MONEY AND BANKING.* The following figures, showing the coinage of the Austro-Hungarian mint and the outstanding note circulation from 1891 to 1895, will illustrate the progress of the transition to the gold basis: The total value of new coins struck at the various mints of the Austro-Hungarian Empire up to July 31, 1835, according to the law of August 2, 1892, was 385,506,000 florins; that is, 288,763,000 florins of gold crowns, 67,277,000 of silver crowns, 26,714,000 of nickel hellers, and 2,752,000 of bronze hellers. Of the total value of 385,506,000 florins, 232,342,000 florins were for Austria proper, and 153,164,000 for Hungary. THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN Bank. The following are the statistics of the Austro-Hungarian Bank for five years, in thousands of florins: The transactions of the Austro-Hungarian Bank in 1895 amounted to 2,532 million florins, against 2,311 millions in 1894; the discounts were 1,250 millions, against 1,076 millions the preceding year. At the close of 1895 the coin and bullion in the Bank amounted to 353 million florins, of which 250 millons consisted of gold, 127 millions silver, and 6 millions gold bills. JOINT-STOCK BANKS. The following are statistics for December 31, 1894, of the 54 Austrian, and for 1892 of the 213 Hungarian, joint-stock banks, in thousands of florins: In 1894 the number of savings-banks in Austria was 472, with 2,786,448 depositors and 1,530,713,000 florins; Hungary, in 182, 521 banks, with 510,620,000 florins deposits. The post-office savings-banks in Austria numbered 5,417 in 1895, with 1,138,454 depositors and 100,799,777 florins of deposits. Hungary, in 1894, had 3,942 banks, 257,303 depositors and 8,949,000 florins deposits, besides 550,000 in Croatia. N. B. For full particulars of "Monetary System" see "Commercial Year Book," Volume I, page 63. *For further information see this Year Book," Volume I, page 113, Banking, and page 63, Monetary System. ITALY. AREA AND POPULATION. At the census of December 31, 1861, the area was about 96,500 square miles, with a population of 21,777,334. According to the censuses of 1871 and 1881, the area of the kingdom was, as now, 114,410, the population aggregating respectively 26,801,154 and 28,459,628. The estimated population for 1894 was 30,913,663 and 279.45 inhabitants per square mile. The progress in census population from 1800 up to 1881 is shown as follows: The estimated population on December 31, 1895, was 31,102,833, or 281.16 inhabitants per square mile. At the time of the census of 1881 the resident or legal population was 28,953,480. The number of foreigners was 59,956; 16,092 were Austrians, 12,104 Swiss, 10,781 French, 7,302, English, 5,234 Germans, 1,387 Russians, 1,286 Americans (United States), 1,212 Greeks, 922 Spaniards, and the rest mainly Turks, Belgians, Swedes and Norwegians, Dutch, Egyptians, Argentines, Brazilians. FISCAL AFFAIRS. The following table shows the revenue and expenditure for the fiscal years named, ending June 30, the budget estimates being given for the last three years: Debts. 1. Consolidated debt The following table shows the interest (including premiums) and sinking fund of the Public Debt on July 1, 1896: The capital of the consolidated and redeemable debt amounted to 12,257,000,232 lire on July 1. 1895, or $2,377,900,000. The debt per capita was thus $75, and the interest $3.65. On June 30, 1895, the property of the State was stated at 4,696,274,933 lire. In the financial year 1894-95, the revenue from State property was: Railways, 70,247,375 lire; ecclesiastical, 2,416,181 lire; various, 11,658,554 lire; total, 84,322,110 lire. CUSTOMS IMPOSTS. The following statement shows the customs duties in lire, collected for the years 1896 and 1895: The area of Italy comprises 28,658,900 hectares. Of this area, 20,238,000 hectares (70.6 per cent.) are productive, 4,647,451 hectares (16.2 per cent.) unproductive, and 3,773,449 hectares (13.2 per cent.) produces little or nothing. The agricultural condition of the country is shown in the following table: 1 kilogramme = 2.2046 pounds. 1 hectare = 2.471 acres. 1 hectolitre = 2.8375 bushels. 1 quintal = 220.46 pounds. 1 hectolitre = 26.417 gallons. In 1890 Italy had 5,000,000 cattle, 6,900,000 sheep, 1,800,000 goats, 1,800,000 swine. In 1895 there were 550,048 persons employed in rearing silkworms, and 172,000 skilled and other workers (including ninetenths women and children) were employed in the treatment and manufacture of silk. The total weight of the cocoon harvest was: In 1890, 89,866,800 lbs.: in 1891, 85,494,748 lbs.; in 1892, 69,283,000 lbs., in 1893, 104,991,900 lbs.; in 1894, 95,073,000 lbs.; in 1895, 90,723,700 lbs. According to last census, the whole agricultural population was computed to be 14,900,000, including women. The average values of produce, agricultural, animal, and forest, are, in round numbers: Cereals, fibers, wine, fruit, etc., 2,873,000,000 lire; animals, wool, milk, cocoons, etc., 1,424,000,000 lire; forest yield, 88,000,000 lire; total, 4,385,000,000 lire. The value of accessory agricultural produce, such as vegetables, fungi, poultry, eggs, etc., is not known, but the exports alone of such produce amount to about 80,000,000 lire annually. The following table will show the amounts of the export of wine in casks in the last two years to the principal countries: The total wine crop in Italy for the year 1894 amounted to 25,816,588 hectolitres; 1895, 24,245,836 hectolitres; 1896, 21,373,092 (provisional figures). WOOL. The total production of wool for the years 1891 to 1894 was as follows: 9,622,846 kilogrammes in 1891, 9,957.719 kilogrammes in 1892, 9,730,092 kilogrammes in 1893, 9,608,718 kilogrammes in 1894. The total production for 1894 was valued at $3,236,000. The following table exhibits the total imports and exports, the precious metals (uncoined silver excluded), and merchandise (special commerce) for the years given: The leading imports and exports for the years 1894 and 1895 are shown as follows, in thousands of lire: The imports from and exports to (special commerce) the leading countries are given below in thousands of lire: The values of the imports into the United States and of the exports from the United States to Italy for the years ending June 30 were as follows: 1892. Imports into United States.. $22,161,617 $26,250,241 Exports from United States. 14,317,782 13,019,539 1893. 1894. 1897. $19,067,195 21,502,423 The principal imports into the United States for the year ending June 30, 1896, were: Argol, $1,488,478; sulphur, $1,586,551; fruits (lemons and oranges), $5,941,855; hides and skins, $843,548; matting (floor), $(84,886; oil (vegetable), $946,722; cheese, $475,946; silk (unmanufactured), $4,587,761; wool and manufactures of, $533,467; silver, $40. Exports from the United States were: Corn, $583,268; cotton, $10,533,092; refined mineral oils, $1,829,177; tobacco (unmanufactured), £2,874,473; wood and manufactures of, $714,959. |