South American Impressions

SOUTH AMERICAN IMPRESSIONS AN ADDRESS BY COLONEL THE HONOURABLE HENRY COCKSHUTT, LL.D. 14th April, 1927.

THE PRESIDENT occupied the chair and introduced the speaker of the day, who was cordially received. He said that it was not his intention to deliver a set speech, but merely to give in an informal way some impressions of a visit made, with members of his family, early in the year, to South America.

No one could visit the Argentine Republic or Brazil without being impressed by the natural resources of those vast countries, vast in extent and rich in natural endowments; and by the apparent fact that these resources were the objects of forthcoming enterprise. It was noticeable that Canadians were on the spot; at the main centres they occupied important positions with credit to themselves and to Canada.

He would refer first to Buenos Aires. It was only natural that people should take a special pride in their own home city. They all did it; and were to be commended for it,-civic patriotism was a fine trait of citizenship. Therefore when one heard the people of Buenos Aires assert that their's was the most beautiful city in the world once could sympathize with their love for their city; and, indeed, when the visitor looked around and viewed its amenities he would feel inclined to allow more than one-half of the claim. Buenos Aires was indeed a most beautiful place, unequalled, probably, in some respects, on this side of the ocean. The population was, he believed, mounting up to nearly two millions and that large and flourishing community was supplied with the comforts and conveniences which modern conditions of life required. There were attractive parks and public squares. The cathedral, the palace, Government House, and the chief public buildings were architecturally impressive and were in themselves an evidence that the people desired to keep abreast of the times, and that they believed in building an attractive as well as a commodious city.

The export trade of Argentina centred on Buenos Aires, and consequently the harbour facilities on the magnificent waterfront were on an extensive plan. The Republic possessed a large territory, well watered by rivers and lakes, and the land was noted for its rich pasturage. The main interest was the raising of sheep and cattle; and it was, he believed, a fact, that some of the finest beef imported by Britain was sent from this fine grazing country. There was also the production of tobacco, fruits, cereals and dairy goods. Of wheat, as many as thirty-six shiploads per day left the harbour when the season was at its height. The cattle trade had fallen off somewhat lately owing to the export tax placed on it by the Argentine Government, and indeed all movement of goods was hampered through lack of adequate transportation facilities. There were no sufficient highways, and the railways were of three different gaugesnarrow, standard and broad-which did not allow interchange of traffic, on long or short hauls. In the matter of the transportation of wheat alone, it was estimated that this condition of things, and the various handlings which it involved, caused a wastage of from forty to fifty per cent. between the grain in the ear and the loaf of bread on the table. The disadvantage to which the grower and operator were put from this state of things was very great; and it ought also to be added that South American grain was of the soft variety and brought a lower price than the better Canadian quality. Yet the Argentine crops were a factor in the market of the world.

In the course of a journey of some six hundred miles into the interior, they had travelled through a country the very appearance of which filled one with hope for its future greatness. From Buenos Aires to Cordova, a distance of some six hundred miles, the country was one vast cultivated plain, fields, miles in length, along the railway, being sown with corn, wheat, and alfalfa, the latter furnishing succulent food for great herds of cattle. There was an air of prosperity everywhere and the promise of unbounded development. It was a fact, that there were natural resources in abundance untouched. Population and production were bound in the very nature of things to grow and expand more and more in the near future; for natural wealth, in our day, did not long go a-begging. Canadian business men, especially exporters who wished to build up a South American trade, ought to visit the country as the best means of getting a true idea of conditions. Personal observation, personal contact, were necessary in order to understand what the opportunities were which existed in places away from home. An open mind, a seeing eye, and clear judgment, with some of the old spirit of adventure, lay at the basis of world business, and world opportunities were never better than they were today.

Even to a greater extent than in the Argentine was the truth of this to be learned in Brazil. An example of what Canadian business courage could accomplish abroad was found in the experience of the Brazilian Power Company. This company was a Canadian organization which developed on a large scale in the South where it was meeting with success. Manned and operated by Canadians, it was furnishing power, tram, gas and light service to Rio de Janeiro, the chief city of Brazil. The city-thirty miles distant from the point at which the power was generated-had, as a the power services supplied to it, increased in population, in a few years, from 65,000 to 876,000, and last year there had been a new dwelling-house finished for every day in the year. Nearly all the expansion was industrial, and was almost entirely due to the hydro development by this one Canadian corporation.

He had had an opportunity of observing some Brazilian developments of magnitude which interested him very much. The company was constructing a great artificial lake and reservoir, which when complete would cost $40,000,000, and would yield 70,000,000 horse-power, almost as much as was derived from the Canadian side of Niagara. There was really more undertaken in this connection than the generating and distributing of power. The company had obtained large charter rights, including navigation rights in the utilization of which, goods such as coffee, and other produce would be brought by the new route, expeditiously to the seaboard. The present market for the electric power produced by the company was not large enough to absorb the supply. In this matter the foresight of the concern was demonstrated. Instead of being content with merely meeting the demand of the existing market, the company made provision in its original plans, for a larger supply, so that they might be prepared for the further demands they hoped for, and thus save the additional cost of reconstruction. But not contented to wait for something to turn up the company set about to create a demand among firms hitherto using other forms of power, and was succeeding in doing so. That was in the ordinary course of expanding business, what any company with surplus stock would do. But in addition to the obvious, this company struck out in other directions. It had found out that in the past a large portion of the surrounding country had been coffee plantations worked by slaves. With economic changes the land had been allowed to deteriorate and become unproductive. To bring back vast tracts of land to a fertile condition, plans were being made to use the surplus electric power to extract fertilizers from the distant rock formations, large quantities of which were available-and by this means to fertilize and reclaim the worn-out land so that the cultivation of coffee and other products could be resumed on a vastly profitable scale. Thus, the power would be used, the waste places restored, and a valuable source of wealth added to the country's possessions; and all this through the business genius of their fellow Canadians, who abroad as well as at home, saw the opportunity and knew when and how to seize it: (Cheers.)

Rio de Janerio, the capital of Brazil, was highly favoured as to its situation; and to its natural advantages , man has added much that is pleasing to the eye. Most of the large city is modern; and it can boast of fine, broad avenues and excellent buildings. There are interesting botanical and zoological gardens; and an aerial railway carries passengers to the top of Sugar Loaf hill (1,260 feet), one of the places of interest much visited. The industrial interests-which are rapidly growing-require flour mills, founderies, breweries, sugar refineries, rubber factories, and railway workshops. There is a commodious harbour which is continually undergoing improvements and from which are exported coffee, rubber, sugar, hides, ores, and diamonds, with a steadily upward tendency.

He desired to acknowledge here the courtesies he had experienced everywhere in the two great Southern republics from resident Canadians. He would specially refer to railway officials and members of the banking profession. Everything possible had been done by these men to help his movements from place to place, to see within the shortest possible time what was most worthwhile seeing, and to get into direct contact with reliable sources of useful information. Both in Argentine and in Brazil the Canadian managers of the branches of the Royal Bank of Canada and of the Canadian Bank of Commerce were most courteous and spared no trouble to render their visit a delightful episode as well as affording an opportunity of seeing at first hand great industrial developments in process of operation. He was welcomed as a Canadian. There was much implied in that. Canadians were welcomed because they had as a rule upheld the standard of fair-dealing and of honour in business to which they were accustomed at home. (Cheers.) He also heard nothing but good-will expressed towards Great Britain. A good name meant much abroad, and while they were proud of that name as Canadians and as citizens of the British Empire, they ought not to forget that it was theirs as a great heritage involving responsibilities to which they should ever be responsive and sensitive.

Before sitting down, there was one thing which he wished specially to refer to. It was the political status of the Canadian Trade Commissioners in South America. Doubtless similar conditions existed elsewhere. While those commissioners with whom he had come in contact were fine gentlemen and energetic workers they were seriously handicapped in the discharge of their duties by the fact that they were denied official recognition by foreign governments because they were not officially attached to a Legation. The Trade Commissioners of the United States, Great Britain, Germany, and other such countries, were attached to the Legations of their respective countries, by which fact they were officially recognized and therefore could make business engagements for visitors and could bring direct action to bear without loss of time or prestige. A Canadian Trade Commissioner could not make an appointment for a visiting Canadian with any Government official because he was not officially recognized. That was not satisfactory and did not look well for this great Dominion. He believed this impairment of the service might easily be remedied by an appeal to Britain to attach the Canadian Trade Commissioners to the British embassies or Legations as the case might be. (Cheers.)

THE HONOURABLE G. HOWARD FERGUSON, Prime Minister of Ontario, in proposing a vote of thanks, stated that one of the outstanding features of Colonel Cockshutt's career was his strong British sentiment. There had been no word that he had said during his public life, and no act that he had done, which had not been butressed and strengthened by strong British feeling; a sentiment which was not unwelcome in this country. (Applause.)

Six WILLIAM MULOCK, seconding the vote of thanks, stated that he shared the sentiments expressed by the Prime Minister in regard to the esteem and admiration in which Colonel Cockshutt was held by the people of Ontario. He welcomed Colonel Cockshutt home. "No public man," continued Sir William, "in my opinion, ever adorned the office of Lieutenant-Governor or served the people in a finer way than has Colonel Cockshutt." (Applause.)

The vote of thanks was conveyed by the President, and acknowledged by Colonel Cockshutt in a few appreciative words.