16
JAPAN
Steamers
Entered 7,247
The total Shipping, including junks, from and to Foreign countries for the year 1903 was-
Tonnage Cleared 13,419,418
Sailing Vessels
1,791
151,971
7,254 1,910
Tonnage 13,419,223
Total Tonnage.
14,501
26,838,641
164,856
3,701
316,827
9,039 13,571,389
9,164 13,584,079 18,202 27,155,468 The merchant vessels entered from Foreign countries in 1903 were divided among the different nationalities as under
Strs.
Tonnage Sailing Tonnage Total Tonnage
Japanese
3,827
5,130,809 1,717
79,668
5,454
5,210,477
British
1,762
4,734,487
15
24,047
1,777
4,758,534
German
423
1,268,466
4
8,812
427
1,277,278
Russian
252
353,365
5
302
257
353,667
United States of America
271
961,225
13
14,609
284 975,834
Norwegian
407
392,343
407
392,343
French....
101
213,180
12
21,228
113
234,408
Austrian
61
190,648
61
190,648
Other Countries
143
174,895
25
3,305
168 178,200
7,247 13,419,418 1,791
151,971 9,038 13,571,389
The total Customs Revenue for the same year consisted of-Export Duties, nil; Import Duties, yen 16,372,024; Miscellaneous, yen 675,866; Total, yen 17,047,890. The revenue shows an increase of yen 1,734,818 compared with that of 1902.
Extension of the Japanese railway system goes on uninterruptedly. The most recent returns give the length of the railway lines as 5,581 miles, 1,739 miles of Govern- ment and 3,842 miles of private railway, on March 31, 1904. The total cost of these lines was 338,946,792 yen. There were also 1,389 miles under constructon at the date men- tioned, their estimated cost in the aggregate being 19,748,156 yen. The principal private lines are the Nippon Railway, mileage 857 miles; Kiushiu Railway, mileage 416 miles; Sanyo Railway, mileage 334 miles; Hok-kaido Tanko Railway, mileage 207 miles. A Private Railway Law and Railway Business Law were promulgated on March 15, 1900, for the better exercise of control over the construction of railways and matters connected with railway work in general, which came into force on October 1, 1900. Sleeping-cars were brought into use on the Tokaido line from the same date.
By treaties made with a number of foreign Governments the Japanese ports of Kanagawa (Yokohama), Nagasaki, Kobe, Hakodate, Niigata, and the cities of Tokyo (formerly called Yedo) and Osaka were thrown open to foreign commerce. In 1894 a new treaty was signed with Great Britain by which extraterritoriality was abolished and the whole country opened to foreign trade and residence, the treaty to come into force in July, 1899, provided similar treaties were effected with the other Powers. This was done and extraterritoriality ceased to exist on August 4th, 1899.
CURRENCY
From October 1897, Japan placed her currency on a gold basis. The unit of value is a gold dollar weighing .8333 grammes and containing .75 grammes of fine gold. The conversion from silver to gold was effected at the ratio of 1 to 32.348. A scarcity of money available for mercantile purposes with a high rate of interest, was much felt during 1900.
EDUCATION
Education is very general in Japan, and is making great progress. There are num- erous Higher Schools, Middle Schools, Normal Schools, and Colleges for special studies, such as Law, Science, Medicine, Mining, Agriculture, and Foreign Languages, and several Female High Schools have been established, and are carefully fostered by the Govern- In order to facilitate the prosecution of foreign studies the Government em- ploys many European professors, and also sends, at the public expense, a large number of students every year to America and Europe.
ment.
Original from UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
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