The following table shows the value of the leading imports and exports More than half the revenue of Canada is derived from Customs duties." The following statement shows, for 1897, the amount of imports dutiable and duty-free, and the average rate per cent. of duty on dutiable imports : : 1 Including fish-oils, furs and skins of fish, and other products of the fisheries. The following table shows the progress of the leading classes of domestic exports, in thousands of dollars : : The share of the leading ports in the trade of 1897 was as follows in dollars: Montreal Toronto Halifax Quebec St. John, Ottawa Victoria Imports 44,498,213 18,626,007 5,777,260 4,712,094 3,354,067 1,792,993 2,787,785 Exports 48,079,462 5,603,137 6,435,718 4,901,394 5,730,585 4,169,595 2,610,794 The following figures give the value of exports of Canadian produce to Great Britain, according to Canadian returns, in 1879 and in the last five years ended 30th June. (Conversions made at 4.863.) Canadian returns of imports from Great Britain do not distinguish between British and foreign produce. The chief exports of domestic produce from Canada to Great Britain in the last four years were : The chief imports into Canada from Great Britain were : The following table exhibits the commercial intercourse of the Dominion of Canada with the United Kingdom, according to the Board of Trade Returns, in 1879, and in each of the last five years. Imports into U. K. from Canada. Exports of British produce to Canada. £ £ £ £ £ £ 9,834,236 12,945,605 12,506,642 12,798,469 16,047,263 19,217,918 5,926,908 6,658,492 5,531,513 5,285,271 5,352,029 5,171,850 The chief imports into Great Britain from Canada were :— Cheese Wood & timber 3,185,626 3,492,032 3,179,678 4,206,094 5,546,073 2,575,893 2,688,946 2,335,548 2,589,301 3,349,501 The chief exports of British produce and manufactures to Canada were : On December 31, 1896, the registered shipping of Canada, including vessels for inland navigation, comprised (according to Board of Trade statistics) 1,755 steamers of 145,900 tons net, and 4,824 sailing vessels of 562,254 tons net; total 6,579 vessels of 708,154 tons net. The tonnage that entered and cleared during the year 1897 at Canadian ports was as follows: Canada has a system of canal, river, and lake navigation over 2,700 miles in length, and vessels from the lake ports reach the Atlantic without breaking bulk. Up to 1897, 71,750,000 dollars had been spent on canals for construction alone. In 1896, 25,622 vessels, of 4,677,826 tons, passed through the Canadian canals, carrying 151,342 passengers and 3,413,674 tons of freight, chiefly grain, timber, and coal. The Dominion of Canada had a network of railways of a total length of 16,687 miles completed at the end of June 1897, being an increase of 300 miles over that of 1896. The number of miles in operation was 16,550. The Canadian Pacific Railway main line from Montreal to Vancouver is 2,906 miles in length. By means of this railway and a line of Pacific steamers subsidised by the Imperial and Dominion Governments, Montreal and Yokohama have been brought within 14 days of one another. There is a monthly steam service between Australia and British Columbia, for which the Dominion Government gives 25,000l. a year and the Australian 12,000l. a year. The traffic on Canadian railways in the last two years was : 1896 16,387 14,810,407 24,266,825 50,545,569 35,042,655 15,502,904 899,817,900 1897 16,687 16,171,338 25,300,331 52,354,277 35,168,616 17,185,611 921,858,232 In 1897, of the capital paid up, 149,939,386 dollars represented Federal Government aid, and 46,782,254 dollars aid from Provincial Governments and Municipalities. The number of electric railways in Canada in 1897 was 35, with a mileage of 535; the number of passengers carried during the year was 83,811,306; the total paid up capital was 18,727,355 dollars, and the bonded debt, 9,894,452 dollars. On June 30, 1897, there were 9,191 post offices in the Dominion. During the year ended on the foregoing date the number of letters sent through the post-office was 123,830,000, of postcards 26,140,000, of newspapers, books, &c., 26,640,000, and of parcels 369,570. Newspapers sent from the office of publication are carried free. Their number in 1897 was estimated at upwards of 74,319,976. The letters and postcards posted amounted to 28.88 per head, and the other articles to 19 54 per head. Revenue, 4,311,243 dollars; expenditure, 4,897,783 dollars. A uniform rate of postage of three cents has been established over the whole Dominion. The number of money order offices in Canada in 1897 was 1,349 and of orders issued 1,162,209, their value having been 13,081,860 dollars. There were 29,318 miles (2,786 being Government) of telegraph lines in Canada in 1897 and 70,761 miles of wire, with 2,572 offices, and the number of messages sent, as nearly as could be ascertained, 4,313,925. There were in 1894, 44,000 miles of telephone wire, and 33,500 sets of instruments; 72,500,000 messages were sent. The returns for 1897 do not vary greatly from those of 1894. Money and Credit. The Bank Acts of Canada impose stringent conditions as to capital, notes in circulation, limit of dividend, returns to the Dominion Government, and other points in all chartered and incorporated banks. In making payments every bank is compelled if required to pay a certain proportion in Dominion Government notes, and must hold not less than 40 per cent. of its cash reserve in Dominion Government notes. In 1897 there were 37 incorporated banks making returns to the Government, with 575 branches all over the Dominion. The following are some particulars of the banks :— Dollars 1888 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 Dollars Dollars Dollars Dollars 60,168,010 30,444,643 128,725,529 166,344,852 244,975,223 61,954,314 33,483,413 174,320,991 219,666,666 304,363,580 62,063,371 31,166,003 181,743,890 221,066,724 307,520,020 61,800,700 30,807,041 190,916,939 229,794,322 316,536,527 62,043,175 31,456,297 193,616,049 232,338,086 320,937,643 62,027,703 34,350,118 211,788,096 252,660,708 341,163,505 67.90 72.17 71.87 72.50 72.39 74.06 |