Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 10.djvu/613

* INDIA. 537 INDIA. Great Britain has a practical monopoly for India in the supply of railway material and machinery, and it supplies also the larger part of other metal products, Belgium, of the other countries, sharing most extensivelj' in the trade. Mineral oil is the principal import fpjm the United States, but Russia now furnishes the bulk of this article. Among several exports of relatively great importance, rice — the only export upon which export duties are levied — is the most prominent and lluetuates the least, reaching an average value in recent years of about 13,000,000 tens of rupees, ilost of the rice goes to Egypt, the United Kingdom, Ceylon, and the Straits Settlements. During the last quarter of a cen- tury there has been a great increase in the exports of oil seeds to Europe, averaging for the last decade nearly 11.000,000 tens of rupees. Exports of hides and skins, jute — raw and manu- factured — and tea increased very rapidly during the decade ending with 1000, reaching in that year values of £6.075,000, £9.557.000, and £0,117,000 respectively. Raw hides and skins and jute cloth constitute the principal ex- ports to the United States. The amount of each increased enormously during the decade and far exceeds that sent to any other country. Exports of manufactured jute increased '20 per cent, during the last decade of the nineteenth cen- tury. Nearly all the tea exported goes to the United Kingdom ; it has not yet become a formi- dable competitor with the Chinese product for the United States markets. Opium, which is exported to China and the Straits Settlements, is decreasing in amount, the t«tal value for 1900 being £5.469.000. Ex- ports of wheat fluctuate widely; the value for 1900, which was higher than the average for five years previously, was £2,606,000; the total for the last decade was much less than that for the preceding ten years. Host of the product goes to the United Kingdom. From 1890 to 1900. ex- ports of indigo averaged about 4.000.000 tens of rupees annually, with a tendency latterly to decline. For more than two decades, ending with 1900. exports of coffee have varied from about 1.500.000 to 2.000.000 tens of rupees. Spices, which once were a large part of the exports, are now relatively insignificant. Treasure has long constituted one of the most valuable imports, and has annually exceeded in amount the exports of treasure for more than half a centurv. The value for the decade 1890-1900 averaged over 10.000.000 tens of rupees, over two-thirds of which was sil- ver. Since the Government stopped the free coinage of rupees in 189."! the net imports of gold have been gaining upon those of silver. Tlie exports of gold and silver for the same period averaged over 5.500.000 tens of rupees. The imports and exports by land are not large, the totals for 1900 being respectively £4.700,000 and f.3.759.000, which, however, constituted a considerable increase over the early years of the decade. Over half of the former and nearly half of the latter were to and from Xepal and Kash- mir, The most important land imports were grain, pulse, timber, and provisions, while more than one-half the exports were cotton goods. Native craft carry on an extensive coastwise trade, particularly along the coast of Bomb.ay. The traflic along this coast amoimts to over one- third of the total coastwise trade. The large inland trade increases with the development of means of transportation. The inland and the local trade are very largely in the hands of na- tives, there being certain sects or castes, as the Parsis of Bombay, who devote themselves espe- cially to this branch of iudu.stry. The foreign trade of India is done mainly in British vessels, the tonnage of these in 1897-98 amounting to 89 per cent, of the total. This total was greater than that for the corresponding year of either of the two preceding decades. Germany and .Austria-Hungary arc the most important of the other nations represented. (iovER.NMENT. By an act of Parliament, which received the royal assent Augu.st 2, 1858. Queen Victoria was declared sovereign of India, and various regulations were enacted for the better government of the country. In 1877. in virtue of an act of Parliament, passed in 1870, the Queen was proclaimed Empress of India. The Home Government of India is vested in a Secretary of State, who is a member of the English Cabinet. He is assisted by an Under-Secretary and a council of fifteen members. The Indian Executive Government is administered by a Viceroy or Gov- cinor-General, appointed by the Crown, and act- ing under the control of the Secretar}' of State for India. The Viceroy's term of oHice is for six years, and he is assisted by a council of five ordi- nary members, three appointed by the Secretary of .State, and two by his Majesty's warrant. Each of them has charge of a department of the executive. The Viceroy himself retains the over- sight of foreign affairs, and can overrule a majority vote of his council. The commander- in-chief is an extraordinary member of the coun- cil. This cotincil, whenever it acts as a legis- lative body, is enlarged. It then has from ten to sixteen additional members who are nominated by the Viceroy for terms of two years, half of them being non-officials. Five of these coun- cilors must be individuals who have been rec- ommended, one each respectively by the un- official members of the councils of Madras. Bom- bay. Bengal, and the United Provinces of -Agra, and one by the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce. Proposals to legislate upon subjects such as finance, religion, military and naval forces, or the relations of the Government with foreign princes or States, must first receive the sanction of the Governor-General. For purposes of administration, British India is separated into a number of divisions or prov- inces. They differ in the method of their govern- ment. Tlie two governments of Madras and Bombay are luider the rule of Governors ap- pointed by the Crown, and assisted by legislative and executive councils. The executive council consists of only two men. From eight to twenty others are added to form the legislative council. These bodies communicate only with regard to important matters with the Home Government through the Governor-General, As regards affairs of minor importance, they correspond directly with the Secretary of State for India, The Provinces of Bengal, the United Provinces of .gra and Oudh. the Punjab, and Burma are administered by Lieutenant-Governors appointed by the Governor-General, subject to the approba- tion of the Secretary of State for India. These otlicers act without the aid of any executive councils, but have legislative eotmcils of not more than twenty members, nominated by the Lieutenant-Governor on the approval of the Gov-