180 BEPORT ON COOPERATION IN AMERICAN EXPORT TRADE.
$298,000,000 ; Belgian, $180,000,000; Spanish, $80,000,000; American,
$20,000,000. Most of this latter is represented by the various meatfreezing
 plants. Within the last 18 months there have been placed
in the United States Argentine national bonds aggregating
$40,000,000. These figures illustrate the vast hold which the European
 nations have acquired on this market.
Approximately 90 per cent of the railroads in Argentina are
British owned, as well as the street-car lines, the subway, the gas
company, etc. The electric-light plants are operated by German and
Italian enterprise, while the greater portion of the public works are
carried out by European constructing firms, employing European
engineers, European machinery and equipment, etc. The majority
of the large importing houses 1n Buenos Aires are British, German,
and French owned, while European countries also have well-developed
 banking facilities, which assist their importers, which have
been in existence here for many years. There is also, in normal times,
a well-developed steamship communication between Argentina and
Great Britain, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy,
and Austria-Hungary, and ships of these nationalities are coming
into the port of Buenos Aires almost constantly.
In the Argentine public works department considerable employment
 of European engineers to give expert technical advice has been
a common custom in the past. These men generally exercise a large
amount of influence in securing for this country the necessary machinery
 and equipment in prosecuting the public works from their
own native country.
Government attitude toward the industries—As Argentina finds a
very ready and easy market for its agricultural and pastoral products,
 which is carried on by established export houses with European
connections, there has never been any occasion for the Government
to make any efforts to foster this well-established trade, while in the
case of imports, this, too, is left to the individual merchant to seek his
clientele and to meet the existing competition. The Argentine Government,
 however, is making every effort to foster its own domestic
manufacturing industry, and makes general grants of concessions of
various natures, such as land leases, exemption from customs duties
of such machinery and equipment as are destined for the industry,
exemption from certain internal taxes, and other facilities which
may be instrumental in founding and in fomenting the industry.

CHILE.

Spgeip) erort of Consul General L. J. Keena, Valparaiso, Chile, December
In addition to nitrate and iodine! the export products of Chile
consist for the most part of copper and copper ore, frozen meats.
wool, whale oil, agricultural products, hides and skins, nuts, wine,
etc. There are no products manufactured in the country which are
regularly exported unless wine be classed as such a product. The
Government through its diplomatic and consular officers has rendered
valuable assistance to the wine exporters in the way of information

1 For facts regarding the combinations in the nitrate and iodine industries see Pt. I,
pp. 205 to 208, and Pt. II, pp. 497 to 503.—FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION,