Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/858

 502 ECUADOR

—

1803 1 1894

1895 j 1890 1897

liiipoits into Great Britain Exports of British pro- duce to Ecuador.

201,137 233,479 300,114 1 263,632

£ £ £

117,957 153,812 92,412 250,858 372,167 j 418,049

The chief articles of import from Ecuador into Great Britain consist of cocoa, of the value of 116,014^. in 1896 ; 61,769^. in 1897 ; coffee, 11,236^. in 1896 ; 12,982^. in 1897; sugar, 12,690/. in 1894; 1,683/. in 1896; nil. in 1897; caoutchouc, 7,861/. in 1896 ; 12,845/. in 1897. Of the exports of British produce to Ecuador, cotton goods, to the value of 272,957/. ; woollens, 40,496/.; and iron, wrought and unwrought, 26,496/., formed the principal articles in 1897.

Shipping and Navigation.

The following is the movement of shipping at Guayaq^uil in 1897

—

Entered

Cleared

British .... Ecuadorian .... Foreign ....

Total ....

No. 100

92

Tons 140,621

124,587

No. 100

92

Tons 140,621

124,587

192

265,208

192

265,208

These figures are exclusive of about 2,000 small coasting and river craft of from 5 to 80 tons entered and cleared at Guayaquil.

Internal Communications.

The roads of the country are mostly bridle-roads only, and often impass- able for half the year. The one highway is from Quito towards Guayaquil, for a distance of 115 miles, but the work of thus connecting the capital and the port has long been discontinued. There is river communication throughout the principal agricultural districts on the low grounds to the west of the Cordillera by the rivers Guayas, Daule, and Vinces (navigable for 200 miles by river steamers in the rainy season), and other small affluents thereof. Naviga- tion of these inland waters is carried on by about 17 American and Ecuadorian- built side-wheel and screw steamers, and a large fleet of canoes and other small craft.

A railway is open from Duran (opposite Guayaquil) to Chimbo, 58 miles ; the prolongation, begun some years ago, has been discontinued. Various proposals to complete the line to Sibambe have been submitted to Congress, and in 1896 the proposals of an American syndicate to take over the existing railway and carry on the extension were accepted by the Government. It is now (August, 1898) reported, that engineers are being sent out, and steps taken to comply with the terms of the contract.

The total length of telegraphs is about 1,242 miles, Quito being connected with Guayaquil and the coast, with the Republic of Colombia, and by cable with the rest of the world. There are about 60 telegi'aph stations. A telephonic system with 400 subscribers is established at Guayaquil.

The inland coirespondence amounts to about 820,000 letters yearly, and in 1893 the foreign correspondence passing through the post-office consisted of 1,808,806 letters and 6,346,595 newspapers and packets, .^...i.... .