Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/603

 THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — FIJI

256

yams, kc, 159 acres ; tobacco, 75 acres ; peanuts, 267 acres ; tea, 210 acres ; rice, 432 acres ; pine-apples, 45 acres.

There were in the colony, at the end of 1897, 1,832 horses and mules ; 15,136 cattle ; 4,716 sheep j and 4,049 Angora goats.

Commerce.

The value of the total foreign trade during five years was as follows : —

Year

Total Foreign Trade

Imports

Exports

£

£

£

£

1893

632,030

276,398

355,632

1894

867,633

285,981

581,652

1895

573,968

241,759

332,209

1896

677,834

242,492

435,342

1897

680,608

248,748

431,860

In 1897 the imports subject to duty amounted to 158,654^., and imports duty-free to 90,094^.

The total amount of imports from and exports to British possessions and other countries respectively, for each year, has been : —

Year

From British

From other

To British

To other i

Possessions

Countries

Possessions

Countries

£

£

£

^ 1

1893

270,957

5,441

327,821

27,810

1894

274,575

11,406

528,336

53,316

1895

222,503

19,256

259,280

72,929

1896

233,805

8,487

401,505

33,837

1897

242,106

6,642

415,836

16,024

Quantities and the values of imports are ascertained by invoice and declaration, or by examination by Customs officers. In the case of exports, the values are determined accord- ing to the average price of each article in the local market. The countries recorded as the origin and destination of goods are those disclosed by the shipping documents. Copra is usually exported in vessels which sail to Lisbon, Marseilles, Hamburg, Ac, 'for orders,' and the ultimate destination is unknown. Almost all English goods imported into Fiji appear as imports from Australia.

The principal imports during 1897 were — hardware, 12,807Z. ; drapery, 49,254Z. ; meats, 9,234Z. ; rice, 11,205Z. ; breadstuffs and biscuits, 23,085Z. ; bags and sugar mats, 6, 862Z. ; coal, 14,274Z. ; timber, 4,280^; galvanised iron goods, 3,039Z. ; live stock, 4,457Z. ; machinery, 12,036Z. ; oils, 6,227Z. ; produce, 8,541^. Of these items, meats, breadstuffs, coal, manure, live stock and machinery were free of import duties in 1897, but owing to revision of tariff, meat and bread stuffs are now dutiable.

The principal exports in 1897 were — sugar, 26,991 tons, valued at 323,830Z. ; copra, 7,757 tons, valued at 70,1822. ; green fruit (consisting chiefly of bananas), 16,5142. ; Colonial distilled spirit, 15,041 gallons, valued at 1,8802.; pea-nuts, 185 tons, valued at 2,6362. ; tobacco 9 tons valued at 2,0522. ; and cotton, 34 tons, valued at 1,6152.

The direct trade between Great Britain and Fiji is small. According to the Board of Trade returns the imports into the United Kingdom from Fiji in 1897 amounted to 9,0672. (24,9602. in 1895); and the exports of horae'produce to Fiji to 26,6122. (34,3342. in 1895). In 1897, the exports thereto included cotton manufactures, 12,0492. ; apparel, 3,5392.