Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/808

 686 BOLIVIA

Money, Weights, and Measures.

lu Bolivia there are (1910) 17 banks of issue, includiug the Banco dc la Nacion (State bank). These banks are allowed to issue 100 bolivianos notes for every 40 bolivianos gold in their reserve. The total available currency is (1910) as follows: — Private banks — paper, 2,575,000Z. ; gold 1,030,000/. Banco dc la Nacion— paper, 4,625,000^. ; gold, 1,850,000/. Total— paper, 7,200,000/. ; gold, 2,880,000. There are 4 mortgage banks. The Bank of Chile and Germany, and the German Transatlantic Bank have branches in Bolivia.

On September 14, 1906, a monetary law was pas^sed providing for the adoption of a gold standard. The unit of account is the gold peso of one-fifth of a pound sterling weighing 1*5976 grams, '916 fine, thus contain- ing 1-464466 grams of fine gold. There are two gold coins struck, British and Peruvian pounds and half pounds.; there is no Bolivian gold yet in circulation. Silver coins, "900 fine, are pieces of 50 and 20 centavos. Nickel coins, pieces of 10 and 5 centavos. Gold is legal tender to any amount and English and Peruvian gold coins of corres]»onding value have legal currency, the rate of exchange being fixed at 12*5 bolivianos = 11. Silver is legal tender up to 10 pesos, and nickel np to 1 peso. Silver and nickel coins are being minted. In 1909 silver coin to the value of 1,000,000 bolivianos (50 and 20 centavo pieces) were coined for Bolivia at Birmingham. There arc also paper notes of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 Bolivianos.

The metric system of weights and measures is used by the administration and prescribed by law, but the old Spanish system is also employed. The quintal is equal to 101^ lbs.

Consular Representative.

1. Of Bolivia in Great Britain.

Envoy EidraorcUnarii and Minister TlcniiyoUniiary. — Col. Pedro Suarez. First Secretary. — Dr. Alcides Arguedas.

2. Of Great Britain in Bolivia.

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. — Cecil W. G. Gosling. There are Consular representatives at La Paz, Oruro, Sucre, Santa Cruz, Uyuni and Cochabamba.

Statistical and other Books of Reference concerning Bolivia.

1. Official Publications.

The official publications are chiefly those of the Departments of Finance and Industry, of Foreign Affairs, of Immigration and Statistics ; the commission for the delimitation of the boundary towards Brazil.

Constitucion Politica de la Republica de Bolivia. La Paz, 1902.

Bolivia. International Bureau of the American Republics. Washington, 1904.

Brazil and Bolivia. Treaty for fne Exchange of Territories and other Complications. Signed November 17, 1903. New York, 1904.

2. jSTon-Official Publications.

Ahumada Moreno (P.), Guerra del Pacifico. 6 torn. Valparaiso, 1884-89.

Ballivian (Manuel V.) and IJtcgtte^ (Eduardo), Diccionario Geografico de la Republica de Bolivia. La Paz, 1890. — B. and Zarco (J.), Monografias de la Industria Minera. I. Ore ; II. Plata ; III. Estaiio. La Paz, 1899-1900.

Blanco (F.), Diccionario Geogratico de la Republica de Bolivia. 2 vols. La Paz, 1001. In progress.

Blanco (F. A.), Diccionario geografico del Departamento de Oruro. La Paz, 1904.

BonelUiJj. H. de), Travels in Bolivia. 2 vols. London, 1S54.

Conway (Sir M.), The Bolivian Andes. London, 1001.

Crespo (Luis S.), Geografla de Bolivia. La Paz, 190a. — Guia del viajero en Bolivia. La Paz, 1908.

D'Orbigny (A.), Voyages dans I'Amerique Meridionale. 9 vols. Paris, 1835-47

Keane(A. H.), Central and rSouth America. In Stanford's Compendium of Geography and Travel. Second edition. London, 1909.