1

The leading articles of import and export are shown as follows, in thousands of guilders :

-Imports

-Exports
1893. 1894. 1895. 1893.

1894. 1895.
Iron and steel of all kinds..... 122,219 133,404 133,160 75,547 92,002 88,659
Textiles, raw and manufactured.. 130,513 84,946 86,055 161,332 85,838 70,258
Cereals and flour..

213,648 280,323 265,738 116,383 132, 740 143,679
Coal...

44,418 44,331 43,382 3,729 2,261 2,570 Rice.

46,240 35,717 47,413 12,089 12,515 14,287 Mineral oil

9,162 9,978 10,679

164
102

106
Coffee..

35,013 34,116 37,697

19,932

22,361 21,676 Butter.

1,917 1,665

1.543 13,003 13,700 14.029 Margarine (raw and eatable).

23,923 21,221 15,139 54,229 50,338 39,490 Sugar

37,866 40,716 38,350 43,842 44,059 47,522
Cheese..

90
80

78 10,541 11,447 11,616
Drugs.

181,569 202,482 173,602 145,926 132,700 138,381 Gold and silver.

20,627 13,606 5,151 3,638 2,235 1,342 Vegetables

1,273 1,464 1,160 23,481 22,954 27, 436 Wood..

28,470 32,699 36,384 15,773 19,255 19,114 Skins..

21,397

21,725 20,729 19,738 18,330 19,872 Indigo.

7,446 5,889 8,245 5,878 4,617 6,424 Copper

48,562 47,810 51,595 40,978 45,626 48,003 Paper..

3,299 3,237 3,917 20,486 21,418 24,911 Soot, grease, tallow, suet.

15,233 17,754 14,987 3,926 4,494 4,153 Saltpeter...

17,409 17,853 19,304 16,702 16,642 18,362 Zinc.

10,144 11,551 11,464 8,971 10,365 11,035 Tobacco..

8,834 8,826 9,035 3,635 3,721 4,406 Tin.

15,188 20,231 18,336 12,304 12,316 14.990 Colors (painters' wares).

11,103 11,693 11,899 10,741 8,832 10,763 Flax...

1,703

1,374 2,039 16,796 17.998 19,291 Seeds (colza, linseed, etc.)...

34,485 26,775 32,942 9,040 10,762 14,113

The imports for home consumption, and exports from and to the leading countries, are shown as follows, in millions of guilders :

-Imports

-Exports-
1890. 1893. 1894. 1895. 1890. 1893. 1894. 1895.
Prussia

247.1 258.8 266.1 272.4 498.5 534.2 538.2 575.3
Great Britain..

283.6 263.8 246.1 238.2 270.5 256.3 260.3 267.7 Belgium..

195.2 175.6 161.6 166.1 148.0 167.9 155.2 154.2
Dutch East Indies..

159.5 193.0
225.0 202.4 53.2

53.8 52.0
United States..
98.4 155.1 132.1 110.9 23.7 21.8

22.2

37.5
Russia ...
112.1 88.8 175.3 198.2

5.5
5.9
5.2

5.3
France.

24.2 20.1
21.5 18.0 10.8

10.0

11.9 15.2 Hamburg

21.2 17.5

15.2
17.1
17.3
15.5

17.5 19.1
British India..

38.0 53.4 43.8 41.5 Italy..

6.0 5.1 5.i

57.1

10.8

....

1892.
1893.
1894.
1895.
1896.

1897.
Exports to United States.... $10,886,802 $17,448,948 $10,690,979 $13,182,581 $13,295,767 $12,821,611
Imports from

United States.. 43,917,984 38,505, 193 43,570,312 31,091,775 39,022,899 51,045,011 The principal exports into the United States for the year ending June 30, 1896, were : Chemicals, drugs, dyes, $22,592; coffee, $660,478; fish, preserved, $659,568; flax, hemp, etc., unmanufactured, $251,091 ; jewelry and precious stones, $1,516,114 ; oils, $286, 199; spices, unground, $298,169; sugar, above No. 16 D. s., $1,023,223; tin, in blocks, bars, etc., $1,253,553 ; tobacco, leaf, $4,710,024.

Imports from the United States were: Breadstuffs, $6,907,797 ; casings for sausages, $427,701 ; copper, ingots, bar and old, .$5,335,738 ; cotton, unmanufactured, $556,471; fruits, including nuts, 3613,960 : fertilizers, $380,470; leather, $301,818 ; naval stores, $787,935; oil cake and oil cake meal, $827,114; oil, minural, refined, $6,884,733 ; oil, cottonseed, $1,311,540; provisions, $8,681,417, of which lard was $2,387,634; oleomargarine oil, $5,056,488; tobacco, unmanufactured, $1,152.136 ; wood and manufactures, $3,386,767.

IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF GOLD AND SILVER COIN AND BULLION.

The length of navigable water (canals excluded) is about 3,000 miles.
The total extent of the canals was, in 1879, 1,907 miles ; of roads, 2,943 miles.

In 1894, the total length of the tramway lines was 678 miles ; 41,640.000 passengers were carried, and 286,310,000 kilogrammes of goods. Their revenue amounts to 4,872,000 guilders.

The total outlay upon the State railways up to 1894 was 226, 121,000 guilders.

In 1895 the railways bad a length of 1,674 miles, whereof the State owned 886 miles, and private companies the remainder.

The revenue of the State railways was, in 1895, 20,807,000 florins, and expenditure 17,975,000 florins. Number of passengers carried 11,721,000; goods carried, 6,134,000,000 kilogrammes. The revenue of private railway companies was 15,446,000 tlorins; expenditure, 11,598,000 florins. Number of passengere carried, 13,387,000; goods carried, 3,291,000,000 kilogrammes.

POST-OFFICE AND TELEGRAPHS. The postal traffic in 1895 was: Letters, internal, 56,857,000; foreign, 22,176,000; postal cards, internal, 34,018, 789; foreign, 5,986,692 ; newspapers and printed matter, internal, 112,197,000; foreign, 11,779,000; parcels, internal, 3,799,588; foreign, 698.942.

The receipts of the post-office in 1895 were 7,979,359 guilders; expenditures, 6,576, 175 guilders.

There are several private telegraph lines, but nearly all lines are owned by the State. The length of State lines in 1895 was 3,500 miles, length of wires, 12,521 miles; number of offices, 514; paid messages, 4,433,257. The receipts amounted to 1,475,714 guilders; ordinary expenses, 1,967,894 guilders.

MONEY AND CIRCULATION.

The standard coin is the 10-florin piece, weighing 6.720 grammes .900 fine, and thus containing 6.048 grammes of fine gold. The unit of the silver coinage is the florin, weighing 10 grammes .945 fine and containing 9.45 grammes of fine silver.

Gold is legal tender, and the silver coins issued before 1875.
The principal coins are:
The gulden, guilder, or florin of 100 cents = 40.2 cents.
The rijksdaalder = 242 guilders.
The gold piece of ten guilders.
4-guilder, 44-guilder (kwartje), 1-10 guilder (dubbeltje), 1-20 guilder (stuivertje).
Cent coins are: 1 cent, \a cent, and 242 cents.

1892. 1893. 1894 1895 1896.

The total circulation was valued as follows, in thousands of guilders :

Paper Money Paper Money
Issued

Issued
January 1.

Silver, etc. Gold. by the State. by the Bank.
57,649
24,056
14,750

203,288
53,995
23,773
13,960

197,547
68,153
23,594
14,347

201,809
58,888
23,671
14,534

202,943
57,420
23,654
14,579

209,817

Total. 299,743 289,275 297,903 300,036 305, 470

BANKING. The Bank of the Netherlands, a private institution, is the only bank authorized to issue bank notes. Its condition is shown as follows, in thousands of guilders :

Notes in

Total
Stock of

Stock of
Circulation Exchanges

Gold

Silver
Year.

March 31.
March 31.

in July.

in July. 189,125 345,278 38,580

85,480 1893.

193,452
353,516
33,790

85,090 1894.

200,029
364,540
54,270

83,660 1895.

203,683
374,018
51,390

84,320 1896

199,669
339.773
31,610

83,560

1892.

The capital amounts to 20,000,000 guilders, the reserve fund to 5,000,000 guilders. The bank keeps the State treasury and the cash of the State Postal Savings- Bank. It receives 5 per cent. of the clear gains; the remuinder is divided between the State and the Bank.

There are 282 savings-banks, all private, having 19,186,000 guilders of deposits. Besides these there is a State postal savings-bank, established in 1881, with 23,220,000 guilders of deposits.

SWITZERLAND.

In 1894, the population of Switzerland was 2,986,848, and in 1888, 2,917,754, The area of the republic is 15,976 square miles.

The chief occupations of the population in 1888, with the numbers employed, their families and domestic servants, were:

Men and Members Domestic
Occupation.

Men. Women. Women. of Family. Servants. Total. Agriculture...

388,467 92,566 481,033 609,040 16,357 1,106,430 Mining, sylviculture, etc.

10,682
28 10,710 16,482

243

27,435 Food manufacture.

37,363 6,752

44,115 52,531 4,703 101,349 Dress, etc..

40.666 67,534 108,200 76,456 2,041 186,697 Building and furniture.

105,747 1,620 107,367 162,353 3,763 273,483 Textiles..

61,087 106, 435 167.522 99,723 2,901 270,146 Machinery.

66,897 15,075 81,972 113,256 3,274 198,502 Chemicals, bookbinding, etc..

15,873 2,743 18,616 24,449 1,347 44,412 Trade..

54,037 38,256 92,293 103, 484 17,730 213,507 Transport.

45,689 2,307

47,996 77.825 2,175 127,996 Public officials, sciences, etc...

35,817 14,836 50,653 64,084 12,689 127,426 Not determinable 6,608 8,261 14,869 12,416 1,254

28,539 No relation to occupation...

12,679 36,022 48,701 151,304 11,827 211,832 Total.. 881,612 392,435 1,274,047 1,563, 403

80,304

2,917,754

FISCAL AFFAIRS.

The chief source of revenue is from customs duties, the confederate government having no power to levy direct taxes.

The following table gives the total revenue and expenditure of the Confederation:

The cantons have their own local administrations and their own budgets of revenue and expenditure. In 1890, their combined revenve was 79,152,000 francs, and expenditure 80,178,000 francs. The cantonal revenues are derived partly from direct taxes on income and property, and partly from indirect duties, stamps, etc. Several cantons have only indirect taxation; and over the whole about 58 per cent. of the revenue is raised in this form.

The public debt of the Confederation amounted on January 1, 1896, to 83,889, 439 francs, mostly at 344 per cent. At the same date the “Federal Fortune," or State property, was: Real property, 35,102,400 francs; stock, etc., 39,225,184 francs; works producing interest, 16,368,450 francs; stores not producing interest, 20,721,861 francs various debts, 533,673 francs; inventory, 30,855,665 francs; alcohol administration, 232,130 franc

*49820 francs; total, 144,800,184 francs, the det Fortune being thus 60,910.745 francs.

DUSTRIES.

Out of a population o1 abou 12,000,000 engaged in agriculture, there are about 300,000 peasant roprietors. Of the total area 28.4 per cent, is unproductive; of the productive area 35.8 per cent. is inder grass and meadows, 29 per cent. under forest, 18.7 per cent. under fruit, 16.4 per cent, under rops and gardens. Rye, oats, and potatoes are the chief crops, but the bulk of food crops consumed

the country is imported. The chief agricultural industries are the manufacture of cheese and ipdensed milk. The annual export of cheese amounts to 215,560 quintals, and of condensed milk to 91,874 quintals. In 1886, there were 98,333 horses, 1,211,613 cattle, 341,632 sheep, 415,619 goats, 394,451 wine, of the total value of £17,936,880. In 1896, the provisional census returns show: Cattle, 1,304,788; oeep, 271,4:32; pigs, 565,781 ; horses, 108,529; mules, 3,116; asses, 1,735; goats, 414,968.

The Federal alcobol régie in the year 1894-95 sold 58,268 metric quintals of spirits (36 degrees), and 34,869 metric quintals of medicated spirits. In Switzerland there are about 1,400 hotels, employing about 16,000 persons, the receipts of the hotels amounting annually to about £3,500,000.

FACTORY STATISTICS. By the census taken on June 5, 1895, of the factories subject to the Federal factory law, the statistics thereof are shown as follows:

- Factory Operatives-- Existing Power Establish

Establish- HorseIndustry.

ments. Males. Females. Total ments. Textile industry

power. Cotton.

1.253 20,730 27,816 48,536 440 43,011 Silk

230

7.587 23,561 31,145 201 11,232 Wool.

69 1,727 2,488 4,215

60

6,014 Linen.

12
304
484
788
11

732 Others.

242 1,447 5,323 6,770 111 1,338 Total textile...

1,793 31.792 59,662 91,454 818 62,327 Tanneries, etc...

126
4,551 3,814 8,365

88

1,616 Food products..

537 7,162

6,842 14,004 434 Chemical industry.

19, 159 167 3,421

637

4,058 123 14,353 Paper manufactures and polygraph industry:

417 8,061 3,001 11,062 335 11,315 Wood-working industry.

528 11,091

256 11,347 480 10,000 Metal-working industry.

231 9,356

580 9,936 171 10,339 Machine industry..

396 233,654
267 23,921

365 10,983 Watch and jewelry industry.

488
10,748 5,586 16,334

276 Salt, stones, and earth..

295 9,368

350 9,718 247 10,152 Total...... *4,933 119,204 80,995 200,199 *3,303

152,718

2,474

Of the 200,199 operatives, there were 174,697 Swiss, 14,872 Germans, 5,124 Italians, 3,354 French 1,896 Austrians, and 256 from different other countries.

The 152,718 horse-power was produced as follows: 87,865 by water, 53,410 by steam, 4,086 by gas and petroleum, and 7,357 by electricity.

FOREIGN COMMERCE.

For the ycars 1890 to 1896, inclusive, the imports for home consumption and the exports of domestic produce, and also of the precious metals, were as follows:

1890.
1891.
1892.
1893.
1894.
1895.

1896. Francs. Francs. Franes. Francs. Francs. Francs. Francs. Imports. 1,002,518,276 982,021,046 912,586,752 872,400,629 880,845,540 980,116,675 1,040,000,000 Exports..... 724,798,038 703,856,603 688,020,282 695, 146,799 673,004,524 704,428,088 700,300,000 The following statement shows the value of principal articles of special commerce:

--Imports

-Exports
1894.
189.5.
1894.

1895,
Franes.
Fruncs.
Francs.

Francs. Manures, etc..

8,805,052
7,795,591
2,447,677

2,283,995 Chemical and pharmaceutical..

20,506,563
21,340,693
6,993,025

6,761,565 Glass and pottery

8,383,178
9,551,312
747,081

722,662 Colors..

6,999,056
7,706,935
14,357,049

15,384,734 Timber.

20,453, 186
24,221,293
4,336,411

4,285,757 Agricultural products..

6,025,965
4,1189,138

409.664

310,140 Leather and boots..

118,817,900
22,155,127
6,428,965

7,100,395 Sciences and arts..

13,315,762
14,465,546

7,212,830

6,958,758 Clocks and watches and part.

1,602,296
1,885,427
85,914,409

89,968,330 Machinery and carriages..

20,912,767
23,598,882
20,676,363

26, 147,956 Useful metalst....

56,399,754
58,616,105
7,978,277

8,245,814 Precious metals, coin..

54,902,219
64,204,239
51,805,261

41,067.913 Precious metals, not coin.

34,251,826
34,780,699

9,691,514

10,211,602 Mineral matter..

54,006,964
59,570,206
2,921,526

2,799,313 Foods, tobacco, spirits, etc.

210,950,071
233,786,197
79,099,660

78,047,607 Oils and fats..

9,327,330
8,890,0013

416,366

310,283 Paper

5,234,429
5,674,458
3,393,239

2,318,931 Cotton.

53,492,371
63,855,455

121,983,469 129,972,974 Flax, hemp, etc..

34,434, 195+
11,620,508
19.923,059+

2,292,394 Silk.

109,341,787 137,82%,980 180,991,770 207, 148,366 Wool

44,113,269
52, 224,410
14,677,366

14,927,365 Clothing

21,637,278

10,253,993 Animals.

71,715,653
66,296,964
15,628,031

14,405,219 Animal products.

7,420,496
8,636,257
7.760,733

9,538,751 Various.

9,303,451
15,621,952

1,206,185

12,934,271 Total.

880,845,540 980,116,675 673,004,524 704,428,088

* Only the total shows the exact number of establishments. The addition of the figures would result in a higher number, because establishments engaged in several industries are counted in each group.

+ Includes iron, imports in 1895 being 43,819,995 francs, exports 4,952,170 francs.
# In 1894 clothing was included.

In 1896, the principal articles imported were, in francs : Chemicals, 19,344,383 ; wood, 30,789,971; shoes and leather, 22,231,431 ; machines and vehicles, 27,717,923;

iron, 59,995,223: precious metals and minerals, 114,518,259; articles of food and drink and tobacco, 274,808,165; cotton, 03,336,589; silk, 120,513,885; wool, 54,246,314; clothing, 23,915,326; animals, 52,273,576.

The principal articles exported in 1896 were: Coloring materials, 14,605,821 francs ; watches and clocks, 100,363,493; machines and vehicles, 30,408,775; metals, precious, and minerals, 15,122,021; articles of food and drink and tobacco, 80,439,316; cotton, 135,003, 417; silk, 199,580,212; wood, 18,244,948; animals, 14,264,191.

The following table shows the geographical distribution of the "special" trade of Switzerland in 1894 (including bullion but not coin):

--Imports from

-Exports to-
1894.
1895,
1896.
1894.
1895.

1896. Francs. Francs. Francs. Francs. Francs. Francs. Germany.

242.854,722 273,891,065 304,970,622 157,109,689 164,411,253 172,260,751 France

110,251,969 138,459,298 177,612, 458 73,043,608 74,524,453 81,016,009 Italy.

143,823,682 157,555,478 137,297,605 37,933,153 39,209,544 39,163,498 Austria-Hungary.

80,255,683 67,816,050 71,412,602 39,343,481 39,225,234 40,413, 159 Great Britain.

43,139,691 47,371,937 51,706,813 117,579,785 130,016, 126 147,008,247 Belgium..

23,035,085 23,965,377 24,169,525 11,531,055 10,958,378 11,354,102 Russia..

55,734,590 61,783,982 65,150,038 22,416,259 21,865,887 24,394,400 Holland. 3,025,085 3,621, 247

4,142,669 3,999, 422
Rest of Europe..
18,061,118 22,853,141

31,720,751 31,506,456
Total
rope. .....
720,181,625 797,317,575

494,820,450 515,716,753
Afric
12,280,662 15,463,369

5,511,170 5,217, 439 Asia, 31,233,296 35,596,802

26,330,363 23,814,629 America.. 58,126,391 62,510,513

90,545,473 113,383,840 Australia.. 4,061,347 4,964,157

1,596,493 1,899,764 Not stated.

2,395, 314 3,327,750
Total
825,883,321 915,852,416

621,199,263 663,360,175

COMMERCE WITH THE UNITED STATES.

1891. 1892. 1893. 1894. 1895. 1896. 1897. Exports to United States..... $14,118,805 $13,196,469 $16,010,728 $11,450,270 $14,988,954 $14,080,033 $13,849,782 Imports from United States.. 49,317 10,397 7,391 17,124 17,578 32,954 70,610

The principal articles of import from the United States for the year ending June 30, 1896, were: Iron and steel and m ufactures of, $12,20

Exports to the United States were: Chemicals, drugs, dyes, etc., $579,474; clocks and watches and parts, $904,697; cotton, manufactures of, $6,455,480 (including laces, edgings, etc., $5,753,885); bat trimmings, $386,671; cheese, $651,841 ; silk, manufactures of, $3,610,853.

IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF GOLD AND SILVER COIN AND BULLION.

In January, 1896, 2,304 miles of railroad were open for traffic. The cost of construction of the lines, rolling stock, etc., up to the end of 1894 was 1,108,387,968 francs. The receipts in 1893 were 101,482,318 francs; expenses, 60,190,897 francs. In 1895 the roads carried 10,379,337 tons of goods and 39,790,918 passengers.

In 1896 there were 1,497 post-offices and 1,859 letter boxes. The internal service transmitted 82,047,073 letters, 16,005,514 postal cards, 25,370,248 printed matter, 91,482,098 newspapers, and 3,541,239 sample packages. The foreign service transmitted 16,311,594 letters, postal cards 5,346,783, and 6,532 721 packets of printed matter. Internal money orders were issued to the amount of 457,500,756 francs, and international sent and received, 38,307,963 francs. Receipts, 25,791, 435 francs ; expenditure, 24,338,942 francs.

The telegraph system belongs to the State, excepting wires for railroad service. In 1895 the length of State lines was 4,441 miles; length of wire, 12,502 miles. Railroad and private lines have 963 miles, with 6,958 miles of wire, Transmitted 1,810,338 inland messages, 1,442,117 international, and 554,957 in transit through Switzerland. Number of offices, 1,668. The telephone service had 23,446 offices, 5,533 miles of line, and 32,960 miles of wire. Receipts of telegraph and telephone service, 6,093,447 francs; expenses, 5,606,820 francs.

MONEY AND BANKS.

Switzerland being a member of the Latin Union, its monetary system conforms to that organi. zation. The franc is the equivalent ou 10 batzen and 100 rappen or centimes. The 20-franc piece is .900 fine, the 5-franc silver piece is .900 fine, the silver 2-franc, franc, and half-franc are .835 fine. At