Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/146

 94

THE BRITISH EMPIRE ; — MALTA

221 students ; a lyceum with 807 students; 2 secondary schools, one for boys with 54 pupils, and one for girls with 186 pupils ; and 7 technical manual schools. Expenditure on elementary education, 1919-20, 33,3102.: secondary, 4,9852.; university, 6,5902. There are 63 unaided private schools with 4,580 pupils.

In 1919-20, 3,977 persons were committed to prison; 164 persons were convicted of serious crime and 18,592 summarily. Police numbered 510 officers and men on March 31, 1920.

The revenue and expenditure in 5 years were : —

_ 1913-14 j (pre-war)

1916-17

1917-18 i 1918-19 1919-20

£

Revenue. . 423,108 Expenditure. 402,521

£ 460,165 462,469

£ £ £ 470,976 615,225 650,489 484,726 601,033 632,233

Chief source of revenue : Customs (332,605Z. in 1919-20). Contribution from Home Government, nil. Chief branches of expenditure, 1919-20: — Establishments, 408.7502. ; interest and burthens, 29,4612. ; pensions, 26,5812,; public works, 85,9982. Public debt, 79,0812. Savings bank (1920) had 8,216 depositors, and deposits, 786,9802.

Chief products : potatoes, oranges, lemons, mandarines, onions, cumin seed and corn. Area cultivated (1919-20), 42,860 acres in about 11,100 holdings, of 3 "9 acres per holding, on leases of 4 to 8 years. Cotton is grown (630 acres in 1919-20 ; production, 137,160 lb.). Manufactures: lace, cottons, filigree, and cigarettes. Chief industry, farming ; in 1919-20, horses, mules and asses numbered 6,393 ; horned cattle, 3,183 ; sheep, 17,853 ; goats, 17,144. The fishing industry occupied 940 boats, and about 3,500 persons (1919-20).

There are specific import duties on beer, spirits, spirit varnishes, wine, tobacco, sugar, wheat, flour, living cattle, pigs and sheep, horses and mules, fresh, frozen, and preserved meat, oils, petroleum, potatoes, biscuits, and vinegar. ' Ad valorem ' duties of from 5 per cent, to 20 per cent, are levied on certain other imports.

-

1913-14 (pre-war).

1916-17

1917-18

1918-19

1919-20

Imports i.

Exports! .

2,589,272 1,154,363

£

3,338,492 591,103

£

2,874,420 610,212

£

2,863,020

779,925

£

4,261,745 918,925

1 Including bullion and specie.

Transhipment trade is excluded. Principal imports, 1919-20 : wheat, 308,6202. ; flour, 339,9352. ; sugar, 154,3602. ; edible oils, 148,2432. ; tobacco, 153,8512. ; cotton goods, 165,1412. ; wines, 180,0172. ; petroleum, 168,2822. ; cattle foods, 295,0052. ; coal, 410,1532.

Of the total imports in 1919-20,2,292, 8092. came from the United Kingdom, 664,4952. from British possessions ; and 1,304,441/. from foreign countries.

Vessels entered (1919-20), 1,519 of 1,893,850 tons; cleared, 1,514 of 1,680,602 tons. Of the total entered, 498 vessels of 1,292,888 tons were British. Belonging to the port of Valletta on January 1, 1920, were 12 sailing vessels of 854 tons, and 29 steamers, of 2,331 tons; total, 41 vessels of 3,185 tons

Railway, 8 miles of metre gauge (belonging to and worked by the lornl government); telephones, 785 miles of wire. The PoBt-offlce traffic in 1918 20 was: Inland letters and postcards, 2,615,685; newspapers, &c, 662,836; foreign correspondence, received, letters, 1,758,689 ; postcards, 140,421 ;