Mr. Vilas to Mr. Blaine.
Buenos Ayres , August 12, 1889. (Received September 21.)
Sir: The indirect colonization of the vacant lands of this country by means of the concession of great tracts for the formation of colonization societies under the law of 1876 not having given the satisfactory results expected, and the tide of immigration not abating, the executive power submitted to the National Congress on July 29, 1889, a project of a law for the division of 750,000,000 acres of government land in the territory of Chubut into small holdings of 500 to”l,000 acres each, to be sold directly to agricultural families at prices varying according to the classification of the land, and ranging from $1 to $3 (national money) per hectarea, equal to about 2½ acres. It is proposed to divide the whole area of territory indicated into ten sections, one of which is to be allotted to Argentine settlers and the others respectively to the different nationalities of Europe supplying immigration to this country.
In view of the facts that the immigration of the first six months of 1889 has been 126,000 against 155,000 during the whole of 1888, and that much of the government land has passed into private hands under the above-cited law of 1876, this project will undoubtedly receive the legislative sanction.
I am, etc.,