Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/791

 COMMERCE

669

Commerce.

General Commerce. Imports

1910 1911 191U

&

170,598,410 lS0,a38,920 17J, 283,000

Exports

& 136,297,120 143,224,000 149,520,000

General imports, 1911, by sea, 3,261,700,000 francs, by land, railway, canals and rivers, 3,544,700,000 francs ; expoi'ts, by sea, 2,551,500,000 fraucs, by land, railway, canals and rivers, 3,327,800,000.

Imports for home consumption, exports of Belgian origin, and transit trade, in millions of francs : —

1905

1900

1907

1908

1909

1910

1911

Imports Exports Transit

Million frs

3,068-3 2,333-6 1,922-2

Million frs Million frs Million frs Million frs Million frs Million frs

3,454-0 2,793-8 •2,268-8

3,773-6 2,848-1 2,348-0

3,327-4 2,506-4 2,021-0

3,704-3 2,809-7 2,290-3

4,265-0 3,407-4

2,287-2

4,508-

3,580-3

2,298-9

Thecustomsreceiptsamounted, in 1906, to 56,287,949 francs; in 1907, 57,788,044 ; inlQOSj 57,326,938; in 1909, 60,990.545; in 1910, 67,376,434; in 1911, 65,425,120 (2,617,004?.) The commercial treaty of 1862 provided for the " mostfavourednation" treatment between Great Britain and Belgium. This treaty terminated in 1878, but since then the system m force under the treaty has been continued by an arrangement terminable after 3 months'notice. The amount of revenue collected by means of a taritt' on imported goods is very small, and wheu compared with the value of the entire imports it will be found that the average duty charged in relation to the entire imports amounts to less than 1"5 per cent. The customs tariff is intended more as a protection to home industries than as a means of revenue in-oduction.

Leading articles of special commerce in year 1911 :—

Imports

Exports

Wool .... Wheat .... Minerals (unclassified) Silver (coined) Rubber (raw) Hides .... Flax .... Coal .... Diamonds, cut and uncut Cotton .... Maize .... Building wood (other than

oak and walnut) Linseed

Coffee, unroasted Nitrate of soda. Barley .... Oil cakes Chemical products Colza and turnip secils Petroleum ... Iron ore ... Machinery ... Greases (except oleoniar

garine) Dyes and colours Tons, lentils, &c..

15,300,720 17,850,560 7,860,900 5,207,160 4,652,760 6,259,080 3,888.320 4,630,400 3,934,240 5,820,840 4,057,760

3,276,840 3,776,520 2,901,600 3,041,120 3.018,360 2^210,040 1.718,800 1,346,360 1,524,840 1,809,800 1,585,880

1,951,320 1,412,440

1,1:^9,520

Wool

Rubber ....

Wheat

Flax

Rail and tram cars. Diamonds, rough and cut Flax and other yarns

Zinc

Hides

Coal

Iron and steel bars and

sheets (unclassified) Iron and steel. Minerals (unclassified) Dyes and colours Linseed

Cotton tissues. Machinery .... Horses .... Flax yarns (carded). Chemical products Window glass. Greases (except oleomar- ' garine) ....

Paper

Indigo .... Maize

13,869,760 3,813,360 4,935,120 4,377,480 4,625,800 3,961,960 4,087,760 4,453,360 4,184,320 3,267,120.

2,873,120 3,-232,S0O 2,595,400 1,537,200 2,543,800 2,986,960 1,868,360 1,521,000 1,457,120 1,492,680 1,473,560

1,484,440 1,399,120 1,428,840 1,39-2,880