Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/869

 DEFENCE — INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE

747

fartlier loan of 35,000,000 francs was issued to pay off the bonds of the Pacific railway and the internal debt. The internal debt on December 31, 1911, was 11,879,441 colones (1,136,789^.).

Defence.

Costa Rica has an army, including reserve and national guard, of 50,077 officers and men. The active army numbers 36,952, the reserve 8,491, and the national guard 4,634. The active army consists of 3 brigades, 1 battalion, 3 companies, and 135 unclassified soldiers. The peace strength is 1,000 men, and the war strength is estimated at 50,000 militia, as every male between 18 and 50 may he required to serve. The Republic has also 2 motor launches on the Atlantic side for Revenue purposes.

Industry and Commerce.

Almost anything can be grown in Costa Rica, but the principal agricultural products are coffee and bananas ; in 1911, 74,600 acres were devoted to the cultivation of coffee ; 66,000 acres to bananas ; 9,309,586 bunches of bananas were exported in 1911, and 206,609 bags (weight 12,641 metric tons) of coffee. There is a brisk banana trade with New Orleans, Mobile, New York, and Boston, and also between Limon and Bristol and Manchester. Other exports of produce were gold and silver bullion and concentrates, cocoa, tortoiseshell, hides, rubber, besides cedar, mahogany, fustic and other woods. New rubber plantations are proving productive. Maize, sugar, rice, and potatoes are commonly cultivated. The distillation^ of spirits, a government monopoly, proceeds actively. The live stock consists of 361,045 cattle, 59,173 horses, 111,540 pigs, besides mules, sheep, and goats. Several districts are auriferous, and mining is carried on in the Aliangarez, Barranca, and Aguacate district.^, at about 6 mines.

The value of imports into and exports from Costa Rica in 5 years (in- cluding coin and bullion) was as follows (in sterling 1 colon = 22 -90^.) :—

Imports Exports

1907

£

1,511,627 1,870,820

1908

1909

1910

1,126,553 1,552,432

£ 1,182,568 1,582,506

£ 1,625,299 1,72.8,386

1911

£

1,825,829 1,836,546

For 1911 the

value of the

chief imports and exports was as foil

ows : —

Imports

1

£

Exports

£

Cotton goods.

'

251,737

' Bananas ....

890,870

Flour.

80,486


 * Cofifee

584,645

Railway material

54,519

Gold, silver (LuUion) and

Constructional iron. . i

52,606

concentrates.

246,831

Machinery.

. '

51,759

Timber ....

18,509

Lard.

40,970

1 Cocoa

17,780

Coal.

1

1

1

40,123

j Rubber .... i Hides and skins Raw Sugar ....

1.

17,300 18,042 19,191

Of the import value in 1911, 845,597/. (46-29 per cent.) was from the United States, 316,213/. (17-34 per cent.) from the United Kingdom, 347,093/. (19-03 per cent.) from Germany, 90,400/. (4 '95 per cent.) from