JAPAN
515
The merchant vessels entered from Foreign countries in 1907 were divided among the different nationalities as under :-
Strs. Tonnage Sailing
Tonnage Total Tonnage
Japanese
6,734
8,770,491 2,762
96,945
9,496 8,867,436
British
2,269
6,267,638
4
11,719
2,273
6,279,357
German
673
1,840,090
7
11,378
680
1,851,468
Russian
172
324,051
2
158
174
324,209
United States of America
377
1,618,462
10
13,633
387
1,632,095
Norwegian
348
385,611
348
385,611
French....
133
398,837
1
1,779
134
400,616
Austrian
40
154,425
40
154,425
Chinese
52
57,659
52
57,659
Denmark.
24
64,753
24
64,753
Other Countries
143
317,636
80
1,430
223
319,066
2,866
10,965 20,199,653
137,042 13,831 20,336,695 The total Customs Revenue for the same year was yen 36,179,719 which shows a falling of six of about five millions yen as compared with the revenue for 1906.
Extension of the Japanese railway system has proceeded uninterruptedly since the first line was laid in 1872. The mileage open to traffic, according to the latest returns, is 3,116 miles of State railway, and 1,691 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 1906 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 in 1907. The purchases included the line of railway in Coren, 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 164 miles of electric tramway in Japan, and 100 miles more under construction.
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.
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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