Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/1238

 1116 PANAMA

in the Canal Zone public schools) received free instruction in 1910, from 315 teachers. A University (Instituto Nacional) has been opened in fine large buildings constructed at a cost of about 300,000Z., and the principal teachers are foreigners. In addition there are about a dozen private institutions and 47 young men and 15 young women are being educated in Europe and the United States at the cost of the Panama Government.

Finance. — All the revenue collected on importations into the Republic or zone belongs to the Panama Government, but the United States reserve the right to import supplies of all descriptions required for canal construction and for the use of their employees free of all taxes.

The national revenue from all sources for the year 1911 was 672,957?., and the expenditure 670,839Z. The budget estim.ates for 1911-12 were 1,440,OOOZ. The Republic has 1,260,000/. and 150,000Z. capital in the National Bank : total, 1,410,000Z,, with an interior debt of about 6O,0O0Z. It has no army or navy to support.

Production. — The soil of Panama is of great fertility. Of the whole area about five-eighths are unoccupied, and of the remainder only a small part is properly cultivated. Immigration is encouraged, and land is offered to small farmers on favourable terms. The most important j)roduct is the banana. The United Fruit Company (a United States company) has large plantations and exports annually, from Bocas del Toro, about 2^ million bunches of bananas worth about 125,000Z. Caoutchouc (about 130 tons annually) is collected by the Indians of the Cordillera, or is obtained from trees planted by Europeans near the coast. Coffee (about 500,000 bushes) is grown in the province of Chiriqui, near the Costa Rican frontier. In the province of Code (Atlantic coast) there is one large agi'icultural undertaking, begun in 1894 with German capital. Here about 75,000 cocoa trees, 50,000 colFee bushes, and 25,000 caoutchouc trees have been planted and are now beginning to yield returns. Other products of the soil of Panama are coco- nuts, mahogany and other woods, copaiba, sarsaparilla and ipecacuanha. Sugar and tobacco growing are assuming importance. Cattle rearing is carried on successfully, and hides form an important article of export. In 1905 the live stock was estimated at 65,000 head of cattle, 17,000 horses, 1,500 mules, 28,000 pigs, and 3,000 goats.

Pearl fishing is carried on at the Pearl Islands in the Gulf of Panama, and at Coiba Island to the west. Turtle-shell is also exported to a considerable amount. It is claimed that Panama possesses nearly every common mineral except coal, and recently a number of mining concessions have been granted.

Commerce, Shipping, Communications.— The imports into the

Republic in 1911 amounted to 1,858,625/., of which the value of 1,020,848Z. came from the United States (exclusive of canal materials), 453,080/. from Great Britain, 223,247/. from Germany, 77,316/. from France, 36,538/. from Italy, 28,209/. from Belgium, 29,398/. from Spain, 35,454/. from China and Japan, and 53,968/. from Spanish America. The exports for 1911 amounted to 572,685/.

The Isthmus on both sides is in communication with European and American countries by several lines of steamers. In 1911 there entered at the ports of the Republic and the Canal Zone 782 vessels of 1,504,332 tons, and cleared 3,366, 4'28 tons. In 1909 the British vessels entered were 304, and tonnage 672,797 tons ; German, 143 vessels and 558,868 tons ; United States, 151 vessels and 537,882 tons; Belgian, 77 ships and 226,788 tons; and French, 34 ships and 174,509 tons. Of the tonnage entered, 763 ships and 2,843,092 tons entered Colon and Cristobal.

A railway, 47 miles, connects the ports of Colon and Panama. It