Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/1494

 1138

VENEZUELA

Commerce.

Nearly six-sevenths in value of the imports are subject to duty, following table shows the progress of Venezuela commerce in bolivars : —

The

■ —

1889-90

1890-91

1892-93

1893-94

1895-96

Imports Exports

83,614,411 100,917,338

118,952,508

86,420,615

107,655,694

111,455,143

The staple export is coffee, which goes mainly to France, Germany, the United States, and Italy. In the year 1896-97 the chief exports Avere coffee : from La Guaira, 7,946 tons ; from *Puerto Cabello, 10,979 tons ; from Maracaibo, 25,486 tons; from Ciudad Bolivar, 256 tons. Cocoa: from La Guaira, 3,766 tons ; from Puerto Cabello, 232 tons ; from Maracaibo, 40 tons ; from Ciudad Bolivar, 9 tons ; hides and skins to the number of 3,440,109 ; mbber, 339 tons ; quina bark, 31,044 kilogrammes ; other exports being copaiba, tonga beans, feathers, fustic, divi-divi, and fish sounds. Gold in bars was exported to the amount of 1,353 kilogrammes. The chief imports are provisions, dry goods, hardware, coal, kerosene, cement, timber, and machinery.

The value of the trade between Venezuela and the United Kingdom during the last five years, according to the Board of Trade Returns, was : —

—

1«93

1894

1895

1896

1897

Imports into United King- dom fiom Venezuela

Exports of British produce to Venezuela

£

89,684 919,261

£ 145,212 679,043

£

53,410 802,964

£.

57,426 789,767

£

63,382

564,697

The chief articles of import from Venezuela into Great Britain in 1897 were cocoa, 1,885?.; coffee (in 1880, 15,553?.) 7,330Z. ; furniture wood, 2,361?.; ornamental feathers, 36,881?.; caoutchouc, 12,182?. The exports from Great Britain to Venezuela comprise cotton and linen manufactures, the former of the value of 370,337?.; and the latter of 23,232/., in the year 1897 ; besides woollens, 29,344?.; jute goods, 24,879?. ; iron, wrought and un wrought, 28,014?. ; machinery, 13,000?.

Shipping and Communications.

At La Guaira in 1897 there entered and cleared 312 vessels of 676,500 tons (97 of 191,950 tons British) ; at Maracaibo 285 of 78,620 tons entered and cleared; at Ciudad Bolivar 133 of 58,367 tons entered and cleared.

Venezuela had in 1898, 11 steamers, with total net tonnage of 2,185 tons, and 17 sailing vessels, with total tonnage of 2,760 tons.

There are (1898) 505 miles of railway in operation, and 1,000 miles under consideration. In May, 1896, a contract was made for the establishment of regular steamship lines on the Lake of Valencia, and for the construction of branch railways and tramways connecting with the main line. Lake naviga- tion steadily increases in importance. In 1898 there were 214 post-offices. In 1898 there were 3,882 miles of telegraph lines and 113 telegraph offices ; expenses (1895) 968,382 l)olivars. There are two telephone companies.