It may be interesting to state the amount of silver exported and coined in Mexican mints from 1874 to 1896, which is the following: The preceding statement gives correct data of the exports of silver from the fiscal year 1874-1875 to the fiscal year 1895-1896, excepting the years 1875-1876 and 1876-1877, which are not included for want of data. The difference between the two amounts for these years is $75,712,290, showing the large proportion of silver which was not coined, and was exported in bullion. The following statement shows that the export of Mexican silver reached almost its minimum in the year 1887-1888, and its maximum in the year 1892-1893, with the exception of the last one. The minimum coincided with the first sterling loan negotiated by Mexico; the second sterling loan negotiated in 1890 caused a decrease in the export of Mexican silver coin of 26 per cent., as compared with the previous fiscal year of 1889-1890. The export of silver bullion has steadily increased since 1872-1873, until it was in 1895-1896 seventeen times as large as in the first named year. During the first fiscal year of those embraced in the above table, the export of silver bullion was 1.4 to 22.6 as compared with silver coin, and in the year 1895-1896 the proportion was 15.3 to 20.5. In the year 1872-1873 the export of silver bullion represented 6 per cent. of the total export of silver, while in the fiscal year 1895-1896 it represented 20 per cent. The export of silver ore only began in the fiscal year 1886-1887. EXPORTS OF SILVER FROM JULY IST, 1872, TO JUNE 30TH, 1896. Our production of gold used to be very small for reasons already given, but the present high price of that metal is increasing considerably our output of the same. The exports of gold from Mexico in the fiscal year ended June 30, 1896, amounted to $5,800,000, as declared by the Mexican Bureau of Statistics, but even this statement is not correct, as it needs the following additions, shown by experience and reliable authorities: about 15 per cent. for gold exports made without any return, 2 per cent. for undervaluation, 0.5 per cent. used in the arts in Mexico, 1 per cent., possibly more now, with the increasing prosperity of the country, retained in the banks, 2 per cent. in circulation, making a total of 20.5 per cent. to be added to the official return, which brings up the produc tion of gold in Mexico to $6,989,000 for the year 1896 and even this figure is considered very low. Mexican Gold Exported to the United States.-The United States is our principal market for the gold we produce. The following statement furnished to me on February 6, 1897, by the Director of the Mint of the Treasury Department of the United States, contains the imports of gold bullion, ore and coin into the United States, as reported by the Collector of Customs, from 1891 to 1895, and from the fiscal years ending June 30, 1892, to June 30, 1896. IMPORTS OF GOLD BULLION, ORE AND COIN FROM MEXICO INTO THE UNITED STATES AS REPORTED BY COLLECTORS OF CUSTOMS. "For additional information see Report on Production of Precious Metals, 1894, page 248, and the same report for 1895, page 289. IMPORTS OF GOLD ORE, BULLION AND COIN FROM MEXICO INTO THE UNITED STATES AS REPORTED BY COLLECTORS OF CUSTOMS. "Treasury Department, Mint Bureau, February 6, 1897." Mr. Preston completed the above information with other data obtained from private parties in the following manner: communicated to me in a letter dated, February 6, 1897, enclosing the two preceding statements. **I would add, for your information, that from returns received by this Bureau, from private refineries, and the deposits of foreign bullion at the Mints and Assay Offices of the United States during the calendar years 1894 and 1895 the amount of gold credited to Mexico was reported to be as follows: 1894. Reported by private refineries as extracted from Mexican ores and bullion... $2,360,765 Gold bullion deposited at the United States Assay Office at New York... 735,787 290,713 Total.. $3,387,265 1895. Gold extracted from Mexican ores and bullion by private refineries.. Total.... $3,843,783 560,775 504,745 $4,909,303 The preceding official data from the United States Treasury Department was not complete, as will appear from the following table prepared by the Bureau of Statistics of the Mexican Republic: GOLD EXPORTED FROM MEXICO TO THE UNITED STATES. 2,125,941 According to information from the United States Differences....... 3,109,861 1,829,603 2,482,753 4,007,648 13,555,806 +$1,579,237 +$2,501,723 +$1,278,348 - $1,364,552 - $1,022,126 +$2,972,630 1 From the 1st of July, 1894, the "Bullion" includes the value of the gold contained in the mixed ore. This instance shows how difficult it is for the commercial statistics of both countries to agree, even when the merchandise is entered with the same value in both as in the present case. RAILWAYS. The following table contains a list of all the railways, exclusive of the tramways, built in Mexico up to October 31, 1896, prepared by the Department of Communications of the United Mexican States : OFFICIAL STATEMENT MADE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS OF THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT OF THE RAILROAD MILEAGE IN OPERATION ON OCTOBER 31, 1896. (1) The initials at the beginning of each line of this table stand for the guage of the railroads; S. for standard, N. for narrow, and B. for both. S. Mexican Western. Aug. 16, 1880 38.48 1,877.15 N. Mexican National. to Culiacan to Altata. Sept. 13, 1880 1,056.16 Mexico to Laredo, Acambaro to Patzcuaro, Matamoros to S. Miguel, Mexico to Salto, belt tramways from suburbs of Mexico called La Colonia extension to Salto. 88.30 Manzanillo to Colima and Zacatecas to Ojo Caliente. Feb. N. Mérida to Campeche. Feb. 23, 1881 16.56 Tlalmanalco to Chalco and Amecameca. 97.80 Mérida to Campeche, Campeche to Calkini and connecting line with the railroad from Mérida to Progreso. |