16
JAPAN
The total Shipping, including junks, from aud to Foreign countries for the year
1901 was-
Steamers
Sailing Vessels
...
Entered 6,040 1,449
Tonn,age 10,879 736
Cleared
6,054
Tonnage 10,900,139
Total Tonnage
12,094
171.644
1,510
164,812
2,959
21,779,875 336,456
7,489 11,051,380
7,564 11,064,951 15,053 22,116,331
The merchant vessels entered froin Foreign countries in 1901 were divided among the different nationalities as under :-
Strs.
Japanese
Tonnage Sailing Tonnage Total Tonnage
3,042
3,861,659 1,344
67,139
4,386 3,928,798
British
1,644
4,080,583
33
30,183
1,677
4,110,766
German
385
1,192,153
19
36,381
404
1,228,534
Russian
284
455,243
9
828
293
456,071
United States of America
175
...
404,724
19
23,983
194
428,707
Norwegian
182
240,906
182
240,906
French
154
303,690
7
10,781
161
314,471
Austrian
107
252,376
107
252,376
Other Countries
67
88,402
18
2,349
85
90,751
6,040
10,879,736
1,449
171,644 7,489 11,051,380
The total Customs Revenue for the same year consisted of-Export Duties, nil; Import Duties, yen 14,457,526 ; Miscellaneous, yen 665,090; Total, yen 15,122,616. The revenue shows a decrease of yen 2,210,949 compared with that of 1900, which is partly due to the abolition of the Export Duties.
The British Consul-General in his report for 1900, pointed out that only once before in the history of the foreign trade of Japan did the value of the imports exceed to such an extent the value of the exports.
;
Extension of the Japanese railway system goes on uninterruptedly. The most recent returns give the length of the railway lines as 4,038 miles, 1,089 miles of Govern- ment and 2,949 miles of private railway, on August 31, 1902. The principal private lines are the Nippon Railway, mileage 852 miles: Kiushiu Railway, mileage 401 miles Sanyo Railway, mileage 329 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- ment. In order to facilitate the prosecution of foreign studies the Government of the Mikado has engaged many European professors, and also sent, at the public expense, a large number of students to America and Europe.
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