SHIPPING AND NAVIGATION — COMMUNICATIONS 1023
The staple articles of import from Japan into Great Britain (Boaid of Trade returns) in the year 1911 were silk manufactures, 908,841Z. ; straw plaiting, 323,116Z. ; rice, 44,943Z. ; drugs, 41,911Z. ; curios, 62,602Z. The staple articles of British export to Japan consist of cotton goods, of the value of 1,384,181Z. ; cotton yarn, 55,930^.; woollen goo3s, 947,297Z. ; iron, wrought and unwrought, 2,279, 432Z. ; machinery, 1,880,699Z. ; chemicals, 412,573Z. ; arms and ammunition, 904,065Z.
Total trade between Japan and U.K. for 5 years in thousands of pounds sterling : —
1
— i 1908
1909
1910
1911
1912
Imports from Japan to U.K. . 2,992 Exports to Jafjan from U. K. . 9,904
3,700 8,353
4,327 10,121
3,382 11,869
3,940 12,192
Shipping and Navigation.
Entered (1911)
Cleared (1910)
No.
Tonnage
No. Tonnage
Japanese steamships ....
,, sailing ships and junks Foreign steamsTiips ....
,, sailing ships ....
5,172
427
3,404
6
9,358,669
54,682
10,654,728
5,490
5,991 1 9,375,809
1,781 ■ 88.066
3,452 : 10,722,088
29 11,955
Total ....
9,009
20,053,569
11,253 20,197,918
Of the total foreign ships entered in 1911, 1,934 vessels of 6,152,446 tons were British ; 384 oi 1,337,871 tons German ; 389 of 666,096 tons Russian ; 181 of 273,037 tons Norwegian; 179 of 1,309,917 tons American; 112 of 338,328 tons French.
In 1911 the merchant navy (without Formosa) consisted of 1,854 steamers above 20 tons, of 1,375,083 tons net; 5,586 sailing vessels above 20 tons, of 447,307 tons net; and 20,635 native craft. The Japanese Government subsidises shipping companies for foreign trade, and now Japanese vessels run on four great routes to Europe, America, Australia and Bombay. There are also lines plying between Japanese ports and Korea, Northern China, and nine ports on the Yangtse-Kiang.
Internal Communications.
Railwayk.
The following table gives the railway statistics (including, except for revenue and expenditure, Formosa) for 1910-11: —
Len<?th in miles Gross income, yen Expenditure, yen Goods carried, tons Passengei\s, number
State Railways, 1910-1911
5,781
96,881,842
49,013,022
30,195,125
148,646,638
Railways owned by
Private Companies,
1910-1911
511
4,473,317
2,143,316
2,323,043
25,909,254
Total
6,292
101,355,159
51,156,338
32,518,16.S
174,555,892
There are (1911) 24,235 miles of road in Japan.
