THE I,AND QUESTION AXD COIvOXISATIOX 



97 



or artificially, through shipping rings. The Chihan mercantile marine is 

 composed of only 162 vessels with a total of 95,000 tons and only engaged 

 in the coasting trade ; oversea commerce is all in the hands of foreigners. 

 Now w^hilst many of the extractive industries are worked by foreign capital 

 and their interests are bound up with navigation, agriculture is, on the 

 contrary, simply national and independent of navigation. The shipping 

 rings are often injurious to agriculture, one reason being that agricultural 

 products must be exported at the right time, (i) 



This state of things explains how Chihan public opinion ardently 

 desires the formation of a strong national mercantile marine. 



2. — Foreign trade in agricrdtural products. — As we have seen, the 

 export trade in this branch in 1912, amounted only to 10.8 % of the 

 total exportation thus distributed in 191 1 and 1912 : 



The most important articles are: 



Animal Products : 



wooi; 



I^eather 



Frozen Meat 



Shoe Soles - . 



Preserved Meat 



Honey 



Vegetable Products : 



Corn 



Oats 



Beanj 



Nuts 



Barley 



(x) In Chile there are no large grain elevators. 



1912 



