Austria produced, in 1896, 88,180,000 quintals of potatoes, and Hungary 35,644,000; of sugar beet Austria produced 59,348,000 quintals, and Hungary 15,469,000; beet (other), Austria, 24,426,000, and Hungary 31, 159,000.

The produce of the vineyards in Austria in 1896 was 3,485,000 hectolitres; tobacco, 66,000 quintals; 100,000 quintals hops, 221,000 quintals hemp, and 394,000 quintals flax.

In 1891 the amount of beer produced in Austria-Hungary was 14,253,000 hectolitres; in 1892, 15,557,000 hectolitres; in 1893, 16,261,000 hectolitres; and in 1894, 16,772,000 hectolitres. NOTE.-1 hectare 2.47 acres. 1 hectolitre = 2.8375 bushels. 1 metre-centner avoirdupois. 1 hectolitre 26.417 gallons.

110.23 pounds

Mineral Products.

Austria

Tons (Metric).

The following table shows the quantities and values, respectively, of the leading minerals and furnace products of Austria and Hungary in 1896:

-Hungary

Tons (Metric).

Florins. 35,254,925

Florins.

Graphite.

35,972

1,216,458

Iron ore..

Lead ore.

14,563

1,058,564

Salt...

Silver ore..

18,701

1,921,533

778,455

Zinc ore.

26,887

474,033

1ron, pig.

Lead...

9.769

246,520 77,096

In 1897, Hungary produced 1,150,000 tons of coal and 4,130,000 tons lignite. In Austria-Hungary the output of pig iron in 1897 was 1,205,000 tons, and steel, 553,000 tons.

The following statement shows the production, imports, exports, and consumption of pig iron in Austria-Hungary, in metric tons:

The entire commerce, comprising imports and exports of merchandise (specie excluded) and specie, together with customs receipts, is shown as follows, in millions of florins:

The values of the imports and exports as between the United States and Austria-Hungary for the years ending June 30 were as follows:

Imports into the United States...
Exports from the United States..

1893.

1894.

1896.
$7,644,000

1895. 1897. 1898. $10,054,000 $6,896,000 $6,510,000 $8,158,000 $4,716,000 571,000 527,000 2,128,000 2,440,000 4,023,000 5,698,000

The principal articles of import from the United States for the year ending June 30, 1896, were as follows: Copper, $432,150; cotton, unmanufactured, $648,727; rosin and turpentine, $103,295; mineral oils, $100,360; cottonseed oil, $425,095. The exports to the United States were: Chemicals, drugs, and dyes, $557,418; buttons and button forms, $517,335; earthen, stone, and china ware, $782,903; flax, hemp, and jute, manufactures of, $500,751; glass and glassware, $996,424; leather, and manufactures of, $406,705; malt liquors, $113,566; metals, and manufactures ot, $194 338; silk, manufactures of, $203.680: sugar, beet, $931,263; wood, manufactures of, $101,640; wool cloths, $157,863.

Shipping, Railroads, Post-Office, and Telegraphs. (See Index.)

Money and Banking.*

The issues from the Austro-Hungarian mint and the value of coin in circulation for 1896 are shown as follows, in florins: Gold-Four-ducat, 1,313,659; single ducat, 2,229,397; twenty and ten crown, 80,116,220. Silver-Levantine thalers, 6,455,600 (pieces); single crown, 4,022,871; bronze two and single heller, 1,072,942; State notes in circulation, 138,949,109; Austro-Hungarian bank notes in circulation, 659,726,360.

For the years 1891 to 1896 consult "Commercial Year Book," Volume III, page 35, and earlier years, Volumes I and II.

For gold and silver coins, see Index.

Of the total value of 385,506,000 florins, 232,342,000 florins were for Austria proper, and 153,164,000 florins for Hungary.

THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN BANK.

The following are the statistics of the Austro-Hungarian Bank, in thousands of florins:

*For further information see this "Year Book," Volume I, page 113, "Banking," and page 63, "Monetary System."

377,251

219,474

76,322 134,290 915,462

The transactions of the Austro-Hungarian Bank in 1895 amounted to 2,532 million florins, against 2,311 millions in 1894; the discounts were 1,250 millions, against 1,076 millions the preceding year. At the close of 1895 the coin and bullion in the Bank amounted to 383 million florins, of which 250 millions consisted of gold, 127 millions silver, and 6 millions gold bills.

JOINT-STOCK AND PRIVATE Banks.

The following are statistics for December 31, 1895, of the 54 Austrian, and for 1894 of the 241 Hungarian, joint-stock and private banks, in thousands of florins:

In 1895 the number of savings-banks in Austria was 488, with 2,877,154 depositors and 1,597,619,000 florins; Hungary, in 1894, 595 banks, with 547,253,000 florins deposits.

The post-office savings-banks in Austria numbered 5,592 in 1896, with 1,205,793 depositors and 113,846,985 florins of deposits. Hungary, in 1896, had 4,019 banks, 295,597 depositors, and 10,427,000 florins deposits.

N. B. For full particulars of "Monetary System" see "Commercial Year Book," Volume I,

page 63.

ITALY.

Area and Population.

At the census of December 31, 1861, the area was about 96,500 square miles, with a population of 21,777,334. According to the censuses of 1871 and 1881, the area of the kingdom was, as now, 114,410, the population aggregating respectively 26,801,154 and 28,459,628. The estimated population for 1894 was 30,913,663 and 279.45 inhabitants per square mile. The increase in population from 1800 to 1881 (census figures) is shown as follows:

mile.

The estimated population on December 31, 1896, was 31,290,490, or 282.8 inhabitants per square

At the time of the census of 1881 the resident or legal population was 28,953,480. The number of foreigners was 59,956: 16,092 were Austrians, 12,104 Swiss, 10,781 French, 7,302 English, 5,234 Germans, 1,387 Russians, 1,286 Americans (United States), 1,212 Greeks, 922 Spaniards, and the rest mainly Turks, Belgians, Swedes, and Norwegians, Dutch, Egyptians, Argentines, Brazilians.

Fiscal Affairs.

The following table shows the revenue and expenditure for the fiscal years named, ending June 30, the budget estimates being given for the last two years:

The capital of the outstanding public debt for the year ending June 30, 1896, was 12,732,392,000 lire, divided as follows: Consolidated, 9,587,111,000 lire; redeemable, 2,782,451,000 lire; treasury bonds, 288,298,000 lire; miscellaneous, 430,000,000 lire: total, 3,087,860,000 lire, from which deduct bonds and securities in possession of treasury, 355,468,000 lire.

The interest on the public debt is classified as follows for the year ending June 30, 1896: Consolidated, 470,578,000 lire; redeemable, 114,655,000 lire; treasury bonds, 11,070,000 lire; miscellaneous, 911,000 lire; total, 597,214,000 lire; less interest on securities held by the treasury, 2,246,000 lire, or total of 594,968,000 lire.

Customs Imposts.

The following statement shows the customs duties in lire, collected for the years 1896 and 1897 :

The area of Italy comprises 28,658,900 hectares. Of this area, 20,238,000 hectares (70.6 per cent.) are productive, 4,647,451 hectares (16.2 per cent.) unproductive, and 3,773,449 hectares (13.2 per cent.) produces little or nothing. The agricultural condition of the country is shown in the following table:

1 kilogramme = 2.2046 pounds. 1 hectare = 2.471 acres. 1 hectolitre = 2.8375 bushels. 1 quintal = 220.46 pounds. 1 hectolitre 26.417 gallons.

In 1890 Italy had 5,000,000 cattle, 6,900,000 sheep, 1,800,000 goats, 1,800,000 swine. In 1895 there were 550,048 persons employed in rearing silkworms, and 172,000 skilled and other workers (including ninetenths women and children) were employed in the treatment and manufacture of silk. The total weight of the cocoon harvest was: In 1890, 89,866,800 lbs.; in 1891, 85,491,748 lbs. ; in 1892, 69,283,000 lbs., in 1893, 104,991,900 lbs.; in 1894, 95,073,000 lbs.; in 1895, 90,723,700 lbs.

According to last census, the whole agricultural population was computed to be 14,900,000, including women.