3u2 



GREECE. 



tion law of 1895 to 'regulate the supply of dried 

 currants the Government retains 15 per cent, of 

 each shipment, selling this portion to makers of 

 wine and brandy, and turning the proceeds over 

 to an agricultural bank, the special business of 

 which is 3 to assist the growers of currants. The 

 law was extended for a further period of ten years 

 in 1899, and in that year the bank was established 

 with an initial capital of 3,500,000 drachmas, 

 which will be augmented from the further pro- 

 ceeds of the sales. The currant crop of 1899 was 

 153,500 tons, of which 126,400 tons were left for 

 export, but only 91,300 tons were exported. A de- 

 ficient crop in 1900 relieved the depression. The 

 crop of valonea in 1899 was 10,000 tons. The pro- 

 duction of silk cocoons in Messenia, the only prov- 

 ince where this industry is established, was 100,- 

 000 pounds. The important mining interests are 

 in the district of Laurium, where the production 

 was 300,025 tons of manganese iron ore, 134,384 

 tons of hematite ore, 23,710 tons of zinc ore, 

 15,749 tons of galena, 1,195 tons of dress lead and 

 zinc ore, 3,000 tons of lead smokes, 2,100 tons of 

 speiss, and 289,292 tons of inferior ore from which 

 18,3(50 tons of silver lead were obtained. 



The total gold value of special imports in 

 1899 was 128,085,900 drachmas; of special ex- 

 ports, 94,605,611 drachmas. The imports of ce- 

 reals were 35,081,749 drachmas in value; of tex- 

 tile fabrics and yarn, 20,827,756 drachmas: of 

 timber and wood, 9,141,698 drachmas; of minerals, 

 including coal, 8,910,480 drachmas; of hides, 

 8.715,018 drachmas; of fish and caviar, 6,631,100 

 drachmas; of metals and ores, 0,240,992 drach- 

 mas; of live animals, 5,507,781 drachmas; of 

 chemicals, 3,803,093 drachmas; of sugar, 2,924,402 

 drachmas; of paper, 2,730,513 drachmas; of cof- 

 fee, 2,483,731 drachmas; of glass and crockery, 

 2,100,203 drachmas; of rice, 1,893,038 drachmas; 

 of colors, 940,293 drachmas; of other articles, 10,- 

 085.900 drachmas. The exports of currants were 

 38,007,954 drachmas; of ores, 23,800,014 drach- 

 mas; of wine, 6,480,924 drachmas; of tobacco, 

 2,826,871 drachmas; of olive-oil, 2,070,300 drach- 

 mas; of figs, 2,438,772 drachmas; of silk and 

 cocoons, 1,790,402 drachmas; of valonea, 1,009,- 

 958 drachmas; of brandy, 1,448,889 drachmas; of 

 sponges, 1,320,040 drachmas; of olives, 809,758 

 drachmas; of gunpowder, 021,800 drachmas; of 

 emery, 467,838 drachmas; of cement, 411,156 

 drachmas; of soap, 317,690 drachmas; of fruit, 

 260,306 drachmas; of other articles, 9,239,873 

 drachmas. 



The values in gold drachmas of the special im- 

 ports from and special exports to different coun- 

 tries in 1898 are given in the following table: 



Railroads, Posts, and Telegraphs. The 

 railroads, having a total length of 591 miles, are 

 being extended from Pirreus northward to Dem- 

 erly, Thessaly, eventually to connect with the 

 European system at Salonica, and southward to 

 Pyrgos, Meligala, and Kyparissa in the Pelopon- 

 nesus. The surplus of the assigned revenues is 



available for the railroad to the Turkish frontier 

 and for the line into the Morea, which has been 

 begun. 



The telegraph-lines, including cables, have a 

 length of 5,300 miles, with 6,200 miles of wire. 

 The post-olfice in 1899 forwarded 3,510,247 let- 

 ters and postal cards and 5,136,138 newspapers, 

 circulars, and samples in the internal and 2,581,- 

 151 letters and postal cards and 1,014,205 news- 

 papers, circulars, and samples in the international 

 service; receipts, 1,950,372 drachmas; expenses, 

 1,958,700 drachmas. 



Politics and Legislation. Little progress has 

 been made in legislation by the Theotokis minis- 

 try, which, notwithstanding its majority in the 

 Boule over all the Opposition parties united, has 

 not ventured to present in the face of obstruction 

 projects of incontestable utility, and has carried 

 through useless measures to please the different 

 groups of the majority. A movement for the 

 revision of the Constitution has been organized 

 which contemplates the institution of a Senate to 

 review and correct the action of the popular body. 

 Petitions have been circulated in favor of permit- 

 ting the Government to rule without the Boule 

 in an emergency. 



The award of the ambassadors at Constanti- 

 nople who were to arbitrate the points of differ- 

 ence between Greece and Turkey, regarding spe- 

 cially the diplomatic privileges in the Ottoman 

 Empire of Greece, which claimed similar rights 

 to those enjoyed under the capitulations by other 

 powers, was signed on April 3, 1901, having been 

 drawn up by the German ambassador and ac- 

 cepted with slight emendations by the ambassa- 

 dors of the other powers that intervened to bring 

 the war between Greece and Turkey to an end 

 in 1898. The capitulations that Greece enjoyed 

 before the war and her position as a most favored 

 nation in Turkey were declared to have been ter- 

 minated by the declaration. Instead of the for- 

 mer status a new one not less favorable is cre- 

 ated, in which the Hellenic Kingdom occupies an 

 intermediate position between the states that en- 

 joy the full advantages of the capitulations and 

 those that have no capitulations. Greece is per- 

 mitted to retain in the main jurisdiction over her 

 subjects in Turkey. The Greek minister at Con- 

 stantinople endeavored to secure favorable condi- 

 tions by direct negotiation with the Porte. A 

 great many of the Greeks in Turkey who formerly 

 claimed Hellenic nationality inscribed themselves 

 as proteges of France, Italy, or other countries. 

 The consular convention on which negotiations 

 were pending could not be concluded until the 

 ambassadors gave their award. By virtue of this 

 award the Greek consulates retain all the author- 

 ity and immunities that were secured by former 

 agreements, and these rights are more clearly de- 

 fined so as to prevent abuses. The consular au- 

 thorities must keep a register of the Hellenic 

 citizens over whom they have jurisdiction. The 

 decision regarding jurisdiction in disputed cases 

 rests with Greek and Turkish arbitrators. The 

 old claim of Turkey to collect the trade tax from 

 Greeks under the treaty of 1856, which Greece has 

 for twenty years disputed, was not mentioned in 

 the award. When the Greek Government in July 

 notified the Porte of an intention to send a squad- 

 ron on a visit to Salonica and Smyrna, the Otto- 

 man Government declined on political grounds to 

 authorize the visit. Against this attitude the 

 Greek Government protested, holding it to be 

 arbitrary and illegal between friendly govern- 

 ments. 



A students' outbreak in November drove the 

 ministers to offer their resignations in order that 



