Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/301

 GOLD COAST

249

and manganese ; the export of valuable native woods is increasing. The botanical station at Aburi aids in the plantation of coconut trees, rubber, cocoa, coffee, cotton, pepper, nutmeg, pimento, and croton. Gold is found in quartz, in banket, and in alluvium. The output of gold in recent vears was : 1916, 1,629,746?. ; 1917, 1,549,275/. ; 1918, 1,334,000/. (313,445 ounces). Many of the coast inhabitants are fishermen, and there is considerable traffic in dried fish by rail into the interior.

1913 (pre-war,

1916

1917 1

191S

1919

Revenue. Expenditure. Imports 1. . Exports'.

£ 1,301.566

1,35*..

4,952,494

5,427,106

1,835,989 1,465,946 5,999,749 5,816,527

£

1,634,124 1,424.279 3,386,480 6,364,925

£

1,298,674

1,309,486

3,257,591

,925

£ 2,601,360 1,781,170 7,946,981 10,814,175

1 Including bullion and specie

Chief items of revenue, 1919: customs, 1,672,423/. ; railways, 663,976/. ; Chief items of expenditure, 1919 : public works, 138,081/. ; rail 233,562/. ; debt charges, 143,721/. ; Gold Coast Regiment, 107,205/.

Public debt, December 81, 1919, 3,364,118/.

Chief imoorts, 1919: cotton goods, 1,981,120/. ; machinery, 88,711/. ; provisions, 394,193/. ; apparel, 138,233/. ; bags and sacks, 724,659/. ; hard- ware. 150,919/. : carriages (motor cars, kc), 284,445/. ; building matt-rials, 141.767/. ; oil [kerosene. 120,077/. .liquid fuel), 147,741/. Chief exports : cocoa (176,176 tons), 8,278,554/. ; gold and gold dust, 1,403,760/. ; kola nuts, 350,249/. ; lumber, 103,238/. ; palm kernels, 253,248/. ; palm oil, 140,163/. ; manganese, 71,808/.

The imports from the United Kingdom in 1919 amounted to 6,055,777/., and from the U.S.A., 1.513,994/. ; and the exports (1919) to the United Kingdom, 4,951,110/. ; to U.S.A., 3,465,999/. ; and to France, 1,607,005/.

The shipping entered and cleared in the foreign trade is given as follows : —

Total British only

1913 (pre-war)

tons tons tons

2.986,553 1,565,258 1.444.972

1,25(5,302

1918

tons 983.994 953,164

tons 1.404.715 1,670,805

There is a Government railway, from Seccondee on the coast to Coomassie, a total length of 168 miles, with branches Tarquah to Prestea, 19 miles, and Inchaban Junction to Inchaban, 5 miles ; capital expenditure to end of 1919, 3,360,983/. A line from Accra to Tafo (,65 miles) has been constructed, and survevs for further construction are in hand to join Coomassie to Accra". Gross railway receipts 1919, 672,000/., expenditute, 234,000/. Road construction is proceeding rapidly ; theie are over 320 miles of main roads and 2,100 miles of .secondary roads. There are in the Colony 2,762 miles of telegraph line and 60 offices, and telephone exchanges at Accra, Seccondee and Tarquah; telegrams in 1919, 290.218. There is a wireless telegraph station at Accra. Th» number of letteis, packets, ic, handled in the postal service in 1919 was 5.732,633. In 1919 the savings bank had 5,806 de- positors with 54,437/. to their credit.

Ashanti was placed under British protection on August 27, 1896, and a English Resident was appointed to Coomassie. Under orders in Council of September 26, 1901, the country was definitely annexed by Great Britain, the