The Argentine as a Market
A fascinating time capsule of early twentieth-century economic thought, this scholarly report offers an intimate glimpse into how British capitalists perceived Argentina at the height of the country's export-driven boom. Nowell Lake Watson systematically dissects the Argentine economy through the lens of a prospective investor: he documents the troubling inflation affecting manufactured goods while staples remained affordable, catalogs the inefficiencies created by protective tariffs designed to nurture domestic industry, and critiques a labor market distorted by immigration policies that brought unsuitable settlers to an underpopulated nation. The work is particularly striking for its candid assessment of Buenos Aires' dominance over national trade, creating a concentrated market with inflated costs that puzzled and concerned foreign observers. Written from the perspective of someone who clearly admired Argentina's potential while remaining skeptical of its economic management, the book serves as an invaluable primary source for understanding the anxieties and assumptions that shaped British investment in Latin America during this formative period.
