Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/1257

 DEPENDENCIES

L205

The trade registered (exclusive of t oin and bullion) at the following ports in 1918 is given below : —

-

Imports

Exports

Re -ex porta

Transit

Total

Eaeudos

Ksendoa

Ssendos

1

■mm

Loorenco Marquee

. --.v-

23,394,101

44.910,58..

Inhambane

90f">, 1

—

—

NMD

Cbinde

1,325,572

l,841,54o

'. M4M

Quelimane

4,856

1 1,905,937

Mocambi'iue

667,^33

438,1

—

Tete. .

345,11-'

-

76,142

MMI I

Beira

3,i21,834

13,955,073

5,028,341

w»jm,iib

lbo. .

.

808, 8S5

901

5,881

i 1,1 46,89.;

Gr»u<l Total.

S,V-'^

23,392,700

30,346,031

84,829,616

The chief articles imported into the colony are cereals, foodstuffs, cement, cotton, alcoholic liquors, and animals. The exports are mainly sugar, rubber, Tarions ores, wax, and ivory. The Zambezi is navigable for stern-wheelers as far as Tete. At the port of Lourenco Marques there entered in 1918 498 vessels and cleared 499 vessels. At the Port of Beira 340 vessels arrived and 336 departed in 1919. At the poit of lbo. '2,104 vessels arrived in 1919, and 2,100 departed.

The Delagoa Bay railway has a length of 57 miles in the colony, and is continued for 290 miles to Pretoria. The commercial relations and transit of goods by this railway between the Portuguese and British possessions ire regulated by the agreement signed April 1, 1909. A new line from Lourenco Marques to the Swaziland border is under construction, 44 miles being open for traffic, inclnding the Umbeluri branch. The Gaza railway, from Chai-Chai tn Manjacaze has 32 miles open for traffic, and the line from Mutamba to Inharrime 25 miles. The Beira railway has a length of 204 miles in the colony, and is continued from the British frontier to Bulawayo.

The Government has been working on a definite plan, and the finished scheme for the Province south of parallel 22, the southern boundarv of the Mozambique Co.'s territories, embraces the following lines: Moamba to Xinavane, 55 miles (completed) : Xinavane via Chissane to Chai-Chais 70 miles (not yet begun) ; Chai-Chai via Manjacasse to Chigomo, 51 miles, (completed) ; Chigomo via Jinagai to Inharrime, 51 miles, projected ; Inharrime to Mutamba, 40 miles (completed) ; Mutamba to Inhambane, 15 miles (under construction). Activities north of the Mozambique Co. are represented by two lines of penetration, one from the port of Quelimane, which will tap what is said to be the richest region on the whole coa- whose interior terminal will connect with the existing railway in British Nyasaland, and the other from the port of Mozambique, capital of the district of that name and formerly capital of the Province.

Beira is connected by telegraph with Salisbury in Mashonaland, and Lourenco Marques with the Transvaal system. Quilimane has telegraphic communication with Chiromo. In 1915 there were 3,397 miles of telegraph line.

The Portuguese coinage is little used : the official value of the escndo is 4s. 5d., or 4" 5 escudos to the £. At Mozambique the currency is chief! y British-Indian rupees, on which an import duty of 10 per cent, is levied. At Lourenco Marques English gold and silver coins are chiefly used.