Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/1229

 SHIPPING AND NAVIGATION

873

The quantities and value of the iinpoits of guano into Great Britain from Peru in the last six years were as follows : —

—

1892

1893

1894

1895

29,560 260,901

1896

1897

Quantities, tons Value. £

13,767 109,422

9,220

41,029

17,556 81,546

4,834 21,576

6,680 30,675

Imports into the United Kingdom from Peru are : — sugar, 1,380,622Z. in 1879; 477,979Z. in 1896; 425, 66U. in 1897 ; sheep and alpaca wool, 302,743^. in 1896; 300,759^. in 1897; raw cotton, 162,046^. in 1896; 157,213Z. in 1897; copper ore and copper, 49,294^. in 1896; 105,790 in 1897; silver ore, 90,157^. in 1896; 169,765^. in 1897; nitre, 10,010^. in 1896 ; 5,7661. 1897.

The chief exports from Great Britain to Peru are : — cotton goods, 455,424Z. in 1896 ; 327,412Z. in 1897 ; woollens, 113,440Z. in 1896 ; 105,466^. in 1897 ; iron, wrought and unwrought, 64,570Z. in 1896; 60,474Z. in 1897; machinery, 63,066^. in 1896 ; 45,387Z. in 1897.

Shipping and Navigation.

At the port of Callao in 1897, of vessels of over 50 tons, 492 vessels of 600,049 tons (196 vessels of 307,597 tons British) entered, and 503 vessels of 618,677 tons (199 of 313,992 tons British) cleared. There entered also 889 vessels, under 50 tons, of 10,966 tons. At Trujillo there entered (1896) 284 vessels of 446,520 tons (156 of 310,692 tons British).

The merchant navy of Peru in 1896 consisted of 36 vessels of over 50 tons, their aggregate tonnage being 9,953 tons, and 96 vessels under 50 tons, their aggregate being 1,246 tons.

Internal Communications.

Good roads and bridges are required all over the countr3^ A road is being constructed from La Merced in Chanchamayo to the Pichis River, by which communication with the Amazon will be established ; on this road a large sum has been spent, but the result, so far, is unsatisfactory. A carriage road is to be made from Oroya, the terminus of the Central Railway, to Cerro de Pasco, 66 miles, where at present the sole means of transport is by llamas, horses, and mules. The construction of a carriage road from Sicuani, the railway terminus, to Cuzco is far advanced.

In 1895 the total working length of the Peruvian railways was 924 miles, of which 800 miles belong to the State. The Peruvian railways, including those ceded to Chile, cost al)out 36 millions sterling.

The length of State telegraph lines in 1897 was 1,400 miles, and of the Corporation lines, 533 miles. Then*, are 48 telegraph ofliccs. In 1896, 88,326, and in 1897, 121,492 telegrams were despatched. The telegraph cables laid on the west coast of America have stations at Paita, Callao, Lima, and Mollendo, and thus Peru is placed in direct communication with the telegraphic system of the world. A telephone .system has a network of 2,300 miles.