COMMERCE WITH THE UNITED STATES. The total imports into and exports from Canada for a series of years are shown below, years ending June 30: The principal imports and exports from and to the United States, in thousands of dollars, were IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF GOLD AND SILVER COIN AND BULLION.* 1,709 1,494 Wool, unmanufactured. 820 1,223 1,399 928 Canada has a system of canal, river, and lake navigation over 2,700 miles in length, and vessels from the lake ports reach the Atlantic without breaking bulk. Up to 1894, the total expenditure on these works by the Government amounted to $74,821,250. The total revenue received was 10,238,367. In 1893, 25.342 vessels, of 4,720,349 tons, passed through the Canadian canals, carrying 134,189 passengers and 3.546.9-9 tons of freight, chiefly grain, timber, and coal. For canal traffic and other data, see Index, under " Canals." Shipping, Railroads, Post-Office, and Telegraph. (See Index.) Banking and Money. The Bank Acts of Canada impose stringent conditions as to capital, notes in circulation, limit of dividend, returns to the Dominion Government, and other points in all chartered and incorporated banks. In making payments, every bank is compelled, if required, to pay a certain proportion in Dominion Government notes, and must hold not less than 40 per cent. of its cash reserve in Dominion Excluding United States silver coin. Government notes. In 1896 there were 37 incorporated banks making returns to the Government, with numerous branches all over the Dominion. The following are some particulars of the banks: $33,653,594 $43,722,647 Assets. 1878... 63,387,034 19,351,109 70,856,253 95,641,008 175,473,086 1888. 60,168,010 232,338,086 320,937,643 211,788,096 252.660,708 341,163,505 56.15 54.50 67.90 72.89 74.06 Post-office savings-banks under charge of the Government have been in operation in Canada since 1887; there are also Government savings-banks, under the management of the Finance Department, in the Maritime Provinces, Manitoba, and British Columbia. In 1897, there were 779 offices of the former and 28 of the latter. In 1897, the post-office savings-banks had 135,737 depositors and $32,380,829 on deposit. The following statement shows the transactions of the post-office and Government savings-banks for two years: The coins in circulation in Canada are all struck in England. Canada has no gold coinage of its own, but the English sovereign and the United States gold eagle of $10, with its multiples and halves, are legal. Notes are issued exclusively by the Government for $4, $2, and $1, 50 and 25 cents; no bank being allowed to issue notes for a less sum than $5. MEXICO. Area and Population. The following statement gives the area and census population of 1879 and 1895, with the population per square mile in 1895: In 1874, the population was returned at 9,343,470; in 1882, there were 5,072,054 males and 5,375,930 females. In 1894, the population was estimated at 12,080,725. Of the total population, 19 per cent. are of pure, or nearly pure, white race, 43 per cent. of mixed race, and 38 per cent, of Indian race. The Indians are stated to be rapidly decreasing; forming, it was stated, in 1874, one-half the population, in 1882 they were returned at 3,765,044. Of the mixed and Indian race, only a very small proportion can be regarded as civilized. Fiscal Affairs. The receipts and expenditures of the Government for six years have been as follows: * Includes the deposits of the Federal and Provincial Governments. The receipts include (besides ordinary revenue) loans on current account and sums raised for special purposes, e. g., the money obtained by the issue of bonds for payment of railway subventions. The following are the budget estimates of revenue and expenditure for the years ending June 30, 1898-99: In recent years about 50 per cent. of the revenue has been obtained from customs, 39 per cent. from internal taxes, and 11 per cent. from other sources. About 44 per cent. of the expenditure goes to Government administration, 46 per cent. to service of public debt, and 10 per cent. to railroad subventions. PUBLIC DEBT. The external debt in 1897 was $108,820,000 (gold), mostly at 6 per cent. There were 6 per cent. silver currency bonds outstanding to the amount of $223,000. The internal debt consists of the 3 per cent. consolidated-$51,676,425, and the 5 per cent. redeemable internal debt, $27,000,000. The capital of the debt is about $15, and its cost about $1 per head of the population. The fiscal value of property in Mexico in 1891 is given as follows: Urban, $260,552,200; rural, $237,312.996; total, $497,865,196; the fiscal value being taken as one-third less than the actual value. Agriculture, Minerals, Etc. The chief agricultural products in 1895 were: Rice, 12,326 tons; maize, 25,339,417 hectolitres; wheat, 3,536,327 hectolitres; sugar, 143,578 tons; panocha, 69,0×3 tons; molasses, 57,825 tons; brandy, 3213,885 hectolitres; henequen, 42,378 tons; cotton, 35,613 tons; logwood, 77,839 tons; coffee, 19,060 tons: tobacco, 56,632 tons; rum, 483,352 hectolitres. Large numbers of cattle are reared in Mexico for the United States. In 1883, in Northern Mexico alone, on an area of 300,000 square miles, there were 1,500,000 cattle, 2,500,000 goats, 1,000,000 horses, and 1,000,000 sheep. In the whole of Mexico in 1883 there were 21,574 cattle ranches, valued at $515,000,000. The principal mineral exports in 1895 amounted to about $57,000,000, of which gold and silver formed $52.500,000; copper, $2,148,000, and lead, $1.807,000. The production of silver amounted to 152,01 kilos in 1895. In 1993, there were in Mexico 2,899 factories for sugar and brandy, 123 for woolen and cotton yarns and textiles, and 41 for tobacco; the total number of factories being 3,844. Foreign Commerce. The following table shows the imports and exports of merchandise and the precious metals during the years named: The trade of Mexico, including precious metals, is chiefly with the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, and Spain. The following table shows the principal articles exported in the years named: Year ending June 30. Exports from Mexico... Imports into Mexico..... COMMERCE WITH THE UNITED STATES. (In United States Money.) 1895. 1891. 1892. 1893. 1894. 1896. 1897. $27,295,992 $28,107,525 $33,555,099 $28,727,006 $15,635,788 $17,456,177 $18,511,572 14,969,620 14,293,999 19,568,634 12,842,149 15,005,906 19,450,256 23,421,064 The values of the principal exports from Mexico to the United States for the year ending June 30, 1896, were: Animals, $1,510,044; chemicals, drugs, and dyes, $2,172,577, of which $1,104,901 was dyewoods and $876,368 was vanilla beans; coffee, $4,040,443; copper, pigs, etc., $452,712; hides and skins, not furs, $1,519,301; lead, and manufactures of, $1,350,713; textile grasses, etc., $4,239,478, of which $3,339,180 was Sisal grass; gold, $4,271,896; silver, $24,894,345. Imports into Mexico were: Animals, $349,863; breadstuffs, $925,315; carriages, cars, etc., $687,425: chemicals, drugs, dyes, etc., $469,193; coal and coke. $724,143: cotton, unmanufactured, $1,643,183; manufactured, $817,094; gunpowder and explosives, $662,511; iron and steel, and manufactures of, $5,340,236; oils, mineral, $535,329, vegetable, $365,289; provisions, $415,681; quicksilver, $466,259; wood, and manufactures of, $1,611,467; gold, $71,169; silver, $215,391. Shipping, Railroads, Telegraphs, Post-Office. (See Index.) Coinage, Banking, and Money. COINAGE. There are four mints in the Republic, coining on an average $25,000,000 annually. Most of the silver exported is shipped in the shape of dollars, which find their way chiefly to China and the smaller communities in Indo-China and the Eastern Archipelago. The following table shows the coinage by Mexican mints for six years: BANKING.-There are 12 banks in Mexico. The most important is the Banco Nacional, with a paid-up capital of $20,000,000 and a note issue of $22,400,000. The Banco Hipotecario has a paid-up capital of $5,000,000, and the Banco de Londres has a paid-up capital of $5,299,050 and note issue of $9,900,000. Concessions have been granted to a number of new banks in several of the States for the purpose of advancing loans for agricultural and mining purposes. MONEY.-The silver peso, or dollar, of 100 centavos, is of the nominal value of 100 cents; actual value variable (average for 1896, 53.5 cents). For gold and silver coins, see Index. CENTRAL AMERICA. Guatemala. The area of Guatemala is estimated at 63,400 English square miles. According to census of 1893, there were at that date 1,364,678 inhabitants, and in 1895 the population was estimated at 1,800,000. About 60 per cent. are pure Indians, most of the remainder being half-caste, there being very few descendants of Europeans. Guatemala is administratively divided into 22 departments. Seven-tenths of the expenditure is for public debt, instruction, and war. The revenue and expenditure are given as follows: Estimated revenue for 1897-98, $15,250,000; expenditure, $12,445,107. At the beginning of 1897 the outstanding amount of the external debt was 4 per cent. external consolidated, $7,749,000 (United States currency), other debts making a total of $10,045,000 (U. S.). The internal debt amounted to 7,319,955 pesos. At end of 1895 a new railroad loan of £658,500 was issued, to be paid off by May 31, 1898. The internal debt (including 1,758,340 pesos of internal bonds and 820,593pesos of floating debt) amounted to 5,209,253 pesos. The soil in general is exceedingly fertile. In 1893, there were under coffee 124,771 acres, yielding 75,863,200 lbs.; under sugar cane, 35,708 acres; under tobacco, 821 acres, yielding 305,085 lbs.; under maize, 235,000 acres, yielding 1,185,370 bushels; under bananas, 11,272 acres, yielding 948,250 bunches; pulse, wheat, and oats are also cultivated; forest covers 1,316,482 acres. Coffee-growing is extending, about 10 per cent. of the owners of coffee estates being Germans. The following are the statistics of trade, in dollars, for the years indicated, including bullion and specie: 1890. 7,639,833 14,401,534 1892. 6,010,233 14,869,324 1893. 6,383,835 19,087,000 1894. 6,937,000 20,324,000 In 1895, of the imports the value of $1,530,439 came from Great Britain, $2,627,045 from the United States, $1,643,209 from Germany, and $856,634 from France. The chief exports are: Coffee, $25,584,779 in 1896; silver coin, $748,819; bananas, $52,750; hides, $58,018; rubber, $49,089. Of the coffee exported in 1895, 403,005 quintals went to Germany, 166,926 to the United States, 15,812 to France, 3,033 to South America. The trade with the United States appears as follows, years ending June 30: 1893. 1894. Exports to United States....... $2,554,710 1895. 1898. $1,837,459 1,205,280 The principal imports from the United States for the year ending June 30, 1896, were: Animals, $114,679: breadstuffs, $368,240; carriages, cars, etc., $171,721; cotton, manufactures of, $209,375; iron and steel, and manufactures of, $719,253; provisions, $208,851; wood, and manufactures of, $375,815; gold, $18,000; silver, $696,175. The principal exports to the United States were: Coffee, $1,910,528; bananas, $88,268; gold, $2,416; silver. $74,875. The banks of issue are: Banco Internacional, Banco Columbiano, Banco de Guatemala, Banco Agrícola Hipotecario, Banco Americano, and Banco de Occidente. Total paid-up capital in 1895 was $10,684,000; reserve fund, $4,194,300. The unit coin is the dollar, or peso, of 100 centavos, weight 25 grammes .300 fine; value on January 1, 1897, 47.4 cents. The currency is mostly paper money. For RAILROADS, POST-OFFICE, TELEGRAPHS, see Index. San Salvador. The area of Republica del Salvador is estimated at 7,225 English square miles, divided into 14 departments. The population, according to a census of January 1, 1886, was 651,130, giving an average of 89 inhabitants to the square mile, being twenty times that of the average of the other States of Central America. An official estimate for the end of 1894 makes the population 803,534. Aboriginal and mixed races constitute the bulk of the population, among whom live about 20,000 whites or descendants of Europeans. The following are the official figures of the revenue and expenditure for five years: Revenue. Expenditure.. 1890. 1891. 1892. In 1895, the public debt was stated to be, internal, $11,000,000, and external, £254,000. The chief products are: Coffee, indigo, sugar, tobacco. The mineral wealth of the Republic includes gold, silver, copper, iron, mercury. The mines and quarries in operation number 180. The imports and exports were as follows: |