The special debt of Austria in July, 1898, consisted of consolidated debt, 1,466,528,424 florins; floating, 4,260,455 florins; total, 1,470,788,879 florins. The charge for interest and amortisation was 74,580,058 florins. (See also common debt above.) Production and Industry.

I. AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY.

The interests of agriculture fall to the care of the ministry of that department,

The cultivation of the soil is an important industry, furnishing employment to nearly half the population. The proportion of productive land is greatest in Dalmatia, Silesia, Moravia, Bukowina, Bohemia, and Galicia; least in Salzburg and Tyrol.

As to the distribution of the soil in Austria, we have the following results taken from the latest official figures:

Arable and garden land
Vineyard

Pastures and meadows.

Woodlands

Lakes and fishponds

Total area subject to taxation
Exempt from taxes

Total.

Percentage of
total area

36.7

0.8

23.8

32.6

0.4

94.3

5.7

. 100'0

In 1897 the total area cultivated was 28,176,532 hectares, while 9,777,414 hectares were under woods and forests. The following table shows the area in thousands of hectares (2 47 acres) of the leading crops, the total produce in thousands of hectolitres (2.75 bushels dry, 22 gallons liquid measure) or of quintals, and also the produce per hectare in hectolitres or quintals.

1897

Wheat.

1,058 12,637

11.9

Barley.

Potatoes.
Sugar beet

1,160

1,911 33,888

17.7

Beet(other) 154 T 24,336

161-8

126

278 3,009

Buckwheat. 155 1,856

12.0

14.8

The following show the average produce of the leading crops in quintals per hectare for the ten years 1886-95:-Wheat, 108; rye, 111; barley, 99; oats, 89; maize, 124; potatoes, 791; wine, 16'0 hectolitres; sugar beet, 208 0 metre-centners.

Barley and wine are most largely exported, though in some years considerable quantities of wheat are also exported.

In Austria in 1891 there were 1,548,197 horses, 8,643,936 cattle, 3,186,787 sheep, 3,549,700 pigs, and 1,035,832 goats.

The total value of the Austrian live stock was estimated at 487 million florins. The export of horses, cattle, and sheep far exceeds the imports.

Silk-culture, by the law of 1885, is exclusively in the hands of the Government. The produce of cocoons in Austria in 1895 was 1,968,562 kilogrammes.

There are 127 agricultural institutions in Austria, with 4,282 pupils in 1895-96.

The administration of the forests and domains belonging to the State is in the hands of (a) the Administrators of Forests and Domains (the heads of husbandry); (b) the Direction of Forests and Domains; (c) the Ministry of Agriculture. Under the Administration of Domains and Forests is an extensive association of forestry officials, and schools of various grades for practical training in forestry.

The total area under forest in Austria (1895) is 9,709,620 hectares, and of this 6,828,415 hectares are under pines, and 1,425,353 hectares under other trees.

II. MINING.

Mines are worked for common coal chiefly in Bohemia, Silesia, Moravia, and Galicia; for brown coal in Bohemia, Styria, Upper Austria, Carniola, and Moravia. Iron ore is worked in Styria, Bohemia, Carinthia, Moravia, and Galicia; silver ore in Bohemia; quicksilver in Carniola; copper ore in Salzburg; lead ore in Styria, Galicia, Bohemia; zinc in Galicia, Carinthia, Tyrol, and Vorarlberg; sulphur in Bohemia, Tyrol, and Vorarlberg; manganese in Styria and Carniola; alum in Bohemia; graphite in Bohemia; petroleum and ozokerit in Galicia; while the largest production of salt is from Galicia, Upper Austria, and the Coast Land.

In mining there were employed in Austria in 1896, 119,797 men, 6,561 women, 5,814 juveniles, and 10 children; total 132, 182 persons. In smelting there were employed 11,841 men, 1,143 women, 678 juveniles, 284 children; total 13,946 persons.

The following table shows the value of the chief mineral and furnace products in thousands of florins :

The total value of mining and furnace products in five years was as follows in Austria in florins :

Mining products 70,438,556 76,750,410 79,671,551 84,181,329 87,857,943 Furnace. 32,903,184 32,690,524 35,126,161 35,262,727 36,470,997

The following table shows the quantities and values, respectively, of the leading minerals and furnace products of Austria in 1896 :

In Austria, in the year 1890, there were employed in the various manti. facturing industries 2,880,897 persons, of whom 2,144, 606 were workmen and 99,128 labourers. Including families and domestic servants the total number of those dependent on the industries was 6,155,510. For the preparation of metals and the manufacture of metal wares there were 971 establishments with 99,353 work-people; for machinery 506 with 57,129 workpeople; in the stoneware and glass industries there were 1,173 establi with 72,547 work-people, 38,131 of whom were in Bohemia. The textile factories was 2,287 with 296,481 work-people, of whom in Bohemia. There were 3,047 factories for alimentary sul 149,195 work-people, and 592 chemical factories with 33,264 w

In the various textile industries there were employed 1,97 with a total of 113,281 horse-power. For cotton-spinning establishments with 2,392,356 spindles, employing 33,815 cotton-weaving there were 194 establishments with 47. ploying 48,384 work-people.

In 1895 there were 1,598 breweries, producing in the year 1894-95 17,275,348 hectolitres of beer, and 37,429 distilleries which produced in 1894-95 1,368,494 hectolitres of alcohol. In the same year there were 210 sugar factories with 68,836 work-people, and 28 tobacco factories with 33,001 work-people, the output for the year being 331,145 metric centners of raw tobacco.

Shipping and Navigation.

The following tabular statement shows the strength of the commercial marine of Austria on January 1, 1897 :

Of the total number of vessels 181 of 145,154 tons were steamers, and 11,934 of 70,104 tons were sailing vessels.

The progress of navigation is shown as follows for Austria alone :

Of the vessels entered, an average of 88 per cent. and 90 per cent. of the tonnage, and of the vessels cleared 88 per cent. and 90 per cent. of the tonnage were Austrian, Italy coming next, and Greece third.

At the port of Trieste alone in 1897, 9,592 vessels of 1,934,384 tons entered, and 9,515 vessels of 1,928,488 tons cleared.

In 1896 the total length of navigable rivers and canals in Austria was: for-rafts only, 2,381 miles; for vessels and rafts, 1,704 m miles, of which 818 miles were navigable for steamers.