The following statement as to Argentine railways is taken from a valuable "Treatise on the South American Railways" compiled by Juan José Castro, under the direction of the Ministry of Public Works of the Republic of Uruguay, and printed in 1893, for transmission to the Chicago World's Exhibition. In the preface, Señor Castro says: With respect to Argentine railways, I have been able to avail myself of the latest and most complete information concerning them, thanks to the courtesy of the Public Works Department and the General Railway Board of that Republic. In the chapter which treats especially of the railways of the Argentine Republic, he says: In considering the railways of the Argentine Republic opened to traffic, in construction, or projected, there are noticeable in the whole network, four great systems that run out of Buenos Aires : (1) The Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway, with a total length of 1,878 kilometers, the main line running to the port of Bahía Blanca, distance 717 kilometers, from whence at a future date it is intended to be continued across the Rio Negro, Chubut, and Santa Cruz territories. (2) The Buenos Aires and Pacific Railway to Valparaiso, of 1,221 kilometers to the Argentine-Chilian frontier, this line forming a section of the Interoceanic line from the port of Recife (Pernambuco) to the port of Valparaiso. (3) The Buenos Aires and Rosario Railway running to Tucumán, and from thence, in combination with the Central Northern Prolongation Railway, to Jujuy, distant 1,507 kilometers from the Capital. The Central Northern Prolongation will be continued to the Bolivian frontier and will thus form a principal line in the combination proposed with the railways of that country. (4) The Santa Fé, Reconquista and Formosa route, intended to communicate with Asunción (Paraguay), and of the total length of 1,216 kilometers to Formosa. There are already constructed some 779 kilometers as far as Reconquista. These four lines, by the districts which they traverse and the towns which they serve, form the great trunk lines of the Argentine railway system that connects with the Capital, and they belong : (1) To the Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway Company (Limited). (2) In three sections: (a) Buenos Aires to Villa Mercedes, to the Buenos Aires and Pacific Railway Company (Limited). (b) Villa Mercedes to Mendoza, to the Argentine Great Western Railway Company (Limited). (c) Mendoza to the Chilian frontier, to the Transandine Railway Com pany. (3) In two sections: (a) Buenos Aires to Tucumán, to the Buenos Aires and Rosario Railway Company (Limited). (b) Tucumán to Jujuy, to the Nation. (4) In three sections, of which the two constructed already belong : (a) From Buenos Aires to Santa Fé, to the Buenos Aires and Rosario Railway Company (Limited). (b) Santa Fé to Reconquista, to the Provincial Government of Santa Fé. (c) Reconquista to Tucumán, to a separate company that will be formed to construct this line. RAILWAY ADVANCEMENT. The first railway established in the Argentine Republic was the Western of Buenos Aires, the first section of which, 10 kilometers in length, was opened to public traffic in 1857. The rate of railway development in the Argentine Republic annually has been as follows: 1857 1860 1865 1870 1875 Railways open to public service... Railways, construction of which is being actively carried on...... Railways, construction of which partly stopped............. Railways surveyed Railways under survey Railways to be surveyed Total.. Kilometers. 12, 990. 200 527.900 500. 400 3, 698. 568 4, 088. 600 61.000 7,793.700 29, 660. 368 Capital represented by the railways of the Argentine Republic in the year 1892.* The $397,684,593 which represent the total of the Argentine railways are distributed as follows: *One hundred dollars (U. S. A.) are equal to $103. 64, Argentine gold. The gross receipts of all the railways to January 1, 1892, amounted to $55,417,555, as follows: The working expenses of all the lines to the same date amounted to $37,852,768, as follows: The profits and losses in the year 1891 amounted to $19,028,833, distributed as follows: According to the office of accountancy and control of the general direction of railways, the guarantied companies, in the year 1891, owed the Government for guaranties considered to be unduly paid the sum of $4,087,389, distributed among the companies as follows: |