Buenos Aires Pacific, that is to say, the broad, 5 feet 6 inches,
while in Uruguay the great railway company of that country, the
Central Uruguay of Montevideo, and its subsidiary companies use the
Standard Gauge, 4 feet 8½ inches.
 TRANSPORTER BRIDGE, PORT OF BUENOS AIRES

Until 1909 each of the Argentine railway companies was (as the
Uruguayan still are) controlled by the terms of its particular concession
or concessions. In that year, however, a Law was passed, usually
called the “Mitre Law,” after its initiator, the late Señor Emilio Mitre (an
eminent Argentine statesman and son of the famous General Mitre,
perhaps Argentina’s greatest President and Historian), by which all
then existing companies agreeing to be bound by its provisions should
be exempt from all National, Provincial and Municipal taxation and
Import Duties on material until the year 1947; they, on their part, to
pay to the National Government a single tax of 3% on their net
earnings, the amount of such earnings to be ascertained by deducting
10% (for working expenses) from their gross receipts.
Only one Company was then enjoying even more favourable terms
under its original concession than those given by the Mitre Law; but as
that concession was approaching the time of its expiration it would
have been ill-judged on the part of the Company to have shown itself
recalcitrant to the evident wishes of the Argentine Government.
 Therefore it exercised its option in favour of the Mitre Law, as did all
the other Companies.
Though the Argentine and Uruguayan Railway Companies rely for
their usually very handsome profits much more on haulage of Cereals
and Live Stock than on their passenger traffic, it must not be
supposed that the latter is in any way neglected by them. Quite the
contrary is the case. Possibly nowhere else in the world (except,
perhaps, in Russia) is railway travelling as comfortable as on the River
Plate, either as regards day or night accommodation or catering, the
latter at moderate prices. All is roomy, well arranged and extremely
comfortable; but the trains de luxe of the River Plate are those which
the Buenos Aires Great Southern Company runs to and from Mar-del-
Plata in the season, with Pullman Drawing-room and Dining Cars. The
permanent way is good and the running smooth over almost the
whole of the two Republics. Trains going to the hotter regions are
provided with baths.
Besides British, considerable French and Belgian capital is invested
in Argentine railways. The “Province of Santa Fé” and the “Province of
Buenos Aires” railways are controlled by French Companies.
Incidentally it may be mentioned that in recent years most of the
shares of the “Anglo-Argentine” Tramways Company (which owns the
principal tramway system of the Capital) had found their way to
Belgium.
A short while ago a United States Syndicate, deemed powerful and
feared as menacing a monopoly, obtained control of some of the River
Plate lines, notably those of the Central Córdoba, Santa Fé and Entre
Rios Companies, under certain arrangements. This Syndicate has
since, however, been unable to command the capital necessary to fulfil
its part of those arrangements, and, practically, the control of the lines
has now reverted to the original Companies, the first and last named
of which are British.
The Argentine National Government has during the past few years
built and has under construction several lines intended to develop
districts which as yet do not offer sufficient temptation to private
Companies.
No fresh construction has been begun in either country since the
outbreak of the War, the Government and various Companies confining
themselves only to such construction work as is absolutely necessary
for the completion of extensions already commenced.
Railway construction in these countries does not usually offer any
great difficulties. The triumphs of River Plate railway engineering were
the line of the Buenos Aires Pacific Railway up and through the Andes
and some parts of the lines of the Entre Rios Railway Company in
parts of that Province in which for long it seemed impossible to
discover a route amid the marshy or spongy soil. Another such
triumph will probably occur when the Buenos Aires Great Southern
Railway penetrates the Andes, as it no doubt will do one day, much
further south than the Buenos Aires Pacific line.

PORTS
The River Plate Republics are very accessible to foreign Commerce;
possessing Atlantic Coasts, the River Plate and its two great navigable
tributaries, the Uruguay and the Paraná.
The Port of Buenos Aires ranks seventh among the ports of the
world in respect of the value of merchandise which enters and leaves
it, and second in America, that is to say, coming immediately after
New York. The next most important Argentine ports are those of
Rosario, Bahia Blanca and La Plata; after which come Santa Fé, San
Nicholás, Campana and Zárate, and many others on the Paraná and
Rio Gallegos, Puerto Madryn, San Antonio and others on the South
Atlantic. A new Port is in course of construction at Mar-del-Plata.
Montevideo only ranks in point of cargo values just before Bahia
Blanca; that is to say, with some £15,000,000 as against the
£115,500,000 trade of the Port of Buenos Aires.[22] Uruguay is,
however, preparing in this regard for her further development by large
new port works which have been under construction for some years
past. On the Uruguay she has Fray Bentos, Paysandú (both largely
concerned with meat extract and preserved meats export), Salto and
Santa Rosa; and on the River Plate, besides Montevideo, Colonia and
Maldonado; besides several relatively unimportant ports having as yet
but scanty or no effective accommodation for vessels. This could also
have been said of many of Argentina’s minor ports not so very long
ago. Port accommodation in Uruguay will follow the increase and
demands of her export produce and the requirements of her
consequently enhanced prosperity.

IMMIGRATION
As has been noticed under the heading “Racial Elements,” most of
the immigration to the River Plate has hitherto passed Montevideo and
landed at Buenos Aires. Over 300,000 immigrants landed in Argentina
in 1913; composed chiefly, and in point of numerical importance, in
the following order, of Spaniards, Italians, “Turcos” (Syrians or
Levantines), Russians (mostly Jewish), French, Germans, Austrians,
Portuguese and British. British arrivals on the River Plate consist
chiefly of the salaried classes; who, not being classed as immigrants,
do not appear on the Government returns from which the above
figures are taken. The only other noteworthy point about Argentine
immigration is that now the Spanish element largely predominates
instead of, as formerly, the Italian.
GRAIN ELEVATORS: MADERO DOCK, BUENOS AIRES
 CHAPTER IX
GENERAL STATISTICS

During the past twenty years the foreign trade of Argentina and
Uruguay (especially that of the former country) has developed very
largely and rapidly; its increase during the decade 1904-1913 being, in
the case of Argentina, 108½% and in that of Uruguay 104%. The
increase in both cases is considerably greater than that of the trade of
any other South American country; as will be seen from the following
figures:—

$
Argentina. 1913 996,215,998
1904 477,985,737
gold 518,230,261 108·5% increase.
Uruguay. 1913 119,500,000
1904 58,481,343
Uruguayan 61,018,657 104% ”
Chile. 1913 725,828,254
1904 370,149,864
Chilian 355,678,390 94·5% ”
Brazil. 1913 1,976,733,388
1904 1,288,955,306
milreis 687,778,082 54% ”

The figure $996,215,998 gold if divided by 7,731,257, representing

the population of Argentina, gives $129 gold, or £25 11s. 10d., value
of trade per inhabitant of that country; a very high figure indeed. The
value of the trade of Uruguay per head of her population is £21 3s.
6d.
 In 1913 Argentina alone provided the markets of the United
Kingdom with cereals and meat to the value of £34,500,000 of a total
of £92,300,000, or nearly 37½% of its total supplies. During the same
year Uruguay sent meat to the United Kingdom to the value of some
£202,000 sterling.

UNITED KINGDOM IMPORTS IN 1913

Wheat £ £
1. From United States 13,953,072
2. ” Canada 8,803,949
3. ” British East Indies 7,998,552
4. ” Argentine Republic 6,149,195
5. ” Australia 4,426,629
6. ” Russia 1,984,964
” Other countries 544,539 43,860,900
Maize
1. From Argentine Republic 10,851,874
2. ” United States 1,923,321
3. ” Russia 489,993
4. ” Roumania 286,600
5. ” Canada 64,773
” Other countries 153,781 13,770,342
Linseed
1. From Argentine Republic 2,398,629
2. ” British East Indies 1,564,428
3. ” Russia 228,167
4. ” United States 98,366
” Other countries 2,905,803 7,195,393
Chilled and Frozen Meat
1. From Argentine Republic 12,815,002
2. ” Australia 2,133,951
3. ” Uruguay 706,816
4. ” New Zealand 393,429
5. ” United States 3,119
 ” Other countries 11,914 16,064,231
Frozen Mutton
1. From New Zealand 4,965,310
2. ” Australia 3,128,439
3. ” Argentine Republic 1,908,255
4. ” Uruguay 303,528
” Other countries 293,133 10,598,665
Sundry Meats Frozen
1. From Argentine Republic 455,561
2. ” United States 155,966
” Other countries 216,526 828,053
Total 92,317,584

The value of the U.K. Imports from Argentine and Uruguay was considerably
increased during 1915.
In 1913 values of the exports of the United Kingdom to the four
most commercially important countries of South America were:—

£ sterling.
To the Argentine Republic 23,430,246
” Brazil 13,015,769
” Chile 6,366,944
” Uruguay 3,027,568

Of the total value of the sales of the United Kingdom in the whole of
South America, Argentina received 45%, amounting to £52,033,764
sterling.

POSITIONS HELD BY ARGENTINA AND

URUGUAY RESPECTIVELY IN THE EXPORT
TRADE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM ACCORDING
TO BRITISH OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS, 1913.
Value of exports from Great Britain to: £
1 East Indies 71,738,755
 2 Germany 60,573,457
3 United States 59,536,352
4 France 40,876,731
5 Australasia 37,852,929
6 Russia 27,705,660
7 Canada 27,235,355
8 South Africa 24,373,018
9 Argentina 23,430,246
10 Belgium 20,667,519
11 Holland 20,605,137
12 Italy 15,620,393
13 China 15,016,023
14 Japan 14,837,948
15 Brazil 13,015,769
16 New Zealand 11,776,261
17 Egypt 9,966,948
18 Sweden 9,241,874
19 Spain 8,655,196
20 Turkey 7,992,712
21 West Africa 7,166,222
22 Norway 6,669,089
23 Chile 6,366,946
24 Denmark 6,340,773
25 Austria-Hungary 5,786,077
26 Switzerland 5,106,764
27 Portugal 3,935,802
28 Uruguay 3,027,568
29 West Indies 2,716,545
30 Greece 2,597,227
31 Mexico 2,549,265
32 East Africa 1,443,859
33 Costa Rica 247,093
Total including other countries £635,117,134
 Per
Population.
capita £
1 New Zealand 1,028,160 11·45
2 Australasia 4,802,174 7·88
3 South Africa 5,973,394 4·08
4 Canada 7,758,000 3·51
5 Holland 6,114,302 3·37
6 Argentina 7,731,257 3·03
7 Belgium 7,571,387 2·73
8 Norway 2,437,646 2·73
9 Uruguay 1,112,000 2·72
10 Denmark 2,775,076 2·29
11 Chile 3,505,317 1·90
12 Sweden 5,638,583 1·62
13 West Indies 1,709,732 1·59
14 Switzerland 3,781,430 1·30
15 France 39,601,509 1·03
16 Greece 2,666,000 0·97
17 Germany 64,925,993 0·93
18 Egypt 11,287,359 0·88
19 Portugal 5,960,056 0·66
20 United States 91,972,266 0·65
21 Costa Rica 388,266 0·63
22 Brazil 23,070,969 0·55
23 East Africa 2,651,892 0·54
24 Italy 34,671,377 0·45
25 Spain 19,639,000 0·44
26 Turkey 21,273,900 0·38
27 West Africa 20,176,635 0·35
28 Japan 52,985,423 0·28
29 East Indies 315,156,396 0·23
30 Russia 171,059,900 0·16
31 Mexico 15,063,207 0·16
32 Austria-Hungary 49,458,421 0·12
 33 China 320,650,000 0·05

During the five years 1908-1912 48½% of the whole maize

imported by the United Kingdom came from Argentina; or only a little
less than the total quantity of that imported from the United States,
Roumania, Russia, India, Natal, Canada, Bulgaria and the Cape of
Good Hope.
In respect of the total issue of Capital in the United Kingdom during
the first six months of 1914, Argentina ranked first (with £12,809,200
as against £12,244,100 which went to Russia) among the foreign
countries for which such issues were destined; and third if British
Possessions are included in the comparison.

1913
THE TRADE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WITH THE
REPUBLICS OF SOUTH AMERICA IS SHOWN IN THE
FOLLOWING TABLES COMPILED FROM AMERICAN OFFICIAL
STATISTICS

BALANCE OF TRADE
Imports Exports
In favour of Against
— —
U.S.A. U.S.A.
American American
American American
Dollars Dollars
Dollars Dollars
Argentine Republic 26,863,732 52,894,834 26,031,102 —
Uruguay 2,450,697 7,522,145 5,071,448 —
Guiana (British) 105,933 1,813,745 1,707,812 —
Bolivia 350 940,744 940,394 —
Guiana (French) 86,386 337,714 251,328 —
Paraguay 58,285 187,867 129,582 —
Falkland Islands — 725 725 —
Brazil 120,155,855 42,638,467 — 77,517,388
Chile 27,655,420 16,076,763 — 11,578,657
Columbia 15,992,321 7,397,696 — 8,594,625
Venezuela 10,852,331 5,737,118 — 5,115,213
Peru 9,666,579 7,341,903 — 2,324,676
Ecuador 3,037,689 2,553,785 — 483,904
Guiana (Dutch) 821,460 704,487 — 116,973
217,747,038 146,147,993 34,132,391 105,731,436

VALUE OF MERCHANDISE EXPORTED FROM THE UNITED

STATES TO THE REPUBLICS OF SOUTH AMERICA IN THE YEAR
1913, SHOWING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ARGENTINE
MARKET

To the Argentine Republic — $52,894,834

” Brazil $42,638,467
” Uruguay 7,522,145
” Ecuador 2,553,785
” Paraguay 187,867 52,902,264
” Chile 16,076,763
” Columbia 7,397,696
” Peru 7,341,903
” Venezuela 5,737,118
” Guiana (British) 1,813,745
” Bolivia 940,744
” Guiana (Dutch) 704,487
” Guiana (French) 337,714
” Falkland Islands 725 40,350,895
Total value of sales to South America. Dollars 146,147,993

The Argentine Republic received 36·2% of total.

Argentina and Brazil divide practically between them the South
American export trade of the United States, Argentina taking by far
the larger share, and well over one-third of the whole received by all
the South American countries put together. The value of the Argentine
imports from the United States in 1913 amounted to $52,894,834
(U.S.A.), while Uruguay took U.S.A. goods to the value of $6,531,626
(U.S.A.).
 ARGENTINE IMPORTS FROM EUROPE, 1913

During the year 1913 the Argentine Republic purchased in Europe

the following amounts:—

$ gold.
Inthe United Kingdom 130,886,587
” Germany 71,311,628
” France 38,075,811
” Italy 34,789,741
” Belgium 21,953,910
” Spain 12,389,607
” Austria-Hungary 5,933,444
” Holland 4,074,104
” Sweden 3,123,889
” Switzerland 2,749,682
” Portugal 585,975
” Russia 447,845
” Denmark 204,106
” Turkey 127,026
” Roumania, Bulgaria and Greece 119,989
£64,835,981 = gold $326,773,344
Purchased in other £18,765,714 = ” $94,579,199
parts of the world
Total £83,601,695 = ” $421,352,543

Where will these purchases be made in the future?

GOLD (Argentina)
Years. Imports. Exports. Balance.
1904 24,917,951 1,604,292 23,313,659
1905 32,559,540 819,375 31,740,165
1906 18,212,323 1,545,622 16,666,701
1907 23,552,726 3,133,886 20,418,840
 1908 28,651,215 44,817 28,606,398
1909 67,453,816 1,247,831 66,205,985
1910 37,027,936 1,669,892 35,358,044
1911 12,764,236 3,008,597 9,755,639
1912 36,077,807 585,621 35,492,186
1913 47,941,425 43,417,484 4,523,941
$ gold 329,158,975 57,077,417 272,081,558
= £65,309,320 11,324,884 53,984,436

It is regrettable, from several points of view, that the National

Statistics of Uruguay are not kept and published with the same
promptitude and regularity as those of Argentina, to say nothing of
the admirable clearness of the forms in which the latter are issued.
The Uruguayan authorities should really know that the absence of any
complete scheme of statistical information regarding their country is
more than apt to preserve a very common though erroneous
impression that Uruguay can be of but little account since so little is
known or heard of it. Little indeed is known with any accuracy of its
production, outside the circle of persons directly interested in its trade;
but this obscurity is due only to indifference to and negligence of the
art of self-assertion.

International Trade of
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and
 Uruguay
In point of fact Uruguay might well be proud of the statistics of her
productivity; for, in reality, she has more cattle than and nearly as
many sheep as the Argentine Province of Buenos Aires while her
superficial area is only some two-thirds of that of that Province.
Uruguay exports wool to the average value of some £4,000,000, hides
£1,500,000, frozen and chilled meat £1,110,000, and animals on the
hoof £230,000 annually. The value of its wheat exports for the five
years ending 1910 has been stated at £730,000; flour £234,000,
maize £82,000 and linseed £460,000 during the same period. As we
have seen, the value of Uruguayan trade for the year 1913 was
£23,900,000, and this figure, as well as those representing Cereal
production and exports, are likely to be rapidly increased under normal
conditions.

INCREASE OF ARGENTINE CEREAL EXPORTS IN

TEN YEARS
1904. $ gold. 1913. $ gold.
Wheat 66,947,891 102,631,143
Maize 44,391,196 112,292,394
Linseed 28,359,923 49,910,201
Oats 541,973 20,447,278
140,240,983 285,281,016

INCREASE OF ARGENTINE MEAT EXPORTS IN

TWENTY-NINE YEARS
1885. $ gold. 1913. $ gold.
Live stock: cattle 2,345,313 6,848,830
” ” sheep 58,552 311,991
Chilled and frozen beef 1,680 36,622,889
Frozen mutton 75,323 3,674,206
Sundry meats frozen — 910,311
 ” ” preserved — 1,257,391
Extract of meat — 1,598,136
Powdered meat — 1,097,566
Preserved tongues — 131,952
Condensed soup — 375,392
Jerked beef 4,204,077 658,097
$ gold 6,684,945 53,486,761
=£ 1,326,378 10,612,452

INCREASE OF TOTAL ARGENTINE EXPORTS IN

TEN YEARS
$ gold.
1904: Total exports 264,157,525
1913: ” ” 483,504,547
Increase 219,347,022

INCREASE OF TOTAL URUGUAYAN EXPORTS IN

EIGHT YEARS

During 1905 $ (Uruguayan) 30,774,247

” 1912 ” 51,000,000
Increase, say, $20,226,000 = £4,303,000

Wool constitutes about nine-tenths of the exports of Uruguay.

Up to and including 1907 the Imports of Uruguay were in excess of
her Exports. In 1908, however, the balance went the other way and is
likely to remain there.
The excess of Exports over Imports in 1908 was valued at
$2,840,206 (Uruguayan) and in 1909 at $7,966,658. In 1912 the
Imports appear to have risen to $49,380,000 as against exports
$51,000,000. Probably these last figures are roughly accurate; but the
last year for which any full official Statistics appear to have been
published was 1911.
As has already been seen, the chief countries of destination of
Argentine Exports prior to the War were (generally in the following
order): The United Kingdom, Germany, France, Belgium, Brazil, the
United States, Holland and Italy. Those of Uruguay went chiefly to
France, Belgium, Germany, Argentina and the United Kingdom. While
Argentina Imported principally from the United Kingdom, Germany, the
United States, France, Italy, Belgium and Spain; and Uruguay from the
United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, France, Italy, Belgium
and Argentina.
The Surplus of Revenue over Expenditure in both Republics may
appear to remain always so small as only just to have avoided
conversion into deficits. It should, however, be recollected that these
countries are constantly engaged in carrying out Public Works which
are necessary to the fuller development of their natural resources;
such, for instance, as the very important new Port Works of Buenos
Aires and Montevideo and the great Argentine systems of irrigation.
Were the excess of Revenue greater it would still be spent, and wisely
spent, on National Public Works and Improvements; which are the
best assurance of its future which either country could make.
An instance of the rapid Commercial progress of the River Plate
Countries is the fact that whereas in 1872 there were but four Banks
in Argentina, in 1913 there were 143.
The latest (1914) Commercial and Industrial Census of the City of
Buenos Aires shows that the number of Commercial (chiefly wholesale
and retail trading) establishments in that City has increased from
17,985, as shown by the previous Census of 1904, to 29,600—an
increase of 65%—while the number of Factories and Manufacturing
establishments which in 1904 was 8,877 was in 1914 11,132—an
increase of 25%. The motive power employed in these last-mentioned
establishments has increased during the same period from 19,458 h.p.
to 194,411 h.p.—an increase of 900%—while the number of persons
employed has increased 112%.
 An amusing but characteristic note is struck by comparison of the
figures representing the annual sales of flour and tobacco respectively,
the former being nearly $48,000,000 (paper) and the latter nearly
£44,000,000 (paper).
Not such a great difference between the money spent in Buenos
Aires on flour, much of which is exported, and on tobacco, which is all
home consumed! Another is that nearly 1% of the whole population of
the City consists of Medical Men; Brokers and Commission Agents
(clubbed together and classed as professional men by the Census) run
them very close, with Builders a good third, and the rest, in the
sporting sense, nowhere.
Most of the wholesale and retail traders are Italians, Spaniards and
Argentines, in this order; the Italians being in both cases nearly three
times and the Spaniards nearly twice as numerous as the Argentines.
After them come French, Russians (chiefly Jewish), Levantines and
Egyptians (locally known as “Turcos”), Uruguayans, German, British
and other nationalities in commerce; and French, Russians, Levantines
and Egyptians, Belgians, Danes and Portuguese and other nationalities
as Manufacturers.
A good many establishments of both classes are, however, shown to
belong to Argentines and foreigners in partnership.
It is due to the compilers of the Census to remark that they have
treated “Jews” as pertaining to a separate nationality, though
therefore there is possibly some confusion under the heading
“Russians.”
 CHAPTER X
A GLANCE AT THE PROVINCES AND NATIONAL
TERRITORIES OF ARGENTINA, AND THE
INTERIOR OF URUGUAY

BUENOS AIRES
This is the largest and most densely populated and the most
uniformly prosperous Province of the Republic.[23] It is bounded on
the North by the Provinces of Santa Fé and Córdoba, on the West by
the Territories of the Pampa Central and Rio Negro and on the East
and South by the Paraná and Plate Rivers and the Atlantic Ocean. Its
capital, La Plata, is of a somewhat sadly monumental aspect. It is
indeed as yet but a monument to the still unrealized dreams of its
modern founders and architects. It was to have been a great city with
a busy port; it is now a place where Provincial parliamentarians,
lawyers, university students and Law Court and Police officials spend
some hours each day, coming each morning and returning each
evening from and to the superior activity and attractions of the Federal
Capital.
Nevertheless, La Plata has long, wide, eucalyptus-planted avenues;
its chief Plaza, in which are the Municipality and the Cathedral, is not
much smaller than Trafalgar Square; its Museum is world-renowned
for its palæontological collections; and its Law Courts, University,
Theatre, Police Offices and the above-mentioned Municipality are
huge, magnificently solid-looking buildings. But the lack of all
perceptible movement in La Plata leads one to imagine that if its broad
avenues and noble Plazas are not grass-grown the fact is due much
more to the action of street cleaners than to that of traffic. Truly, one
may often gaze down a very long vista of pavement between tall
eucalyptus trees for many minutes without seeing one single other
human being.
The Port works of Buenos Aires have drained its only source of
commerce from La Plata. Still, some day the trade of the Republic may
need it also.
At the same time it is only just to add that La Plata makes out a
claim to nearly 100,000 inhabitants. Where they all get to when one
visits it is mystery. Perhaps they in their turn spend their days in
Buenos Aires; returning home to sleep in the deep stillness of the
Provincial Capital.
The real chief port of the Province of Buenos Aires is Bahia Blanca.
First of all, in 1896, the National Government decided to build the
naval port and arsenal now in existence there: subsequently the
Buenos Aires Great Southern and the Buenos Aires and Pacific Railway
Companies realized the conveniences and situation of Bahia Blanca as
a place of export for the produce of their great and ever-increasing
southern and south-western zones and each company constructed a
port for the almost exclusive purposes of its own traffic.
The Great Southern Railway’s port is called Ingeniero White and that
of the Pacific Railway Puerto Galvan. Besides these, separate and
distinct constructions, Bahia Blanca has a fourth port, Cuatreros, at the
interior end of the bay, which exports large and increasing quantities
of frozen and chilled meat.
The great railway ports of Bahia Blanca are fitted with every modern
mechanical appliance, huge cranes, electric endless belts for loading
loose grain, and immense grain warehouses and elevators. The town
of Bahia Blanca is rapidly growing in importance and influence. Its
municipal administration is largely in the hands of British exporters
and merchants.
On the Atlantic coast, between Bahia Blanca and Buenos Aires and
some 400 kilometres from the latter city, is the famous seaside resort
of Mar-del-Plata, the Argentine Monte Carlo—Trouville-Biarritz-cum-
Ostend (before the War!).
 During the season there (at all other times of the year it is deserted)
vast Hotels and Restaurants charge famine prices for accommodation
and food and there is always more demand than available supply of
either. Wealthy Argentine families have, of course, their palatial
“Chalets,” and the Rambla, as the great promenade by the sea is called,
is a very brilliant scene at all times during the weeks in which it is
fashionable.
Music and dancing contribute to the nights’ amusement at the
Casino, large Hotels and private houses; and at the Club members can
indulge in those games in which chance plays a greater rôle than skill.
As one young gentleman, who had failed to get a bed at any of the
Hotels he thought worthy of his patronage, once remarked, “No
matter, one can always play Baccarat till it is bathing time again.”
The air of Mar-del-Plata, that of the wide Atlantic, would doubtless
be a powerful restorative to anyone who could resist the temptations
of amusement sufficiently to give it a chance. Some people possibly
do, but if so keep very silent about it.
Mar-del-Plata is, however, destined to show a more serious side of
its possibilities in consequence of the building of a commercial port;
the construction of which has been entrusted to a French firm, also
the constructors of the new port works of Montevideo. Potatoes which
are deemed the best in the Republic come from near Mar-del-Plata.
Other chief towns of the Province of Buenos Aires are Avellaneda
(situate on the Provincial side of the boundary line between the
Province and the Federal City of Buenos Aires, but to all intents and
purposes a district of the latter with which it is connected by unbroken
lines of streets and houses), Chivilcoy, Pergamino, Tres Arroyos, Nueve de
Julio, Azul, the residential suburbs (of Buenos Aires), Temperley and
Lomas de Zamorra and many smaller “camp” towns.
All these minor camp towns of the Province of Buenos Aires look
much alike and none of them are very interesting in appearance. Their
stores, however, do good business in supplying the needs of large
surrounding rural districts, and some of these towns have periodical
cattle shows and sales which are well worth visiting.
 Temperley and Lomas de Zamorra consist chiefly of Villa residences,
of all sizes and styles of architecture, and some shops.
The Province of Buenos Aires, half as large again as the whole
Republic of Uruguay, possesses some of the best land in Argentina,
and in it farming has reached the highest developments as yet
attained in either Republic. In it intensive farming has already made its
first appearance in South America—as needs must when high land-
values drive. The surface of this Province is one almost unbroken level
plain.
It at present produces one-third of the whole output of wheat,
nearly a similar proportion of maize, one-fifth that of linseed, 87% of
that of oats, and also contains about 37% of the live stock of the
whole Republic.
Good water is obtainable nearly everywhere in practically close
proximity to the surface. This fact, combined with the comparatively
few running streams and the tendency of these to dry up in hot
weather, causes some parts of this Province to have the appearance of
a forest of tall skeleton iron windmills. These are set up over artificially
sunk wells, to draw water for animals and domestic purposes.
A detailed description of the Province of Buenos Aires would extend
to a very great length indeed; as this Province is, as far as its climatic
conditions permit, a compendium of the industrial activity, at its best,
of the whole Republic. That it is so is due to its situation on, or always
in relatively close proximity to, the estuary of the River Plate; the
cradle of the civilization and progress of the countries under
discussion.
Farming and most other industries find their highest expression
within easy reach of and in the Federal Capital.
As far as its physical aspect is concerned, the Province of Buenos
Aires has been accused with considerable justice of being generally
uninteresting. Certainly its surface is one huge flat plain, until one gets
south to the ranges of the Sierra de la Ventana and the Tandíl hills.
Past them, nothing but monotonous plain again till its southernmost
boundary, the Rio Colorado, is reached.
 Its only romantic scenery, though that is delightful indeed, is on its
north-eastern frontier, along the small River Tigre and the majestic
Paraná; the banks and innumerable islands of which are clad with
useful osiers, flowering reeds, peach trees and a large riot of other
beautiful and luxuriant vegetation. Many a spring day can be passed in
idyllic enjoyment among the islands of the Tigre.
At Tandíl, on the south-eastern side of the Province, there are
quarries of fine marble and building stone, and until a year or so ago
there was a famous rocking-stone perched on another rock, the
surface of which is inclined at an angle of something like 45 degrees.
To all appearances a mere gust of wind would have toppled the upper
stone down into a hollow beneath; but the tale goes that Señor Benito
Villanueva, a wealthy and sportsmanlike Argentine, once tied a rope
round the rocking-stone and attached the other end to a double span
of oxen on the plain below. The oxen pulled; but without any other
effect on the rocking-stone than temporarily to cant it just as many
centimetres as it could be moved by a good push from a man’s hand.
Now, alas for Tandíl, someone has succeeded in dislodging the
rocking-stone from its uncanny-looking eminence, so that it has,
literally, fallen from its high celebrity.
Buenos Aires is, naturally, the Province of palatial estancia houses
surrounded by model farms. The Queen Province. The most densely
populated and cultivated and the one with the largest revenues.

SANTA FÉ
This Province ranks next to that of Buenos Aires in respect of area
and population, while its output of both maize and linseed is slightly
greater than that of the Queen Province; in regard to wheat it stands
third among the Argentine Provinces, Córdoba coming immediately
after Buenos Aires, and in respect of oats it again comes second. In
point of live stock it comes only fifth, after Buenos Aires, Entre Rios,
Corrientes and Córdoba.
It is bounded on the North by the Territory of the Chaco, on the
West by the Provinces of Santiago del Estero and Córdoba, on the
South by the Province of Buenos Aires and on the East by the River
Paraná.
The northern part of Santa Fé is covered with vast forests,
continuations of those of the Provinces of Santiago del Estero and the
Territory of the Chaco. These forests are rich in Quebracho wood, and
from them also come large supplies of firewood and charcoal.
The other parts of Santa Fé are devoted to stock and agriculture.
The streams of this Province, although more numerous than those
of Buenos Aires, have (with the exception of the great River Paraná)
the same tendency to dry up as have those of the Queen Province,
and, therefore, water-drawing windmills are in proportionate evidence.
Its Capital, the city from which it takes its name, is one of the oldest
in the River Plate countries. Its movement is, however, little else than
that of a merely political capital; the town of Rosario, with its port,
being the centre of most of the commercial activity of this part of the
Republic. Until the rise of Bahia Blanca, Rosario held the undisputed
rank of the second commercial centre of Argentina.
The City of Santa Fé nevertheless possesses an old-world beauty
and charm, with its palm avenues and spacious Plazas, its many
churches and its large one-storied residences. Rosario, on the other
hand, is as unsightly and uninteresting a place to the eye as could well
—or, rather badly—be conceived. It has, however, a large share of the
cereal export trade. This Province has also other important ports on
the Paraná, viz. the port of Santa Fé itself, Villa Constitution, Colastiné
and several minor ones, all of which are available for ocean-going
ships.
After Buenos Aires, Santa Fé is the Province with by far the greatest
and most conveniently situated railway mileage.
Mixed agriculture and stock farming is practised in many districts;
though Santa Fé has not yet felt the economic need of other than
extensive farming. Still, land values have, until recent events
prejudicially, if only temporarily, affected all such values, followed
those in Buenos Aires on an upward course. Santa Fé sends large
quantities of potatoes to the Buenos Aires and local markets.
 The milling industry of this Province ranks not only next in
importance to that of Buenos Aires, but its output of flour is very
much greater than that of Entre Rios, the next most important
Province in this regard. The Department of Reconquista, in the North
of the Province, has sugar mills, and other industries are the
production of ground-nut oil, dairy produce, tanneries, preserved
meats and maize alcohol.

CÓRDOBA
This Province is bounded on the North by the Province of Santiago
del Estero, on the North-West by the Province of Catamarca, on the
West by the Province of La Rioja and San Luis, on the South by the
Territory of the Pampa Central and the Province of Buenos Aires, and
on the East by the Province of Santa Fé.
Córdoba is the second Province of the Republic in point of wheat
and linseed production, being not far behind Buenos Aires in this
regard. Its maize production, however, does not amount to one-third
of that of either Buenos Aires or Santa Fé, while in oats it about ties
with the latter. In live stock it ranks fourth among the Argentine
Provinces, though it has less than half the number possessed by Entre
Rios and only about half of that of Corrientes. In the matter of
population it ranks fourth among the Provinces of the Republic, with
about one-third that of Buenos Aires.
As one travels towards the ancient capital of this Province one
begins to realize that the cosmopolitan delights of the city of Buenos
Aires do not reflect the soul of the Republic: the soul that fought for
its liberty under the blue sky and warm sun of 25th of May, now over
a hundred years ago. One begins involuntarily to dream of the Gaucho
Wars and to feel the atmosphere of wilder bygone times amid the
steep water-cut and cacti-crowned banks of the five great rivers which
traverse the land from west to east. And when one gets to “The
Learned City” the illusion is not dispelled. Only one extremely modern-
looking Hotel in a corner of the Plaza jars; the rest of old Córdoba
exhales the magnolia-scented atmosphere of Old Colonial days. The
Cathedral, the University (founded in 1613) and the innumerable
churches, the bells of which all clang incessantly on Feast-days, all
help to preserve in the old part of the City of Córdoba an atmosphere
of the Middle Ages, when monasteries and learning were indissolubly
connected. And of monks and nuns, brown-robed, black-robed, white-
robed and blue-robed, many there be in Córdoba. Wherever one
looks, across the Plaza, up one street or down another, one sees them
walking in twos or small groups with a uniformly measured step
which, as one instinctively feels, nothing could hurry nor retard. And
the black-coated citizens of Córdoba walk silently with eyes downcast.
But there is fierceness behind those cast-down eyes and quick hot
blood in the veins of those men in black; as anyone would soon find
out to his cost were he suspected of too close enquiry into local
political ways and means.
The writer speaks feelingly on this subject since when, a few years
ago, he was visiting Córdoba with a quite natural but equally innocent
curiosity for the old-world corners of the City, he unfortunately
disclosed in conversation with an eminently respectable-looking,
immaculately dressed gentleman that he, the present author, was a
journalist.
Soon afterwards his adventures began. He was molested in indirect
ways, and finally invited to pay a visit to the Central Police Station.
There he was given cigarettes and coffee by the Comisario, who
floridly apologized and expressed his deep regret and shame for the
treatment an honourable stranger had received. It was, however, but a
series of regrettable accidents arising from unfortunate error of certain
bad characters who were now in durance vile in consequence.
Here he rang a bell and ordered the answering policeman to bring in
the culprits. They were duly brought in and recognized.
“Now,” said the Comisario, “you will have no more trouble. Besides,”
he added, “one of our plain-clothes men will accompany you in future
wherever you go—for your better protection.”
The plain-clothes man certainly obeyed orders; so persistently that
the whole why and wherefore at last dawned on my confused brain.
 The intention was to worry me so much in a polite quasi-legitimate
fashion that I could have no ostensible cause of complaint; but, at the
same time, so that I should incontinently quit the ancient City of
Córdoba in disgust. The reason for all this was the fact that, having
nothing better to do on the evening of my arrival, I had wandered into
the basement of my Hotel and there found a person who looked like,
and indeed was, a leading local politician running a roulette to catch
the nickels of a crowd of working men. At that time the roulette was
the scarcely concealed vice of the town, rife in the back room of every
bar.
It is an illegal game in Argentina, as elsewhere except Monte Carlo,
and shortly after my visit it was the cause of a great outcry and
scandal in which several Provincial High Officials were involved.
I was a journalist and, therefore, dangerous. So a course of delicate
hints to me to get out had been planned and executed.
Following the gambling scandal, a leading Opposition politician was
shot dead in his carriage on the high road a short way outside the city.
When I read this news I was glad that I had not persisted in seeming
to pry into cupboards containing Córdoba’s official skeletons, and for
similar reasons I am still somewhat shy of Córdobese gentlemen with
downcast eyes and soft, measured tread.
All that, however, belongs to Old Córdoba. The parts of the city
called New Córdoba and Alta Córdoba are replete with palatial
residences as fine and as new as residential palaces need be.
The City of Córdoba is not only the traditional seat of learning par
excellence of the Republic, it is also, as a consequence of old-time
associations no doubt, its chief centre of clerical influence.
Córdoba is intensely and, if one may be permitted to say it,
intolerantly Catholic. Were it not subject to the democratic laws of a
modern and very go-ahead Republic one would hardly be surprised to
find disciplinary institutions of an Inquisitorial type still in full swing in
this old-world city of South America. As it is, there is no doubt of the
predominance of priestly influence in Provincial politics. Much of the
best freehold property in the city is owned by Monastic Orders or by
the Society of Jesus.
Most of the Province consists of a large plain; which, naturally, is the
chief productive area. But Córdoba has hills famous for the purity of
their air and great resorts for consumptive patients. Alta Gracia, with
its fine hotel, golf links, etc., has of late years acquired a very
favourable reputation as a place in which anyone may spend a very
pleasant and healthful week or so.
In the North-West of the Province are great salt marshes, in and
around which only a very scanty and meagre vegetation flourishes,
and in the North-East is the Mar Chiquita, a large and, in parts, very
deep lake, the waters of which are salty like those of the sea. Hence
its name.
Córdoba also possesses large forests, as yet chiefly exploited for
building timber and firewood.
Rio Cuarto, on the river of that name, is the next largest town in the
Province in point of population, but it is likely soon to be altogether
surpassed in importance by Bell Ville, on the Central Argentine
Railway, a rapidly advancing centre of the cereal trade, and some day
also, probably, by Marcos Juarez, comparatively close to it on the same
line.
Goats abound in the North of Córdoba. Land values have increased
and are increasing; especially in the most fertile regions in the South-
Eastern parts of the Province.
Córdoba has given and continues to give much attention to
irrigation and possesses one of the largest semi-natural reservoirs in
the world, certainly in South America, in the Dique San Roque, which is
formed by means of a wall of masonry placed across the mouth of a
mountain gorge. Its capacity is 260,000,000 cubic metres, and its
operation is completed by a basin situated some fifteen miles from
and below it, from which the water flows through two great primary
canals. The area so irrigated is some 130,000 hectares. Other large
irrigation works are in course of construction, and more still are under
consideration.
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