Population, Social Conditions, etc.—The census of 1869 gave the population of Buenos Aires as 187,346 inhabitants, and prophesied 600,000 for 1919; in 1895 it had 663,854 and in January 1917 about 1,700,000. The increase has been at the rate of 40 per cent in a decade (inferior alone to Chicago). Buenos Aires has more than 440,000 foreign residents, of whom 230,000 are Italians, 105,000 Spanish, 28,000 French, 6,000 English and 6,000 German. The greater part of the landowners of the prov ince of Buenos Aires and the Pampas prefer to live in the city of Buenos Aires, enjoying the rent of their land or hoping that the improve ments on their neighbors' lands will increase the value of their own. In this respect, that prov ince and this territory are to the city of Aires what Ireland has been to London. Be cause of this and because the city is the seat of the national government, also because of the many commercial • establishments engaged in foreign trade, Buenos Aires is a centre, where the light and splendor of a great capital never die out. It has two theatres where in an especially interesting season appeared Saint Saens, l'uccini, Sara Bernhardt, Coquelin, Rejane, Tina di Lorenzo, Jane Hading, No velli, Caruso, etc. Nevertheless, this wealth, which is the result of the absenteeism above referred to, retards the progress of the country districts and gives birth to a close, feudal plutocracy. Such a social condition is not best fitted to call forth a truly democratic public spirit. However, the spirit of association com mences to enjoy a broader outlook, there being a constant increase in the number of educational and civic associations whose object is to make all classes participate in social well-being. The charitable Institutions are disposed more and more to abandon their cut-and-dried methods, and instead of lessening the effects of poverty, they endeavor to prevent its causes through a collective social crusade, hoping that before long a law against child-labor will be passed and that model reformatories and juvenile courts will be established to better the general conditions of children.
There are over 5,000 persons in the asylums. The free municipal lodging-house gives lodging and bOard to 41,578 persons, the Salvation Army to 40,305, the French Charity Associa tion to 5,046. 'The criminals arrested annually for each 1,000 inhabitants from 15 to 70 years of age may be divided very nearly as follows: German, 4.23; Argentine, 8.70; .Spanish, 8.26;
French, 3.40; English, 4.93; Italians, 6.61; Ura guayan, 8.65.
In one year there were 929 births for each 10,000 foreign women. That year, for each 10,000 Argentine women were born 1,926 children. Later, these figures decreased to 850 and 1,300 respectively. There are about 75 marriages and 150 deaths for each 10,000 in habitants. For history, see ARGENTINA.
The communal government of the city is a kind of government by commis sion, composed of an intendente and a de liberating council appointed by the national executive authority. The amount of annual expenditures is about $10,000,000.
As is evident, it can hardly be said that Buenos Aires enjoys self-government, strictly speaking. Nevertheless the government pos sesses considerable prestige, resembling in this respect an aristocratic city. For this reason the public employees seek for the reward of public opinion, and it has been said that there is not a city in the world where so much is accomplished for the same amount of money. On the other hand, as a consequence of paternal government, apathy is to be found in furthering official action. The Asistencia Publica, or board of health, can truly be called the best in the world. The 18 hospitals are well kept, many in very appropriate buildings. The sale of food in the 35 markets of the city is scrupulously controlled.
In the Americas, October 1916, recent rail way developments in and about Buenos Aires are described, the writer calling attention to the circumstances that suburban Buenos Aires is served by three railways — The Central Argentine and the Southern, each of which operates two lines, and the Western which operates one. One of these roads has finished the electrification of its route; another has com pleted a subway under the city. Measures of the volume of business at Buenos Aires in 1916 are supplied in a cablegram which gives ethe barometrics of the business situation at the beginning of September," as follows: Visible gold supply in Caja de Conversion (see ARGEN TINA - BANKING AND FINANCE) and legations $317,000,000; in banks $27,000,000, circulating currency, paper $1,013,000,000, bank clearings, August, $613,000,000 paper; business failures, August, liabilities $9,000,000 and assets $10, 000,000; foreign vessels entered,. August, 126 with net tonnage 208,000; exportation of wheat, August, 82,000 tons, of maize 329,000, of linseed 53,000, of oats 127,000 tons, etc.