Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/890

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FRANCE

Years

Tons

Years

Tons

Years

Tons

Years

Tons

1885-86 1886-87 1887-88

265,071 434,044 347,785

1888-89 1889-90 1890-91

414,870 700,409 616,890

1891-92 1892-93 1893-94

578,110 523,366

514,789

1894-95 1895-96 1896-97

704,454 593,647 668,545!

In 1895 2,166,000 hectolitres of alcohol were produced; in 1896, 2,022,000 hectolitres ; in 1897, 2,208,140 hectolitres.

IV. Fisheries.

In 1894 the number of boats engaged in the French home fishing was 27,062 of 131,159 tons ; the boats engaged in the cod fisheries numbered 353 of 4U, 153 tons. The total number of men employed was 155,125, of Avhom 9,046 were in the cod fisheries, and 146,079 in the home fisheries ; of the latter, 84,727 Avere em^jloyed in boats, and 61,352 on foot. In 1896 the total value of the sea and shore fishing in boats was 93,025,568 francs ; of the shore fisheries on foot, 8,599,224 francs.

In 1897 the total weight of cod, oil, &c., landed in France by French and colonial boats was 569, 1 55 metric quintals ; of herring, 319, 186 metric quintals. The number of boats was 664, and of the fishermen 12,523. Government assist- ance {primes) is given to the cod fishers, amounting to 4,983,000 francs annually.

Commerce.

In French statistics General Trade includes all goods entering or leaving France, while Sj)ecial Trade includes only imports for home use and exports of French origin.

The Commission Pervianente des Valeurs annually determines the values (called actual values) which represent the average prices of the different articles in the Customs list during the year. The values fixed at the end of one year and applied to that year retro- spectively, are applied also during the following year, at the end of which the provisional results thus obtained are revised according to new values definitely fixed by the Com- mission. Thus each year there are published first the provisional and later the definitive commercial statistics. The customs entries show the country of origin of imports and that of ultimate destination of exports. For five years the actual values were :—

Years

General Commerce

Special Commerce

Imports

Exports

Imports

Exports

Million francs

Million francs

Million francs

Million francs

Av

erage 1888-92

5,406-8

4,644-7

4,363-3

3,547

1893

4,951-5

4,326-4

3,853-7

3,236-4

1894

4,794-9

4,124-6

3,850-4

3,078-1

1895

4,919-6

4,589-3

3,719-9

3,373-8

1896

4,928-8

4,5936

3,798-6

3,400-9

1897

5,137-5

4,803-1

3, 9.- 6-0

3,598-0

The chief subdivisions of the special trade were : —

—

Imports (1,00(1,000 francs)

Exports (1,000,000 francs)

Food products Raw „ Manufactured goods

Total.

1893

1894

1895

1896

1897

1893

1894 1895

1896

1897

1,061 1 1,198

2,229 2,104

564 548

1,0.S6

2,101

583

1,007

2,174

618

1,029 710

2,319 784

608 1,742

666

755

1,657

591

874

1,909

652 721

836 944

1,913 1,933 1

3,854 1 3,850

3,720

3,799

3,956 ' 3,236

1

3,078

3,774

3,401 3,598

The chief articles of import and export (special trade) were in millions of francs : —