Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/1066

 710

HAITI

Commerce and Communications.

For 1895 the total imports into Haiti are put at 6,232,335 dollars ; and the exports at 13,788,562 dollars; in 1896, imports 6,053,835 dollars; exports 9,463,903 dollars; in 1897, imports, 6,363,798 dollars; exports, 12,549,848 dollars.

The exports consist chiefly of coff"ee, cocoa, and logwood. For the year ended September 30, 1897, the quantities exported were : Coff'ee, 73,057,397 lbs. ; cocoa, 2,120,242 lbs. ; logwood, 112,756,225 lbs. Other exports are cotton, hides and skins, mahogany, and honey. Of the imiiorts in 1897, the value of 4,379,000 dollars came from the United States; 943,000 dollars from France; 529,000 dollars from Germany; 309,000 dollars from Great Britain.

There is no report of the exact value of the commercial intercourse of the Republic with the United Kingdom in the ' Annual Statement ' published by the Board of Trade, which gives Haiti and Santo Domingo together. But as the population of the latter State is only about one -fourth of that of Haiti, an estimate may be made of the exports and imports of each during the last five years from the statement given in the following table : —

—

1893

1894

1895

1896

1897

Imports from Haiti and Santo Domingo into U. K.

Exports of British pro- duce to Haiti and Santo Domingo

£

67,706

332,810

£

81,072

337,979

£

53,216

359,027

£ 92,940

288,394

£

74,034

296,964

The chief imports into the United Kingdom in 1897 were logAvood, valued at 48,353^. ; mahogany and other woods, 22,780^. The staple article of British produce exported to Haiti and Santo Domingo consists of cotton manufactures, valued at 163,079/. in 1896, 185,107/. in 1897; linens, 21,441 in 1896, 14,919/. in 1897 ; iron, wrought and unwrought, 31,164/. in 1896; 22,366/. in 1897.

At Port-au-Prince in 1897 there entered 234 vessels of 323,611 tons; at Cape Haiti, 203 of 274,609 tons; at Les Cayes, 144 of 163,842 tons; at Jacmel, 212 of 371,468 tons. At each port the same tonnage cleared.

There are 31 post offices. Haiti joined the Postal Union in 1880.

Money, Weights, and Measures.

The Gourde, or dollar, nominal value, 4.9. The coin represents 5 francs, but its value is subject to fluctuation, of which the annual average may be 17 per cent, premium on the American dollar.

During the ten years 1881-90, 2,900,000 gourdes in silver, and 75,000 gourdes in copper were issued. In 1895, silver and coj^per coin was issued to Liie amount of 1,600,000 gourdes. The bank notes in circulation are issued by the Haytian Government under the control of the Banque Nationale d'Haiti. Jn February, 1898, a law was passed authorising a loan of 3,500,000 United States gold dollars for the purpose of withdrawing the paper money.

The wcifjlit.s and measures in use are those of France.