This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling.(May 2023) |
Industry | Wood |
---|---|
Founded | 1906 [1] |
Defunct | 1963[1] |
Fate | Defunct |
Headquarters | Chaco Santafesino (Santa Fe Province) , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Products | Tannin |
Number of employees | 20,000 [1] |
Parent | Murrieta & Co., London |
The Forestal Land, Timber and Railways Company Limited, commonly known as La Forestal, was a British forestry company that operated in the region between the southern Chaco and northern Santa Fe provinces in Argentina. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, La Forestal exploited the extensive quebracho forests in these provinces, [2] becoming the leading global producer of tannin. The company played a significant role in establishing approximately 40 towns, constructing ports, laying down 400 kilometers of private railways, and operating around 30 factories. At its peak, La Forestal employed about 20,000 people. [1]
Throughout its presence in Argentina, La Forestal possessed 2,000,000 hectares of quebracho forests, owned five tannin plants, and operated 400 kilometers of railways. The company functioned like a self-contained entity within the region, managing ports and towns. It even had its own security force, the Gendarmería Volante, established following the 1919 strikes and managed by Santa Fe Governor Enrique Mosca. Moreover, La Forestal introduced its own currency, which workers used to exchange for food and clothing. [3]
La Forestal's exports were substantial, and its Chaco tannin played a crucial role in tanning leather goods, including boots and other gear, for British soldiers during World War I. [4]
Between 1919 and 1923, workers' unions within the company engaged in labor struggles, culminating in the tragic La Forestal massacre of 1921, one of the largest massacres in Argentine history. [5] [2] [4] The company eventually departed Argentina in 1963, leading to the closure of the towns it had established. Unfortunately, this departure was preceded by the deforestation of almost 90% of the forests, causing significant ecological damage and desertification estimated at approximately 3,000 million dollars. [1]
During the mid-19th century, the Chaco Santafesino region was largely undeveloped, characterized by wetlands and red quebracho forests. The area was inhabited by indigenous groups such as the Abipones and Mocovíes, who eventually faced displacement or elimination due to military campaigns. Additionally, there were some agricultural colonies and scattered farms in the region. Life in the area was marked by the typical circumstances and conflicts of border regions.
In 1872, the provincial government took action to develop the Chaco Santafesino by contracting a loan with the London firm "Murrieta & Co.," represented by the Argentine Lucas González. [1] The loan, totaling GBP 180,187, was intended to serve as the initial capital for the establishment of the Banco Provincial de Santa Fe. [6] However, the loan was not repaid on time, leading to lengthy negotiations. Eventually, in 1880, the National Government, under González's guidance, passed a bill to honor one-third of the debt with Treasury bonds and the remaining two-thirds with public land, which would be restricted and sold in England and other parts of Europe.
The law's implementation resulted in González being appointed as the agent for the London firm, tasked with selling 668 square leagues of land, approximately 2 million hectares, covered with quebracho trees, making it the largest tannin reserve in the world. Consequently, these lands were owned by English, German, and French interests, mainly represented by Murrieta & Co. The transaction faced little questioning in the National Parliament, and there were rumors that the lands might be subdivided into colonies, as the region was seen as suitable for the settlement of Anglo-Saxon settlers.
Over the years and after several business mergers, "The Forestal Land, Timber and Railways Company Limited," known as "La Forestal," was formally established in 1906. [1]
During the late 19th and mid-20th centuries, the tannic industry played a significant role in the economy of the Chaco region. Numerous tannin factories were established in the northern province of Santa Fe, attracting thousands of workers and giving rise to new urban centers known as "forest towns." Notable examples include Villa Guillermina, Tartagal, La Gallareta, and Villa Ana. The workers in the tannin industry faced challenging living conditions, particularly those employed in the forestry obrajes, where the work was demanding. [4]
To address the labor shortage, La Forestal invested in infrastructure to attract and retain workers in the forest. As a result, factory towns emerged within the quebracho Colorado forests, housing workers associated with the industrial process. The workforce was divided, and hierarchical differences were prevalent between the workers and the company. [4]
The main towns featured tannin factories, general stores, elegant English-style residences for married managers and employees, "bachelor" accommodations for single men, simple ranches for workers and laborers, sports clubs, golf courses, and amenities such as electricity, running water, sewer systems, and medical care. However, deep within the closed forest, workers and their families lived in modest taperas or enramadas. [1]
Most loggers were internal migrants from provinces such as Corrientes and Santiago del Estero, often accompanied by their families. Payment was made using tokens, which workers exchanged for food and clothing available exclusively at La Forestal stores. The company enforced a monopoly on retail trade in the region.
The obrajes were temporary settlements, inhabited until the quebracho exploitation in a specific area was complete. Families were then relocated by rail to new, untouched areas, where they settled in rudimentary ranches. Most workers lived in harsh conditions, sleeping on the ground or in ditches for warmth. [3]
Women were crucial in supporting the exhausted workforce, serving as wives, mothers, teachers, nurses, prostitutes, midwives, healers, seamstresses, cooks, laundresses, ironers, and sellers at obrajes dances. Many women provided their services without remuneration. [7]
La Forestal also established private railway lines spanning 140 kilometers [8] from its territory to Argentine ports. As the only railway in the region, the company profited by charging other state or private companies for transporting their goods. This arrangement increased production costs in northern Argentina but also facilitated exports that would have otherwise been difficult to achieve.
In 1919, during the presidency of UCR's Hipólito Yrigoyen (1916–1922), the workers at La Forestal successfully established a strong union organization and initiated a general strike. [9] [3] Their demands included wage increases, the cessation of dismissals, and an 8-hour workday. The strike was resolved after rail workers blocked train routes, and the company agreed to the wage increase. [3]
However, in the following years, La Forestal breached the agreement and influenced the radical government of Santa Fe to create a paramilitary group called the Gendarmería Volante, funded by the company, to protect its interests. Simultaneously, the Argentine Patriotic League (Liga Patriótica Argentina), a civil organization, deployed armed groups in the area to confront strikers. [10]
In December 1919, another strike began, lasting until mid-January 1920. It was marked by daily picketing to expand the influence of the Workers' Center in all workplaces. The company responded with a massive show of force, using prison guards, infantry soldiers, and police to confront the strikers. The rail and works railway workers obstructed train movements by removing railway signal needles. After a fierce struggle, the workers' resistance resulted in a new wage increase and the implementation of three 8-hour shifts. [3]
Following these events, in December 1920, La Forestal initiated a prolonged lockout, closing its factories and laying off thousands of workers. This led to severe food shortages in several towns (such as Villa Guillermina, La Gallareta, Villa Ana, and Tartagal). The situation sparked a general social outbreak in the region on January 29, 1921, with armed clashes persisting for three months in towns and forests. [10]
On that date, known as "the final workers' revolt," approximately 300 to 400 workers attempted to take over the Villa Ana and Villa Guillermina factories, engaging in a frontal fight against the Flying Gendarmerie. Despite arriving by train and armed, the workers were forced into the forest, where they faced a brutal crackdown by the authorities. The violent confrontation resulted in numerous deaths and injuries, with estimates of fatalities ranging from 500 to 600. [10]
The rebellion faced brutal repression from the Gendarmería Volante and the Patriotic Legion, resulting in the deaths of approximately 600 workers and reports of torture, rape, and the burning of houses. By November 1922, La Forestal had reopened its factories, but by then, the Tanino Union and all traces of union organization among the quebracho workers had vanished.
Three decades later, with the quebrachales (quebracho forests) depleted, La Forestal permanently closed its plants in Argentina, causing the most significant social and ecological disaster ever generated by a company in Argentine history.
The rebellion of January 1921 marked the final episode in a series of open conflicts in northern Santa Fe that had begun in late 1918. During this period, workers in tannin factories, workshops, forests, trains, and boats organized themselves, formed unions, and presented a list of demands to improve working and living conditions. [4] The workers sought respect from the hierarchies, united across various towns, and gained support from national labor federations. The struggle for improved conditions and rights culminated in the uprising of January 1921. [4]
In 1963, La Forestal closed its last factory and ceased operations in Argentina, marking the end of activity in the obrajes (forestry workstations). [8] The company relocated its production to South Africa, where the Apartheid system allowed for fewer controls and cheaper labor. This move resulted in a trail of abandoned towns and displaced workers in Argentina. [5]
Notably, La Forestal had previously operated in South Africa during the 1910s, where it took over two competing companies: the South African Extract Company Ltd. and the Natal Tanning Extract Company. Additionally, around 1920, amid the crucial workers' rebellion in Argentina, the company founded The Kenya Tanning Extract Company in Kenya and the Wattle Company in Zimbabwe (1945). As the company expanded its business in Africa [6] and faced increasing costs in Argentina, it ultimately decided to end its operations in the country. [5]
During its presence in Argentina, La Forestal significantly contributed to deforestation, cutting down almost 90% of the quebracho forests. The depletion of these forests had substantial ecological implications for the region. [1] [11]
By 1940, La Forestal was consuming more than 1,300 tons of logs daily, equating to approximately 400,000 tons annually, and destroying 16,000 hectares of forest each year. The company consistently claimed that reforestation was not feasible and that previous experimental attempts had been unsuccessful. [5]
In 2004, a joint report conducted by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of the Nation and the National Agricultural Technology Institute (INTA) extensively studied the devastation of natural forests and the process of desertification in the northern region of the province of Santa Fe, primarily attributed to the actions of La Forestal. As a consequence of the logging practices employed by La Forestal and other companies in Santa Fe, the province lost a staggering 82% of its forests. [12]
Throughout the 80 years of La Forestal's operations, the company contributed only a minimal amount in taxes to the state. According to the company's financial records, in 1916, it paid the province a mere $0.3 million in taxes, whereas, during the same year, it paid the British Empire $9,000 million—amounting to thirty thousand times more. The report prepared by the Ministry of the Environment and INTA estimated the ecological cost caused solely by La Forestal at a staggering $3 billion. [11]
In the Chaco province of Argentina, the city of Villa Ángela has a history of quebracho exploitation. "La Chaqueña," a tannin extractor, was founded in 1917 by Julio Martín and Carlos Grüneisen. Before this, around 1902, they had explored the national territory on horseback. The factory, which ceased operations in 1983, still features a 40-meter-high tower and well-preserved ruins where young people graffiti and paint murals, while stray dogs seek refuge from the scorching afternoon sun. Recognized as Provincial Historical Heritage, La Chaqueña thrived during its heyday, employing 200 people in the plant and engaging over two thousand loggers who transported quebracho from the mountains. [1]
The Gran Chaco or Dry Chaco is a sparsely populated, hot and semiarid lowland tropical dry broadleaf forest natural region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, western Paraguay, northern Argentina, and a portion of the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, where it is connected with the Pantanal region. This land is sometimes called the Chaco Plain.
The Paraguayan Chaco or Región Occidental is a semi-arid region in Paraguay, with a very low population density. The area is being rapidly deforested. Consisting of more than 60% of Paraguay's land area, but with less than 3% of the population, the Chaco is one of the most sparsely inhabited areas in South America.
Puerto Casado is one of the 4 districts in Alto Paraguay Department, Paraguay. It includes the town of La Victoria or Puerto La Victoria, which has a population of around 7,800.
The Chaco National Park is a national park of Argentina, located in the province of Chaco. It has an area of 150 km2. It was created in 1954 in order to protect a sample of the Eastern Chaco, composed mainly of warm lowlands, with an annual summer rainfall between 750 and 1,300 mm.
Schinopsis balansae is a hardwood tree known as willow-leaf red quebracho which forms forests in the subtropical Humid Chaco ecoregion of north-eastern Argentina, and Paraguay. It is also found in the wild Pantanal vegetation in Brazil. Some of its vernacular names are quebracho colorado chaqueño and quebracho santafesino. Other species, like Schinopsis lorentzii, bear the general name quebracho and have similar properties and uses. S. balansae shares its habitat with a species of the same genus, S. heterophylla, and the two are often confused.
The General Obligado Department is an administrative subdivision (departamento) of the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located in the northeast of the province. It has about 166,000 inhabitants as per the 2001 census [INDEC]. Its head town is the city of Reconquista.
Rosario is a former railway station and the terminus of the Santa Fe Western Railway company in Rosario, province of Santa Fe, Argentina.
The General Manuel Belgrano Railway (FCGMB), named after the Argentine politician and military leader Manuel Belgrano, is a 1,000 mmmetre gauge railway and the longest of the Argentine system. It was one of the six State-owned Argentine railway companies formed after President Juan Perón's nationalisation of the railway network in 1948.
The Central Argentine Railway, referred to as CA below, was one of the Big Four broad gauge, 5 ft 6 in British companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina. The company had been established in the 19th century, to serve the provinces of Santa Fe and Córdoba, in the east-central region of the country. It would later extend its operations to Buenos Aires, Tucumán, and Santiago del Estero. The railroad had a complicated relationship with its employees in the 1910s, and then it had a complicated relationship with the government of Argentina in the 1920s.
The Santa Fe Western Railway was an Argentine railway company which became British-owned in 1900 when it was taken over by the Central Argentine Railway. The company was based in the south of the province of Santa Fe.
The Santa Fe and Córdoba Great Southern Railway was a British-owned railway company that built and operated a 5 ft 6 in broad gauge railway network in the Argentine provinces of Santa Fe and Córdoba.
Province of Santa Fe Railway was a French-owned company that purchased a 1,000 mmmetre gauge railway network built by the provincial government of Santa Fe in Argentina on 10 April 1900 and later extended it in the provinces of Chaco and Córdoba. After nationalisation in 1948 it became part of the state-owned company Belgrano Railway
Monte Quemado is a municipality and village in Santiago del Estero in Argentina. It is the capital city of the Copo Department, Province of Santiago del Estero, Argentina, in the Chaco Austral region, practically in the El Impenetrable phytogeographic zone. It lies on national road RN 16, a route that runs parallel to a branch of the General Manuel Belgrano Railway and the aqueduct diverter from the Salado del Norte River known as the Canal de Dios. Precisely in Monte Quemado it starts as a branch of the aqueduct, the branch that goes to the south is called the Virgen del Carmen Canal, which runs parallel to provincial road RP 5 that connects Monte Quemado with Campo Gallo. Another land route which coincides with the RN 16 and RP 5 in Monte Quemado is provincial road RP 4.
La Escondida is a village and municipality in Chaco Province in northern Argentina La Escondida in the region of Chaco with its 3,948 residents is located in Argentina - some 522 miles (840 km) north of Buenos Aires.
The Argentine legislative elections of 1920 were held on 7 March. Voters chose their legislators and numerous governors, and with a turnout of 53.7%.
Quebracho is a common name in Spanish to describe very hard wood tree species. The etymology of the name derived from quiebrahacha, or quebrar hacha, meaning "axe-breaker". The corresponding English-language term for such hardwoods is breakax or breakaxe.
Quebracho is an Argentine 1974 film directed by Ricardo Wullicher. It tells the story of "La Forestal," an English company extracting Quebracho trees between 1900 and 1963 in the northern province of Santa Fe. The wood and its main product, tannin, were highly coveted between 1918 and 1945 and became a focal point of political and social struggles connected with the evolution of trade unionism, as well as the emergence of the Radical Civic Union and Peronism. It is considered an iconic film of its period, if now somewhat dated.
La Forestal massacre was the mass killing, torture, rape and burning of houses of workers aligned with the anarcho-syndicalist union FORA by private police forces and the paramilitary nationalist organization Argentine Patriotic League in 1921 in several towns of the north of the Santa Fe province of Argentina. The number of victims of the massacre was about 600 people, striking workers of the British tanning company La Forestral.
The Ocampo Railway, also called the first Chaco Railway and later La Forestal Railway, was the first railway of Villa Ocampo, of the North of Santa Fe and of the entire Gran Chaco Territory. It had a metric gauge (1000 mm) and was inaugurated on July 26, 1884. It was established by local settler Manuel Ocampo Samanés, who had also founded the city of Villa Ocampo in 1878.