JAPAN
501
The total Shipping, including junks, from and to Foreign countries for the year
1906 was-
Steamers
Entered
10,625
Tonnage 18,924,330
Cleared
21 277
Sailing Vessels
2,467
126,592
4,874
Tonnage 37,880,926 253,450
Total Tonnage. 31,902
7,341
56,805 256 380,042
13,092 19,050,922 26,151 38,134,376 39,243 57,185,298 The merchant vessels entered from Foreign countries in 1906 were divided among the different nationalities as under :-
Strs.
Tonnage Sailing Tonnage Total Tonnage
Japanese
6,210
7,527,088
2,313
79,074
8,523
7,336,162
British
2,086
5,766,670
5
14,181
2,091
5,780,851
German
696
1,910,704
8
11,451
704
1,922,155
Russian
141
310,836
2
188
143
311,024
United States of America
494
2,093,786
12
9,506
506
2,103,292
Norwegian
625
602,028
625
602,023
French
135
397,637
7,206
139
404,843
Austrian
44
103,243
Chinese
20
17,724
Denmark
45
115,656
Other Countries
157
321,224
1118
44
163,243
17,724
115,656
63
5,252
220
326,476
10,653 18,956,596 2,407
126,858 12,995 19,083,454 The total Customs Revenue for the same year consisted of-Export Dutics, nil; Import Duties, yen 41,23,400. The revenue shows an increase of yen 4,392,554 com- pared with that of 1995, and the revenue for that year was Yen 13,950,892 in advance of that for 1:04.
Extension of the Japanese railway system has proceeded uninterruptedly since the first line was laid in 1372. The mileage open to traffic, according to the latest returns, is 1531 miles of State railway, and 4,252 miles of private railway. The Government in 1906 decided on the State ownership of all railways which are used for general traffic, the object being to improve the facilities for direct traffic over long distances, to accelerate transportation, and to cheapen the cost. The Government proposed to purchase the lines belonging to thirty-two private companies within a period extending from 1900 to 1911, but the House of Peers, when the Bills came before them, reduced the number of companies to be bought out to seventeen, and extended the period of purchase to 1915. The aggregate length of the lines it was decided to purchase is 2,812 miles, the cost of construction being about yen 229,000,000. It is proposed to issue a public loan of not less than 421,000,000 yen for the purchase of the railways, and it is intended to redeem by means of the net profit accruing from the railways purchased. Seven of the longest railways were purchased in the latter half of 1906, and the remainder last year. The purchases included the line of railway in Corea, running between Fusan and Seoul. As a result of the war with Russia, the South Manchurian railway was taken over by Japan. There are about 173 miles of electric tramway in Japan, and 100 m les more under construction.
4
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 grainmes of fine gold. The conversion from silver to gold was effected at the ratio of 1 to 32.348.
EDUCATION
Education is national and very general in Japan, and is making great progress. There are numerous 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 Government. In order to facilitate the prosecution of foreign studies the Government employs many European professors, and also sends, at the public expense, a large number of students every year to America and Europe.
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