INDIA. 



313 



866 rupees from Khelat, 640,441 rupees from Lus 

 Bela, 487,764 rupees from Ladakh, and 303,315 

 rupees from Siarn. Of the exports the value of 

 14,1)70,841 rupees went to Nepal, 8,051,278 rupees 

 to Kashmir, 7,535,423 rupees to Bajaur, 7,379,70(5 

 rupees to the Shan States, 2,818,412 rupees to 

 Kandahar, 2,226,352 rupees to western China, 

 1,278,856 rupees to Tibet, 900,044 rupees to Zimme, 

 625,822 rupees to Khelat, 268,678 rupees to Siam, 

 240,293 rupees to Ladakh, 161,358 rupees to Lus 

 Bela, and 81,886 rupees to Karenni. 



The total imports of merchandise in 1901 were 

 valued at 53,930,000, and of treasure at 6,900,- 

 000; exports of merchandise at 69,710,000, and 

 of treasure at 2,140,000. The imports of cotton 

 yarn were 1,659,477 in value; of gray piece 

 goods, 9,567,467; of white goods, 4,070,458; of 

 colored cottons, 3,857,151. Gray goods come in 

 increasing quantities from the United States, and 

 French and German chintzes and prints are sup- 

 planting the English. Some American and Egyp- 

 tian cotton is now imported for the spinning of 

 finer yarns in India. Imports of woolen goods 

 are increasing, and Germany has obtained some 

 of this trade, while half the imports of apparel 

 come from Austria, France, and other Continental 

 countries. Belgium is outstripping England in 

 important iron and steel manufactures, and Ger- 

 many is encroaching on the British hardware and 

 cutlery trade. Imports of machinery and utensils 

 are received by preference from the United States. 

 Imports of kerosene have been at a standstill ow- 

 ing partly to supplies from the Burmese wells, 

 but mainly to poverty consequent upon famine. 

 Whereas the United States furnished all the oil a 

 few years ago, now the cheaper Russian oil is 

 almost the only kind wanted. 



The exports of wheat fell off from 19,520,000 

 hundredweight in 1899 to 9,704,000 hundredweight 

 in 1900, and 50,000 hundredweight in 1901. The 

 exports of rice, two-thirds of which come from 

 Burma, reached 31,345,000 hundredweight in 1901, 

 and but for famine prices in India a larger quan- 

 tity would have been shipped. The area of culti- 

 vation in Burma is being extended to supply the 

 increased demand in Bengal, which consumes the 

 whole of its own great crop. The demand for jute 

 all over the world is increasing, and the crop area 

 in Bengal is consequently being enlarged. The 

 jute exports in the year ending March 31, 1901, 

 were 12,414,550 hundredweight, valued at 7,245,- 

 170, an increase of 28 per cent, in quantity and 

 35 per cent, in value. The capacity of the jute- 

 mills has been enlarged, and the exports of jute 

 manufactures reached the value of 5,243,000. 

 The United States took a larger quantity of raw 

 jute and half the product of jute cloth, but fewer 

 bags. The cotton-crop was poor, and exports of 

 raw cotton fell from 4,373,500 hundredweight in 

 1900 to 3,575,700 hundredweight. The crop in 1900 

 was only 760,000 hundredweight, owing to 

 drought; in 1901 the acreage was diminished, and 

 the crop was 2,032,000 hundredweight. Japan, 

 which took American cotton in 1901, is expected 

 to return to the cheaper product of Bombay, 

 which has deteriorated in quality because the 

 ryots use poor seed, but the industry is to be im- 

 proved with Government encouragement by the 

 selection of seed, better processes of cleansing and 

 packing, and the manufacture of oil and oil- 

 cake. The cotton-manufacturing industry in Bom- 

 bay has been depressed since 1896, and many 

 mills ceased working. The production of yarn 

 was only 342,780,000 pounds in 1901, compared 

 with 501,680,000 pounds in 1900. Japanese com- 

 petition is the most serious difficulty, but manu- 

 board decides that it is dangerous or unhealthful. 



ol.l.on with 

 to see lx:t- 



worth of 

 'ue years, 



per cent, of American or Egyptian 

 the domestic staple and are begin nnii. 

 tor times. The export of 15,170,0! 

 hides and skins in the last two hi 

 against 10,200,000 worth in the h 

 1896 and 1897, is an indication of the e!l<<'i <>i 

 the drought in destroying cattle. The 1,'nil.M 

 States took 83 per cent, of the raw, Great liritain 

 the bulk of the dressed and tanned hides. Ex- 

 ports of opium in 1901 were 69,708 chests, valued 

 at 6,303,625, a temporary improvement due to 

 circumstances affecting the Chinese crop. The 

 exports of indigo declined still further in 1901 to 

 102,000 hundredweight, valued at 1,423,987, 27 

 per cent, below the value exported in the previous 

 year. The exports of tea have grown from 157,- 

 470,672 pounds in 1899, valued at 5,363,203, to 

 175,038,127 pounds, valued at 6,061,408 in 1900, 

 and 190,305,490 pounds, of the value of 6,367,- 

 287 in 1901, showing an increase of 21 per cent, in 

 total weight in two years, but a decline in prices 

 due to excessive production and to the inferior 

 quality of tea produced, especially in areas just 

 brought under cultivation. The abundant crop 

 of 1901, which showed continued deterioration in 

 quality, served to further disorganize the glutted 

 market, which received a staggering blow when 

 England enhanced the tea duty. The exports of 

 oil-seeds, owing to bad crops, fell from 19,279,909 

 hundredweight in 1899 to 10,997.947 hundred- 

 weight, and the value from 7,898,130 to 6,009,- 

 357, Russian and Argentine competition causing 

 a fall in price, not in linseed, the quantity of 

 which decreased 44 per cent., and that of rape-seed 

 50 per cent., while in castor-seed and poppy-seed 

 the decline was slight. 



The imports of gold in the year ending March 

 31, 1901, were 7,932,000, and exports 7,370,060, 

 of which 4,500,000 were on Government account. 

 The imports of silver were 8,452,000, of which 

 5,391,000 were for the Government, and the ex- 

 ports were 2,113,000. 



Navigation. The number of vessels in the for- 

 eign trade entered during the year ending March 

 31, 1900, at ports of British India was 4,395, of 

 4,470,348 tons, of which 2,299, of 3,650,004 tons, 

 were British; 571, of 72,690 tons, were British In- 

 dian; 670, of 691,897 tons, were foreign; and 

 855, of 55,757 tons, were native. The number 

 cleared was 4,133, of 4,157,138 tons, of which 

 2,182, of 3,389,763 tons, were British; 528, of 68,- 

 596 tons, were British Indian; 602, of 644,723 

 tons, were foreign; and 821, of 54,056 tons, were 

 native. Of the vessels entered 643, of 1,662,030 

 tons, were steamers that passed through the Suez 

 Canal, and of those cleared 875, of 2,132,830 tons. 

 The number of vessels entered with cargoes in the 

 interportal trade was 101,832, of 10,534,054 tons; 

 cleared, 96,053, of 10,674,285 tons. The number of 

 vessels built in British India during the fiscal year 

 1900 was 62, of 2,058 tons; the number first 

 registered was 103, of 12,558 tons. 



Railroads, Posts, and Telegraphs. The 

 length of railroads in operation in India in 1900 

 was 23,763 miles, of which 5,724 miles were state 

 lines worked by the Government, 11,364 miles were 

 state lines worked by companies, 2,612 miles were 

 lines worked by guaranteed companies, 1,415 miles 

 were lines worked by assisted companies, 1,327 

 miles were lines belonging to native states leased 

 to companies, 156 miles were lines belonging to na- 

 tive states worked by the Indian State Railroad 

 Agency, 1,091 miles were lines owned and worked 

 by native states, and 73 miles were foreign lines. 

 The capital expended on Indian railroads, includ- 

 ing unfinished lines and surveys, amounted to the 

 end of 1899 to 3,111,685,620 rupees, of which 1,808,- 



