Vol. VIII. No. 88. 
IMPERIAL INSTITUTE JOURNAL 
[April, 1902,] 
109 
view, is of a totally different geological formation to the other 
mining departments of the Republic, no gold or silver being 
found save in the few rivers emptying into the Magdalena. 
The one great mine of production is that of Muzo, famous since 
the year 1555 for the production of the finest emeralds of the 
world, a stone, in the rough, weighing 2,330 carats having been 
taken from one of the many veins of this mine. These mines 
are the property of the Colombian Government, who leases 
them for periods of five years to the highest bidder at public 
auction, which takes place in the capital of the Republic one 
year previous to the expiration of the term in force. The value 
of the production of these mines has always been kept a secret 
by the lessors. 
Portugal. — : Commercial Condition. — The British 
Commercial Attache at Lisbon, in his last report, states that 
recent statistics show that the trade of Portugal continues to 
make considerable progress in spite of financial depression and 
colonial difficulties in Africa. The volume of trade is small, for 
the population is small ; but imports and exports steadily 
increase, and the general condition of the country offers favour- 
able prospects for the future. By nature Portugal is agricultural 
rather than industrial, but since 1891, when the protectionist 
movement began, Lisbon and Oporto have become surrounded 
by factories in which almost all classes of goods are now manu- 
factured. The high Customs tariff has raised prices and 
greatly increased the cost of living ; but the growth of these 
factories, though making life harder for the agricultural classes, 
has tended to raise wages and the standard of living, so that, 
in spite of high duties, the demand for foreign goods has 
increased. 
There is still much for foreigners to do in Portugal. 
Lisbon and Oporto are large and flourishing cities demanding 
all the necessities of modern life. The country is in a backward 
condition, and the trade in wine and cork, as well as agriculture, 
is capable of further development, although they have already 
brought in large sums of money. Mining shows signs of being 
established on a profitable basis, and the investment of capital 
in tramways and public works shows a general advance in the 
prosperity of the country. The wine trade has suffered of late 
from over-production. The manufacture of good, cheap wines 
has only been seriously undertaken quite recently. Up to 1886 
Portuguese wines, except port and Madeira, were used only at 
home, in the colonies, and the French wine factories, and there 
was no demand in Europe. But now the production of good 
wines, of the nature of claret and hock, is increasing, care is 
taken in their manufacture, the flavour and quality are excellent, 
and the wines are superior in many ways to others of the same 
price. These carefully-made cheap wines should make their 
way in the United Kingdom and compensate for any decline in 
the port wine trade that may occur in consequence of altered 
tastes. At present this trade receives as much support as ever 
in this country. Indeed, the general trade of the United 
Kingdom with Portugal continues to increase more in propor- 
tion than that of any other country. Mr. Harrison urges that 
this old-established trade connection deserves strengthening in 
every way. All the natural products of Portugal— wines, 
agricultural produce, and minerals — are wanted in the United 
Kingdom, and Portugal wants British manufactures. Good 
quality is important and has hitherto been a characteristic of 
British goods, and this should be industriously maintained. 
+ . 
FOREIGN CONSULAR REPORTS. 
Artificial Fuel in Belgium. — The principal, and in fact 
practically the only, artificial fuel manufactured in Belgium 
consists of a composition of 
COAL DUST 
made in the form of large bricks, either solid or perforated, and 
used chiefly as fuel for steam engines, locomotives, etc. Small 
bricks are also manufactured in the form of cubes or of paral- 
lelograms, in round or oval balls, and are used in place of 
anthracite coal for stoves built on the American system. The 
material employed for the manufacture of these bricks is coal 
dust which has generally been previously washed. The 
glutinous element used in the composition is the residue from 
the distillation of coal tar, which residue is produced in large 
quantities by the manufactories for the distillation of tar obtained 
from the gas and coke plants. The bricks thus manufactured 
contain 94 per cent, of coal. The coal dust is usually obtained 
from what is called hard coal in this country (not anthracite) 
and from coal which is said to be one-fourth soft. In 1900, 
1,395,9x0 tons of large and small bricks and balls were 
manufactured. In this amount is not included the production 
of some minor manufactories where small balls without tar 
residue are made from coal one-half soft. The materials used 
in these small balls are held together by injecting steam into the 
mass while it is being moulded and pressed. About 1,000 tons 
of these small balls, without tar residue, were manufactured in 
1900. The average price at the manufactory of the large bricks 
and balls made with tar residue was, in 1900, 23.56 francs per 
ton. The commercial movement in these composition bricks of 
coal is rather important in Belgium, and is increasing every 
year. In 1900, the exportation amounted to 604,864 tons, as 
compared with 525,625 tons in 1899. 
Peat and Wood. 
There exist in the north-west and also in the south-east of 
Belgium some small plants for the manufacture of fuel from 
peat. As the peat in Belgium is of rather an ordinary quality, 
containing a great deal of earth, sand, and other mineral 
products, it is used for fuel purposes only in the district where 
it is produced. There is no exportation of this product. There 
is a small amount of artificial kindling produced, which is made 
from sawdust and small bits of wood held together by a 
glutinous substance produced from the tar of the wood. This 
kindling is pressed into the form of bricks, which are grooved 
for the purpose of readily dividing them into four parts. — 
United States Consular Reports. 
Cotton Goods in Smyrna. — The United States Consul at 
Smyrna states that the chief obstacle in the way of developing 
American trade is German competition. He learns that in 
many instances the Germans, to gain business, dispose of large 
quantities of goods at absolutely cost price and give long credits. 
More than this, they make articles which are especially adapted 
to this market. Their goods have an attractive appearance, 
out are of inferior construction and quality. Americans seem 
to be unable to meet English competition in cotton prints (an 
article of great importance n this country). The English 
goods are cheaper and conionn to the requirements of this 
market. Local merchants say that cotton prints should be 
about 28 inches in width, the cheaper qualities 26 to 27 inches, 
and the better qualities 28 to 29 inches. The designs should 
be devoid of figures of animals ; those of men, women, horses, 
dogs, or birds being especially objectionable. Flowers and 
vines are desirable in bright, gaudy colours, especially red and 
yellow or blue and green. 
Pharmaceutical Specialities in Turkey. — Difficulties 
accompanying the introduction into the interior of Turkey of 
foreign pharmaceutical preparations, prompt the United States 
Consul at I-Iarput to call attention to the regulations regarding 
this class of imports. In an Imperial Order issued some time 
since concerning the sanitary examination of imports into the 
Empire, it is stated that the entrance of pharmaceutical 
specialties of unknown composition, or not meeting the require- 
ments of the French pharmacopoeia, is forbidden. An exception , 
however, is made in the case of such specialties of these two 
categories as have been approved by an “official academy” 
(acad£*mie officielle), i. e . , a chartered medical society. In order 
to secure the entrance of an article of this nature, the importer 
is required to secure an authorisation from the Imperial Medical 
College at Constantinople. The latter requires that the demand 
for such authorisation should be accompanied by a certificate 
from the “academy” indorsing the article in question, and 
either a sample of the article or the formula of its composition, 
where there is a departure from the requirements of the French 
pharmacopoeia. All the. documents in the case should be 
certified by an Ottoman Consul in the country of origin. In 
order to avoid delays and difficulties the Turkish medical 
officials urge strongly that great care should be taken to secure 
proper Ottoman consular certification for all papers submitted 
in connection with such importations. Further, they call 
attention to the requirements that all formulas should be written 
either in French or Turkish. Quantities and proportions should 
be stated with the utmost clearness. The names of constituents 
employed should be those used in a purely scientific nomen- 
clature, and not those customary in trade. In general, formulas 
and labels should be of such a character that they can be easily 
understood by official examiners possessing a very limited 
scientific knowledge and practically no familiarity with com- 
mercial terms. It is constantly to be borne in mind that 
Turkish officials look with exaggerated suspicion upon anything 
containing poisonous or explosive constituents. The extreme 
difficulty of securing potassium chlorate in Turkey for such an 
innocent use as a throat gargle is an example in point. 
- 4 - 
CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE REPORTS. 
UNITED KINGDOM. 
The Association of Chambers of Commerce of the United 
Kingdom. — The forty-second annual meeting of this Association 
was held on the 4th and 5th ult. , at the Hotel Mdtropole, 
London. Lord Avebury, the president, in moving that the 
report and financial statement be adopted, said that when he 
last had the honour of addressing them he brought forward some 
figures which seemed to him to show that we need by no means 
take a desponding view of British commerce. He would now 
give them some different, though, as it seemed to him, very 
striking figures. The value of our total exports and imports 
was in i860 ^'378,000,000, in 1870 ^547,000,0000, in 1880 
7^697,000,000, in 1890^749,000,000, in 1900 £877,000,000. No 
doubt, however, there were dangers to be guarded against. If 
English commerce and manufactures were to hold their own 
they must all pull together — employers and employed alike. 
Though they must not attribute too much significance to 
small variations, it was to be regretted that during the past year 
our exports and imports had fallen slightly. No doubt the 
diminution was only ^7, 000,000, and, as the total was 
£870,000,000, the reduction was really almost infinitesimal. It 
was; moreover, entirely due to a reduction in the export of coal 
and coke ; or, as there had of course been other changes, 
perhaps he should rather say that the reduction in coal and coke 
was ^8,250,000, and that if it had not been for this there would 
really have been an increase on the year. The figures were the 
more remarkable if they bore in mind the great falling-off in 
prices. For some purposes the weight of goods would be a 
better criterion than the value. Mr. John Williamson, of 
Liverpool, had calculated out for the Chamber of Shipping the 
total weight of our exports and imports as having been for 
1880 53,000,000 tons, for 1890 76,500,000 tons, for 1900 
102.500.000 tons, so that they had practically doubled in 
20 years. 
Taking another test — the total tonnage, steam and sailing, 
entered and cleared with cargoes or ballast at ports in the 
United Kingdom — Sir John Glover, in a paper read before the 
Statistical Society, had shown that the tonnage had risen from 
39.634.000 in 1850 to 208,777,000 in 1900. These figures were 
exclusive of the tonnage for British vessels employed by Govern- 
ment in connection with the South African war. Not only 
were the figures for 1900 enormous and the greatest on record, 
but they showed the largest increase of any of the past five 
decades with one exception. 
Referring to the question of the bounties, subsidies, and 
other advantages given to French shipping, he pointed out that, 
if our shipowners received no bounties, they, at any rate, were 
not burdened by contributions to bolster up other trades. The 
French wine-growers were now agitating for bounties, urging, 
not unnaturally, that if they were taxed to support other trades 
they should themselves receive corresponding treatment. But 
if all trades were equally protected none would benefit. They 
would pay with one hand what they received with the other ; 
or, rather, they would pay more and receive less, because they 
would have to support an army of officials and Custom -houses, 
with all tire expense and loss of time of declaring values, 
official examinations, and all the tedious routine which was 
such an impediment to commerce. If, moreover, one trade 
were unduly favoured, industry might be diverted into direc- 
tions where full benefit could not be taken of the special 
advantages of the country. The United States seemed disposed 
to embark on the same course as France. Very powerful 
interests and a strongly-organised lobby were behind the Bill 
now before Congress. It was computed that this Bill, if it 
became law, would involve a yearly payment of at least 
$9,000,000 to American ships of various classes. Nine million 
dollars was a large sum, but not enough, he believed, to effect 
so great a revolution in commerce as was projected. Last year 
he hinted a doubt whether the state of German trade was 
altogether healthy, and subsequent events had fully justified 
his apprehensions. Those events had shown the effect of 
relying on special Government grants, and he would venture 
to suggest that the best thing a Government could do for 
commerce was to let it alone. So far as we were concerned, 
the efforts of foreign Governments to push some of their trades 
hampered and handicapped the rest. Our sheet-anchor was 
the favoured-nation clause. He trusted our Government would 
hold fast by the policy of the open door, and. in the case 
of North China, for instance, would urge the United States, 
Japan, and other countries to join us in insisting that the 
commerce of the world shall have fair play. 
The following resolutions were carried : — 
(a) “That His Majesty’s Government be urged, in the 
interests of commerce, that before recognising the transference 
of territory by any Power, thej' should insist on the adoption 
of the policy of the ‘open door.’ and should invite the co- 
operation of other States who are similarly interested with this 
country in maintaining existing rights.” 
( 1 ) “ That this Chamber is of opinion that the Mandalay- 
Kunlon railway should be extended without delay to the 
frontiers of China, and that the project for the construction of 
a line or lines in connection therewith to Yun-nan and Sze-chuan 
should receive the diplomatic and financial support of His 
Majesty's Government and the Government of India; or if any 
other way of approach by rail to the Chinese provinces named 
be preferred by the British and Indian Governments, this 
Association would ask that. a similar measure of support should 
be given to the contractors of any suitable railway by such 
route.” 
{c) “That this meeting strongly supports the resolution 
carried at the Fourth Congress of Chambers of Commerce of 
the Empire, stating 1 that this Congress urges upon His 
Majesty’s Government the appointment by them of a Royal 
Commission, composed of representatives of Great Britain and 
her colonies and India, to consider the possibilities of increasing 
and strengthening the trade relations between the different 
portions of the Empire,' and that a deputation be appointed by 
this Association to wait upon the Prime Minister, the Secretary 
of State for the Colonies, and the President of the Board of 
Trade to lay the question fully before them.” 
(d) “ That this Association greatly regrets the comparative 
neglect of modern languages and science in our great public 
schools, and that a memorial be addressed to the Lord President 
of the Council urging him to take such steps as may be 
necessary to give effect in this respect to the wise regulations 
and statutes made by the Royal Commission on Public Schools, 
which was presided over by the late Archbishop of York, and of 
which the present Prime Minister was himself a member." 
{e) “ That the present state of the law as to punishment of 
fraudulent bankrupts is unsatisfactory, and that the executive 
council be requested to consult the various Chambers in the 
Association with a view to a Bill being introduced into Parlia- 
ment to amend the existing law." 
(/) “That this Association urges upon His Majesty's 
Government the desirability of introducing a Bill to secure the 
franchise in municipal and other local elections for corporations, 
limited liability, and other public companies ; and that the 
voting power be limited to one vote per corporation or com- 
pany.” 
(g) “ That the Board of Trade should be requested to grant 
facilities for a full enquiry into the unsatisfactoiy working of the 
present law in regard to trade marks, and to receive a deputa- 
tion thereon.” 
(/?) “That, in the interests of British trade, the compulsory 
use of the metric system of weights and measures has become 
imperative." 
(*) “ That this Association records its appreciation, in the 
interests of commercial and other beneficial legislation, of the 
efforts now being made for the amendment of the present 
system of transacting both public and private business by 
Parliament and in Parliamentary committees, and, in addition, 
recommends the desirability of ( x } Bills which have passed their 
second reading in one session being taken up in the next session 
of the same Parliament at the stage which they had reached in 
the preceding one ; (2) enquiries into private Bills being con- 
ducted locally before Commissioners appointed by Parliament in 
a manner similar to that prescribed by the Act of 1899 with 
regard to Scotch Bills, instead of before committees of the 
Houses of Parliament.” 
(/!■) “That, in the opinion of this Association, the best 
means of providing an adequate supply of efficient and well- 
trained seamen for the services of the mercantile marine and 
Royal Naval Reserve was through the instrumentality of train- 
ing ships and marine schools, and that memorials should be 
presented asking that such ships and schools should receive 
Government support.” 
Resolutions were also adopted advocating the raising of the 
tare limit for motor-wagons, the adoption of the Rating of 
Machinery Bill as a Government measure, the extension of 
trustees investment powers to eligible British securities at 
present disallowed, the provision of underground telegraph 
wires between London, Liverpool, and all other important com- 
mercial centres, the improvement of the cable communication 
with the Continent, the simplification of the half-penny postal 
regulations, and the reconstruction of the three lighthouse 
boards on a representative basis, to include representatives of 
shipowners, merchants, and shipmasters. 
A cordial vote of thanks was passed to Lord Avebury for 
presiding, and the proceedings ended. 
Liverpool. — Meetings of the committee of the African 
Trade Section of the Chamber have been held recently, pre- 
sided over by Mr. John Holt, vice-chairman, in the absence of 
Sir Alfred Jones. 
A copy of the ordinance, as contained in the Government 
Gazette of Lagos, No. 61, 1901, was submitted to the com- 
.mittee. The opinion was expressed that there should be no 
restrictions on the disposal by a native of his labour in the best 
market available, except such as would tend to safeguard his 
interests when employed. The committee had already expressed 
such an opinion in the case of the Sierra Leone native labour 
ordinance, and a letter was accordingly sent to Mr. Chamberlain 
reiterating the views of the committee, and asking him to receive 
a deputation on the subject. Mr. Chamberlain was also asked 
to give further information on the subject of the ordinance. He 
replied that the Governor of Lagos had telegraphed that a 
native labour ordinance had been passed, but that the text of 
the ordinance had not yet been received. Under this ordinance, 
labourers before leaving the colony will have to obtain the 
sanction of their chiefs, and must be engaged before a 
magistrate ; half wages to the end of their agreements must 
be paid in Lagos, and employers are required to pay a capita- 
tion tax of £1 a head. In a subsequent letter Mr. Chamberlain 
wrote suggesting that the question of his receiving a deputation 
on the subject should not be dealt with until the text of the 
ordinance had been received. 
Representations were made to the Colonial Office as to the 
advisability of continuing the telegraph line in Sierra Leone, 
running from Freetown to Mano, on to Sherbro, as there is no 
telegraphic communication between Sherbro and Freetown. 
The Colonial Office replied that they are consulting the 
Governor on the subject, 
A sub-committee, consisting of Messrs, Holt, Moore, 
Cotterell, Paterson, and Lawrence Jones, have been appointed 
to consider the forestry proclamation of Southern Nigeria, and 
the rules, orders, etc., connected therewith. The sub-committee 
have met, and a report has been prepared on the subject, to be 
submitted to the full committee 
A letter was read from the Governor of Lagos, thanking the 
Chamber for bringing to his notice the scheme of Colonel 
Lamprey for ambulance trains, and saying that, after fully 
examining it, he does not consider anything of the kind is 
required in Lagos. 
+. 
Cork. — According to the French Journal Officiel , the pro- 
duction of cork in the world, estimated at x,ooo metric tons 
(metric tom=2,204 lb. avoirdupois), is confined to Portugal, 
Spain, France, Italy, and North Africa (Tunis, Algeria, and 
Morocco). The area of French forests, including those in North 
Africa, really producing cork is more than one-half of the total 
extent of cork forests. These forests are composed mainly of 
cork trees, intermixed with pines and evergreen oaks. The 
demand for cork increases from day to day ; and it is added that 
France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, and the United 
States absorb 85 per cent, of the total consumption of cork. 
