The liabilities of the Kingdom, contracted entirely for railways, were as follows on January 1, 1896: Kroner. 375,556 104,761,800 59,088,444 1887, 3 6-10 per cent. interest.. 37,313,500 1888, 3 28,666,667 1891), 3% 31,100,000 7,200,000 18,000,000 287,505,967 All the loans are paid off gradually by means of sinking funds. As the railway receipts amount to about two-thirds of the interest, the charge to the people is nominal. INDUSTRIES. The number of farms in cultivation in 1897 was 329,930; of these there were, of 2 hectares and under, 70,529 ; 2 to 20 hectares, 214.158 ; 20 to 100 hectares, 32,447 ; 100 and above, 3,155. Of the total land area of Sweden 8.3 per cent. is under cultivation, 3 per cent. under natural mcadows, and 45.9 per cent. 3 under forests, the products of which form a staple export. The following tabie shows, in thousands of hectares, the area under the chief crops in 1894, and, in thousands of hectolitres, the yield in 1895 : Mixed PotaWheat. Rye. Barley. Oats. Grain. Pulse. toes. Area.. 70.8 158.2 Yield. 1,338.4 7,118.5 5,151.4 24,753.3 3,318.1 865.4 19,720.2 The value of all cereal crops in 1895 was estimated at 216.8 million kroner. Sweden is rich in minerals. In 1895 there were mined 1,904,662 tons of iron ore; gold ore, 459 tons; silver and lead ore, 12,045 ions; copper ore, 26,009 tons; zine ore, 31,319 tons; manganese ore, 3,117 tons. The amounts of the different sorts of iron produced in 1895 were : pig iron, 462,930 tons ; puddled, for rolling, 188,726 tons; Bessemer ingots, 97,294 tons; Martin ingots, 96,475 tons; cast ingots, 551 tons: iron and steel bars, 168,270 tons; iron and steel hoops, rods, etc., 78,168 tons; wire rods, 20,038 tons; sheet iron, 12,028 tons. The coal mines, exclusively in the most southern province, yielded 223,652 tons. Gold production was 85 kilos; silver, 1,188 kilos ; lead, 1,256,079 kilos; copper, 216,305 kilos. FOREIGN COMMERCE. The foreign trade of Sweden was as follows, in kroner : 1896. 1894. Imports..... 324,708,784 376,963,711 377,187,739 369,698,254 360,315,855 332,889,289 351,173,005 314,290,000 Exports..... 281,752,718 301,725,097 304,591,863 3:23,498,082 329,300,154 328,271,667 298.625,234 311,444,000 22.372 The leading imports and exports, in thousands of kroner, were: - Imports 1892. 1893, 1894. Textile manufactures... 52,168 47,686 41,028 Corn and flour..... 38,168 34.292 39,653 Colonial wares.. 48,511 50,393 46,984 Raw textile material and yarn... 28.835 29,592 33,624 Minerals, mostly coal..... 37.374 36,319 44,536 Metal goods, machinery, etc., 37,551 32,292 34,404 Live animals and animal food.. 19,005 15,860 16,233 Hair, hides, and other animal products.. 19,125 16,872 15,965 Metale, raw and partly wrought.. 8,457 7,721 11.679 Timber, wrought and unwrought.. 4,386 4,890 Paper and paper manufactures.. 6,496 4,448 3,599 Other articles... 60,240 52,878 58,579 Total.... 360,316 332,689 351,173 1892. 9,658 11,993 1,820 1,171 8,030 8,268 72,305 2,218 33,134 133,621 30,417 16,067 -Exports 1893. 8,303 who 936 1,107 11,166 8,761 60,764 2,688 29,121 136,478 28,911 17.606 1894. 5,835 13,450 952 1,173 10,171 11.857 60,726 2,788 26,662 188,433 7,657 18,922 The values of the principal articles imported in 1895 were as follows, in kroner: Coal, coke, etc., 32,462,000; coffee, 27,101,000; cotton and månufactures of, 20,145,000; tish, fresh, salted, etc., 6,654,000: rye, 9,432,000: wheat, 10,754,000; iron and steel, and manufactures of, 1,472,000; mineral oil, 8,612.000; skins, dressed, 9,643,000; undressed, 3,584,000; tobacco, leaf and stalk, 7,222,000; wool and manufactures of, 32, 467.000. The values of exports were, in kroner: Butter, 43,348,000: fish, fresh, salted, etc., 7.968,000: oats, 6,015,000; iron ore, 5,603,000; pig iron, 5,398,000; iron manufactures, 32,785,000: lucifer matches, 7,601,000: machinery, 5,524,000; paper, 6,226,000; wood pulp for paper, 12,489,000; wood, total, not including paper pulp, 110,059,000). The trade with the principal countries is shown as follows, in thousands of kroner: Imports from -Exports to 1892. 1893. 1894. 1892. 1893. Great Britain. 95,224 86,325 97,782 150,281 150,866 Germany. 115,850 112,897 119,760 48,427 44,276 Denmark. 43,874 39,905 39,891 40,392 36,510 Norway 35,319 31,439 26,950 18,227 16,111 Russia (including Finland). 15,532 17,003 19,953 9,311 10,243 France. 9,573 6,277 8,515 19,392 29,309 Spain... 1,981 542 578 3,857 2,651 Netherlands. 9,217 7,002 8,666 17, 420 17.045 Belgium... 12,169 11.399 9,782 11,422 11,869 United States.. 12,834 10,850 11,509 2,447 658 Other countries. 8,742 9,081 7,788 8,123 8,734 1894. 124,070 39,153 38,316 15,269 10.725 32,241 3,466 17,765 9,544 8,042 COMMERCE WITH THE UNITED STATES. 1891. 1892. 1893. 1894. 1895. 1896. 1897. Exports into United States.... $3,723,201 $3,751,952 $4,176,384 $3,112,066 $2,531,327 $3,320,321 $2,500,118 Imports from United States 4,943,180 6,579,381 4,084,704 4,391,046 4,652,601 5,036,766 5,463,597 The values of the imports from the United States for the year ending June 30, 1896, were: Agricultural implements, $150,851 ; breadstuffs, $381,451 ; cotton, unmanufactured, $1,105,531 ; fertilizers, $157,192 ; iron and steel, manufactures of, $158,858; leather, sole, $504,179; oils, mineral, refined, $816,423; provisions, $1.203,507. The values of the exports to the United States were: Fish, pickled or salted, $373,742 ; iron and steel and manufactures of, $1,849,615; oils, whale and tish, $192,560; wood pulp, $293,608; gold, $3,461; silver, $70. SHIPPING, RAILROADS, AND TELEGRAPHS. At the end of 1895 there were 2,763 vessels of 483,003 tons, of which 2,030 of 301,727 tons were sailing vessels, and 733 of 181,276 tons were steamers. In 1894, 78,094 ships and boats passed through the canals. At the end of 1895 the total length of railroads was 7,058 miles, of which 2,030 miles belonged to the State. The receipts in 1894 were 54,084,812 kroner, and expenses 32,520,684 kroner. The total cost of construction for State railroads to the end of 1894 was 285,362,441 kroner, and for private 310,028,227 kroner. Passengers carried on State lines in 1894, 5,300,368 ; weight of goods carried, 3,487,551 tons ; private lines, 11,533,658 passengers and 9,602.347 tons goods. The telegraphs all belong to the State, excepting those of the private railroad companies. The total length of all lines at the end of 1894 was 8,058 miles, and of wire 24,982 miles. The total number of dispatches sent (1894) was 2,050,912. There are 36,873 telephone instruments, with 51,188 miles of wire. BANKING AND MONEY. The Riksbank, or National Bank of Sweden, belongs entirely to the State, and is managed by directors elected annually by the Diet. The bank is under the guarantee of the Diet, its capital and reserre capital are fixed by its constitution, and its note circulation is limited by the value of its metallic stock and its assets in current accounts at home and abroad ; its actual circulation is kept far within this limit. The larger portion of the banking operations of Sweden are done through private banksand next in importance are the joint-stock banks. The following table gives statistics of the National Bank, private banks, and joint-stock banks in Sweden for January 1, 1896 : ASSETS. The savings-banks statistics (exclusive of post-office) are as follows: 1890. 1892. Number of depositors... 1,089,421 1,090,227 1,095,788 Deposits at end of year, kroner. 281,726,8996 291,187,398 298,456,053 Capital and reserve fund, kroner.. 23,618,545 25,231,490 26,531,754 At the end of 1894, the Post-Office Savings-Bank had 367,337 depositors and 29,681,630 kroner of deposits. The monetary system is that of “The Scandinavian Union." See under head of Norway. TURKEY. . A RE A AND POPULATION. The Ottoman Empire, embracing States in one way or another subject, includes an area of 1,609,240 square miles, which, with the latest estimated population, is thus distributed as to geographical divisions : Square PopuImmediate possessions Miles. lation. Europe. 61,200 4,780,000 Asia. 687.640 21,608,000 Africa. 398,738 1,300,000 1,147,578 27,688,000 Bulgaria (including Eastern Roumelia), autonomous 37.860 3,154,375 Bosnia, Herzegovina, and Novi-Bazar-under Austria-Hungary. 23,570 1,504,091 Samos-tributary principality.. 48,500 Egypt. 400,000 6,817,265 461,662 11,524,131 1,609,240 39,212,131 Total...... No accurate statements exist of the racial divisions of the inhabitants. It may, however, be said, in general terms, that in the European provinces under immediate Turkish rule, Turks (of Finno-Tataric race), Greeks, and Albanians are almost equally numerous, and constitute 70 per cent. of the population. Other races represented are Serbs, Bulgarians, Roumanians, Armenians, Magyars, Gypsies, Jews, Circassians. In Asiatic Turkey there is a large Turkish element, with some four million Arabs, besides Greeks, Syrians, Kurds, Circassians, Armenians, Jews, and numerous other races, TURKEY. FISCAL AFFAIRS. The condition of the Turkish debt in the middle of 1896 was as follows: Series A, B, C, D, outstanding, £80,993,703 ; various loans, 1888-94, £28,869,600; Lottery bonds, £13,420,290 ; five per cent. customs loan, 1886, £5,235,980; four per cent. Tombac bonds, 1894, £884,551 ; five per cent. loan, 1896, £2,110,000; total loans, £131,514,124. Of debts which are not loans, the sum was in 1896, £T31,551,958, including £T31.228,464, the outstanding amount of the Russian war indemnity; £150,000 of indemnity to Russian subjects, and £T273,494 to the Damascus Serghis Railway. T'he amounts of revenue collected during the years 1894-95 and 1895–96 were as follows, in pounds sterling : 1894-95. 1895-96. 1894-95. 1895-96. Salt... Tobacco Régie...... 723,759 723,887 Spirit.. Eastern Roumelig... 138,205 138,205 Stamps Cyprus.. 93,269 93,269 Fisheries. 994,941 946,955 Tumbeki duty. 45,454 45,454 Silk. Total 2,089,369 2,040,544 Arrears of tobacco... Expenses... 92,715 97,692 Tobacco tenth.. 93,741 92,774 Net revenue........ 1,996,654 1,942,852 ..... INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE. The principal products are tobacco, cereals of all kinds, cotton, figs, nuts, almonds, grapes, olives, all varieties of fruits. Coffee, madder, opium, gums, are largely exported. It is estimated that 44 million acres of the Empire in Europe and Asia are under cultivation. About 21 million acres are under forest, of which 34 million acres are in European Turkey. The culture of silkworms, which had fallen off considerably, owing to disease among the worms, is again becoming an important feature. The value of cocoons exported in 1894 was 40,000,000 piasters, and of raw silk exported 103,000,000 piasters. Most of the silk produced is exported, but some is used in the manufacturing of native dress material. The country is rich in minerals, coal, copper, lead, silver, iron, manganese, chrome, bitumen, sulphur, salt, alum; coal especially is abundant, but hardly worked. A royalty of 20 per cent. is paid on all minerals exported. Carpets, wbich constitute a considerable article of export (about £150,000), are made on hand-looms, and so also are a number of light materials for dress. The customs policy of Turkey aims simply at revenue, and imposes a uniform duty of 8 per cent. on all imports except salt and tobacco, which are government monopolies ; on exports of native products there is a duty of 1 per cent. The principal imports and exports are shown as follows, in thousands of piasters: Imports. Exports. 1891-92. 1892-83. Cloths, American, etc... 227,352 226,535 Grapes.. 204,435 Quilts... 135,286 158,931 109,120 117,454 Sugar. 129,951 164,522 Cocoons. 44,430 84,531 Cotton yarn. 127,998 112,609 Cotton. 41, 127 82,522 Coffee.... 97,727 176,214 77,079 Rice... 87,754 54,773 73,276 Madapollams.... 68,8:23 69,833 Flour. 64,805 52,251 61,038 Woolen dress stuffs. 64,232 52,794 57,529 Cloth....... 44,175 71,665 47, 473 Iron. 43,907 43,384 48,294 Leather... 39,080 46,939 48,911 Carpets.... 39,063 23,548 40,3:22 Cashmeres. 38,373 40,541 33,074 38,012 Cottons and woolens 36,326 37,185 39,673 Timber.. 31,967 33,412 28,751 31,653 Sheep and goats. 28,635 23,732 26,409 Hardware 27,820 29,368 Nuts, various. 25,717 26,678 Instruments, etc 28,046 Maize 12,296 24,203 Copper plates, etc. 17,237 22,599 21,467 Clothes. 28,332 26,717 13,451 14,419 Coal... 25,334 Millet.. 13,865 7,153 Hats.. 23,055 22,402 21,535 9,902 Hides. 23,854 19,979 21,629 sacks. 25,036 19,362 Silk. 25,523 18,286 12,487 Silk goods. 26,958 7,050 10,433 Beer 20,848 Horses and mules. 13,934 12,337 Alcoholic liquors.... 19,065 Oranges, etc.... 10,965 9,692 The division of imports and exports, as between the principal countries, was as follows in 189192 and 1892-93 : -Imports -Exports 1892-93. Country. Piasters. Piasters. Great Britain.. 1,020,112,896 978,150,804 686,302,331 701,939,222 Austria... 459,718,130 509,919,664 123,226,997 151, 179.883 302,137,375 296,290,674 450,700.216 380,035,776 Russia. 186,898,925 128,934,791 25,331,331 32,176,327 Italy. 57,698,720 78,446,559 22,206 France. The mercantile navy in 1895 consisted of 78 steamers, of 37,843 tons, and 786 sailing vessels, of 151,800 tons. In 1894-95 (March to February), there entered and cleared at all the ports of Turkey 192,269 vessels, of 37,618,549 tons. The total shipping entered and cleared at Constantinople in 1894 consisted of 18,572 vessels, of 13,559,288 tons. Since 1888 Turkey has been in direct railway communication with the rest of Europe. The main lines start from Constantinople and Salonica. Via this latter port is the shortest route to Egypt. The various lines in Europe and Asia open for traffic, 1896, were as follows: ConstantinopleAdrianople-Moustafa-Pacha, 222 miles; Salonica-Uskub-Mitrovitza, 227 miles; Dédéagatch-Adrianople, 93 miles ; Uskub-Zibsftché, 53 miles ; Salonica-Constantinople junction, with branches, 316 miles; Salonica-Monastir, 136 miles; Smyrna-Dinar, with branches, 324 miles; Smyrna-Alla-Chéhir, with branches, 165 miles; Moudania-Broussa, 26 miles; Mersina-Adana, 40 miles; Jaffa-Jerusalem, 54 miles; Haidar-Pacha-Angora, 360 miles : Beyrouth-Damascus-Hauran, 132 miles; Eski-Chéhir-Konieb, 276 miles. Total, 2,423 miles. There are 1,556 post-offices in the Empire. In the year 1890-91 the inland service transmitted 8,056,000 letters and postal cards, and 2,131,000 samples and printed papers; the international service transmitted 2,398 letters and postal cards, and 1,202,000 samples and printed papers. The length of telegraphic lines is about 20,750 miles, and length of wire about 33,040 miles. Annual receipts, 53,000,000 piasters; expenditure, 23,000,000 piasters. BANKING AND MONEY. The condition of the Ottoman Bank in December, 1896, compared with 1894, is shown as follows: 1896. Liabilities. Capital paid up: 5,000,000 Bank-notes in circulation. 566,688 Bills payable.... 968,056 Current account of sundries. 5,218,065 Deposits for fixed terms... 6 4,128 Stationary reserve.... 558,835 Profit and loss... 305,959 1894. 1836. 1894. Assets. £ € 5,001,000 Cash in hand, inclig branches 1,597,755 1,746,905 838,797 Money at call.. 227,581 107,523 2,821,666 Bills receivable. 633, 136 1,676,906 8,556, 469 | Investments (Eng. and F'ch 1,427, 196 Gov'ts & g’nt'ed securities. 956,632 1,510,08 480,256 | Other securities.. 3,804,850 3,492,848 479,534 Current account sundries. 1,912,398 4,679,364 Advances on securities.. 2,590,705 4,920,797 393,884 167,913 Current acc't with Gov'm't.. 36,376 281,924 19,603,918 13,231,731 19,603,918 13,231,731 The value of the piaster in United States money is 4.4 cents. The monetary system of Turkey is bimetallic, with the piaster equal to 40 paras 3 aspes, as monetary unit. The gold coins are the 500, 250, 100, 50, and 25 piaster pieces, all of the same fineness. viz., 0.91673. The 100-piaster piece, or gold medjidie, is called the Turkish pound. It has a gross weight of 7.216 grammes and a fine weight of 6,6146 grammes. The gross and fine weight of the other are proportional to those of the Turkish pound. The silver coins are the 20, 10, 5, 2, 1, and half piaster pieces, 0.830 fine. The 20-piaster piece has a gross weight of 24.055 grammes and a tine weight of 19.9156 grammes. The 10, 5, 2.1, and half piasters have a proportional gross and fine weight. The ratio of gold to silver was originally I to 15.09. By a decree the Government lowered the value of the 20-piaster piece to 19 piasters, in consequence of which debasement the ratio of gold to silver is 1 to 1576. The coinage of silver is suspended. The mint charge for gold is one per cent. Such is the system as it exists on paper, but the actual coined money of the country is in a very unsatisfactory condition. |
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