Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/798

 676

BELGIAN CONGO

non-couiniissionecl officers, are Europeans, for the most part Belgians. Tlie term of service is seven years, and the recruits are trained in camps of instruction before being drafted to their companies.

Justice. — There are 7 courts of first instance, 12 county courts, and 2 courts of appeal (one at Boma and the other at Elizabethville) There are altogether 77 magistrates in the Congo.

Production, Commerce, Shipping^.— The four chief products in the

order of their importance are rubber, palm-nuts and palm-oil, white copal and cocoa. Ivory is also abundant. Coffee grows freely, and the cultivation of cocoa is successful. Tobacco is grown in all native villages. Planta- tions of rubber and coffee have been established by the Government. Cattle do not thrive on account of the deadly tsetse Hy. There are no native industries and few skilled Morkmen. Mining flourishes ; the chief minerals being gold and copper. Other minerals are known to exist — coal, iron, tin and manganese — but as yet these have not been obtained in paying quantities. The gold mines in 1911 employed some 3,000 natives, the output was 2,000 pounds and the exports 1,995 pounds. In 1911 the shipment of copper was 2,184,636 pounds (336,708 pounds in 1910).

The value of the commerce in 1895 was as follows : — Imports, special 427,430Z. ; general, 473,440Z. ; exports, special, 437,720Z.; general, 485,430?. The development in the last five years was as follows : —

Years

1907 1908 1909 1910 1911

Imports

Special

. £ . 1,007,270 1,063,550

885,100 1,473,872 1,045,315

General

£

1,337,480 1,290,830 1,139,290 1,759,117 2,334,602

Exports

Special

General

£

£

2,355,090

3,101,610

1,734,870

2,274,690

2,246,690

3,020,570

2,664,091

3,823,947

2,163,697

8,158.215

In the trade of 1911 the chief imports and exports were : —

Imp

orts

—

Exports

Special

General

Special

General

Francs

Francs

Francs

Francs

Arms, ammunition,

Rubber.

34,426,896

50,424,261

&c.

1,421,453

1,782,594

Ivory

5,683,468

9,237,227

Steamers and ships

1,920,^91

2,422,118

Palm-nuts

2,878,674

3,504,175

Machinery

8,050,844

8,518,072

Palm-oil.

1,731,898

2,032,395

Iron, steel, copper.

2,964,137

3,247,909

Copal

3,348,317

3,355,724

Wines, spirits.

3,377,492

4,129,729

Cocoa

895,543

899,832

Provisions

7,554,501

9,248,118

Coffee.

3,218

3,218

Cottons.

8,621,262

11,216,047

Gold, crude.

3,119,050

3,119,050

Olotliing.

3,117,344

3,930,129

Cupper, ore and

crude.

1,902.859

6,315,678

Of the special imports (1911) the value of 31,435,138 francs came from Belgium ; 5,882,230 francs from Great Britain ; 2,454,173 francs from Germany ; 2,177,246 francs from France, and 972,077 francs from Holland. Of the special exports the value of 47,566,266 francs went to Belgium ; 468,732 francs to Great Britain; 3,413,896 francs to neighbouring Portu- guese possessions ; 429,000 francs to British East Africa, and 705,920 francs to Holland.