COMMERCE
669
Commerce.
General Commerce. Imports
1910 1911 191U
&
170,598,410 lS0,a38,920 17J, 283,000
Exports
& 136,297,120 143,224,000 149,520,000
General imports, 1911, by sea, 3,261,700,000 francs, by land, railway, canals and rivers, 3,544,700,000 francs ; expoi'ts, by sea, 2,551,500,000 fraucs, by land, railway, canals and rivers, 3,327,800,000.
Imports for home consumption, exports of Belgian origin, and transit trade, in millions of francs : —
1905
1900
1907
1908
1909
1910
1911
Imports Exports Transit
Million frs
3,068-3 2,333-6 1,922-2
Million frs Million frs Million frs Million frs Million frs Million frs
3,454-0 2,793-8 •2,268-8
3,773-6 2,848-1 2,348-0
3,327-4 2,506-4 2,021-0
3,704-3 2,809-7 2,290-3
4,265-0 3,407-4
2,287-2
4,508-
3,580-3
2,298-9
Thecustomsreceiptsamounted, in 1906, to 56,287,949 francs; in 1907, 57,788,044 ; inlQOSj 57,326,938; in 1909, 60,990.545; in 1910, 67,376,434; in 1911, 65,425,120 (2,617,004?.) The commercial treaty of 1862 provided for the " mostfavourednation" treatment between Great Britain and Belgium. This treaty terminated in 1878, but since then the system m force under the treaty has been continued by an arrangement terminable after 3 months'notice. The amount of revenue collected by means of a taritt' on imported goods is very small, and wheu compared with the value of the entire imports it will be found that the average duty charged in relation to the entire imports amounts to less than 1"5 per cent. The customs tariff is intended more as a protection to home industries than as a means of revenue in-oduction.
Leading articles of special commerce in year 1911 :—
Imports
Exports
Wool .... Wheat .... Minerals (unclassified) Silver (coined) Rubber (raw) Hides .... Flax .... Coal .... Diamonds, cut and uncut Cotton .... Maize .... Building wood (other than
oak and walnut) Linseed
Coffee, unroasted Nitrate of soda . Barley .... Oil cakes Chemical products Colza and turnip secils Petroleum ... Iron ore ... Machinery ... Greases (except oleoniar
garine) Dyes and colours Tons, lentils, &c. .
15,300,720 17,850,560 7,860,900 5,207,160 4,652,760 6,259,080 3,888.320 4,630,400 3,934,240 5,820,840 4,057,760
3,276,840 3,776,520 2,901,600 3,041,120 3.018,360 2^210,040 1.718,800 1,346,360 1,524,840 1,809,800 1,585,880
1,951,320 1,412,440
1,1:^9,520
Wool
Rubber ....
Wheat
Flax
Rail and tram cars . Diamonds, rough and cut Flax and other yarns
Zinc
Hides
Coal
Iron and steel bars and
sheets (unclassified) Iron and steel . Minerals (unclassified) Dyes and colours Linseed
Cotton tissues . Machinery .... Horses .... Flax yarns (carded) . Chemical products Window glass . Greases (except oleomar- ' garine) ....
Paper
Indigo .... Maize
13,869,760 3,813,360 4,935,120 4,377,480 4,625,800 3,961,960 4,087,760 4,453,360 4,184,320 3,267,120.
2,873,120 3,-232,S0O 2,595,400 1,537,200 2,543,800 2,986,960 1,868,360 1,521,000 1,457,120 1,492,680 1,473,560
1,484,440 1,399,120 1,428,840 1,39-2,880
