Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/927

 cochin'-ch: S75

tons in 1918), and other export* are nsh. pepper, hides, coal, ootton, rubber and sugar. The principal imports are cotton-tissues, cotton-thread, tin.

Into Great Britain in 1920 the imports from Indo-China amounted u> 4.950J., and the exports from Great Britain, 1,827,724;. (chiefly cotton).

In 1918, 2,714 vessels of 2,241,746 metric tons entered, and 2,563 vessels of 2,196,064 tons cleared. Of those er. :' 437,030 tons were French,

281 of 366,438 tons were English, and 2iS of 525,094 ton* were Japanese.

There are about 3,300 miles of j.riuapal roads and 2,000 miles of local roads.

The oldest railway in Indo-China is that from Saigon to Mytho. Total length of line, two thirds Government, at end of 1918, 1,300 miles. There are 348 post offices (1918). Number of letters, postcards, etc., handled in in 1918, 10,621,464.

The Bank of Indo-China, with an authorised capital of 48 million francs and reserve and redemption funds amounting to 33,500,000 francs, had till 1920 the privilege not only of making advances on security, but also of engaging in financial, industrial, or commercial enterprise in Indo-China New Caledonia. For French Indo-China there is a coinage of silver pieces, piastres, ^-piastres, ^-piastres, and ^-piastres; the piastre (since and ^-piastre are "900 fine, hut the \- and ^j-piastre (since 1898) only S35 fine. The piastre is usually worth rather less than 24d. There are two bronze coins, one equal to the 100th and the other the 375th part of a piastre.
 * rams, and the fractional coins in proportion ; the piastre

Acting British Consul at Saigon. — J. Crosbey. British Vice Consul at Haiphong. — J. Giqueaux.

States and Protictoratbb. Cochin-China.

The area of French Cochin-China is estimated at 20,000 square miles. The whole is divided into 17 provinces. The towns of Saigon and Cholon have been formed into municipalities. The Colonial Council contains 18 members. The colony is represented in France by one deputy. The population consists mainly of Annamites, Cambodians, Mois. Chams, Chinese, and a few Indians, Malays, Tagals. and foreigners. In 1919 the total population was put at 3.452.248, of whom 6,301 were Europeans (excluding the military iorces). Saigon had, in 1919, a papulation of 64,496, of whom 4,161 were Europeans, exclusive of 2,200 troops ; the town of Cholon has about 190,085 inhabitants, of whom about 97,211 were Chinese. There are about 867 schools, with 1,325 teachers, and 51,452 pupils.

The total area is put at 5,011.277 hectares (1 hectare = 247 acres) of which 1,975,725 hectares are cultivated, and 3,488,611 hectares uncultivated (1,748,694 hectares being forest). The chief culture is rice, to which 1,665,159 hectares are devoted. The planting of rubber has been undertaken in recent years. Other crops are maize, beans, sweet potatoes, earth-nuts, cotton, sugar-cane, tobacco, coffee, coco-nuts, betel-nuts, pepper, oranges, bananas, sc. The farm animals in 1920 comprise 12,383 horse?, 435,489 buffaloes, 553 sheep and goats.

River and coast fishing is actively carried on ; there are about 73,520 boats on the rivers, and 3,000 on the coast ; the fishery products are valued at 2,800,000 francs yearly. There are 10 rice mills in Saigon and Cholon, turning out each from 450 to 900 tons a day. In these towns are also 2 saw- mills, -,2 soap factories, and a varnish factory. Commerce is mostly in the