Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/1374

 1252 SIAM

Lower Burma; and with Saigon in Anam ; the overland telegraph line to

the fleet have been placed in the budget for Siam for the fascal year 1912-1913 An expe hnental station of the Telefunken system was --ted on he isW of Kohsichang some years ago, and tins system will be used for the new installations The sites for the land stations will be at Pratoomawan, at Kohsichang, and on the top of the hill at Smgora.

There is a postal service in Bangkok, and m 1885 Siam joined tlie International Postal Union. The mail service down the Malay Peninsula and also towards the north of Siam, has been largely developed. In 1890 a paixel post service was established having connection with Singapore and the international system.

Money, Weights, and Measures.

In Bangkok there are branches of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank the Charte'red Bank of India, and the Banque de | I^do-Chme ; all of these issue notes ; bank-note issue is in nowise regulated by the Siames Government. A native bank, with a German manager foi its foreign Department, has recently been established under Royal Charter and with- Same of the Commercial Bank of Siam, Limited. The Goverjimen m 1902 began to issue currency notes which have driven ^^^^^f „k,„^}^^;'^^} ^ ^ circulation. At the end of July, 1912, there was 1 '903, 3437. ^Noith o currency notes in circulation, against which the Treasury held 1 289,392^1 bullion, Indian stock, 108,609Z. ; British consols, 1^244,041 .; Gei man Imperial bonds, 57,295/. ; Siam stock, 133,164/. ; Japanese bonds, 93,ol4/., and Egyptian United stock, 97,162/. ,,,^i„h^r,cr 15

The unit of the monetary system is the silver tical yeighing 15 grams "900 fine. Its value (formerly varying with the price of silvei) lias, by the Gold Standard Act of 1908, been fixed at Is 6|c/. or 13 ticals - 1/ the gold value of the tical being equal to tbat of ^^/S centigrams J^ puie gold? There will be a 10 tical gold piece or Dos weighing ^ 2 giams 900 Sue and thus containing 5-58 grams o pure gold I^^f f «__^ ,\^^^' tical, the following coins are now actually muse. :_the Sahmg, - 4 J eai, the 10-^'«/««(/ piece, - -A'V of a tical • the 5->S'atong piece, ^.^i.^ot^ tical ■wifl tlio ^afana - -.^rroi a tical. The Salicnq is oi silver '800 fine, int loiit.^-a'^^"«4?/plcesareof nickel, wliilsfthe Satang is of bronze. The measures of weight are :-l Tioal = 15 grams or approximately •53 oz. ; 4 Ticals = 1 Tamlung, (60 grams or 2;^l oz.) ; 20 T«mZm^ Chang {V2 kilograms or 2 lbs. 10-3 oz.) ; and 50 Chang = 1 Hap (60 kiio- <;rams or slightly over 132:1 lbs.) ^^ Af ik^^.,-.. no

" The measures of length are::-l Niu^ "83 inches; ^^J}^=\^f^P^rl inches) ; 2 Ketcp, = 1 Sole, (20 inches) ; 4 Sok, =1 fa (80 inches) : 20 ^^ «^ = 1 Sen (133 feet) ; 400 Sen = 1 Yot (10 miles, roughly).

Diplomatic and Consular Representatives.

1. Of Siam in Great Britain.

Uiivoij and Minister.— Phy& Sudham Maitri. Councillor of Legation.— W. J. Archer, C.M.G. First Secretary.— Lnsiiig Sanpakitch. See7xtary-Interpreter.— Lewis C. Bateman. Attache.— 'Na.i Tiem.