Page:Provincial geographies of India (Volume 4).djvu/232

216 An Advisory Council of Chiefs, constituted to discuss matters of general interest to the States will consist of ten Chiefs of the Southern and five of the Northern States, with four representatives of minor Chiefs of the Southern States. The Commissioner and Superintendents will be members of this Council which will not have any legislative powers.

The Federation will be financed by contributions from individual States, by rents from the Government of Burma, by revenue from forests and mineral royalties, and will assume responsibility for certain expenditure.

Statistics of trade for the year 1921–22 were not available till these pages were passing through the press. They do not materially affect the statements in the text. A few points may be noted.

There was a substantial decline in imports and more than an equivalent rise in exports which were valued at nearly £65,000,000. Imports of woollen, silk, and cotton goods continued to fall; and only 318 motor cars were imported from abroad, mostly from America.

Somewhat less rice was exported but the value rose to £37,000,000. The export of wolfram almost ceased.

The British Empire maintained its position as contributing the greater part of the imports, though the actual value decreased. Though still the best customer, it absorbed a somewhat smaller percentage of the exports.

German trade continued to expand; though the value of the imports was less. The decrease in the import of salt from Germany was specially marked. But she took exported goods from Rangoon to the value of £3,290,000, an enormous increase over the figure of the preceding year. No less than 217,000 tons of rice, valued at £3,750,000 went to Germany from all ports. This is a surprising fact, especially when it is noted that in the five years before the War, the average annual export of rice to that country amounted to 326,000 tons valued at £3,110,000.

Eighteen German vessels came to Rangoon.