Page:EB1911 - Volume 10.djvu/810

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786
FRANCE
[COMMERCE

Amongst imports raw materials (wool, cotton and silk, coal, oil-seeds, timber, &c.) hold the first place, articles of food (cereals, wine, coffee, &c.) and manufactured goods (especially machinery) ranking next. Amongst exports manufactured goods (silk, cotton and woollen goods, fancy wares, apparel, &c.) come before raw materials and articles of food (wine and dairy products bought chiefly by England).

Divided into these classes the imports and exports (special trade) for quinquennial periods from 1886 to 1905 averaged as shown in the preceding table.

The decline both in imports and in exports of articles of food, which is the most noteworthy fact exhibited in the preceding table, was due to the almost prohibitive tax in the Customs Law of 1892, upon agricultural products.

The average value of the principal articles of import and export (special trade) over quinquennial periods following 1890 is shown in the two tables below.

Principal Imports (Thousands of £).

   1891–1895.   1896–1900.   1901–1905. 
 Coal, coke, &c.  .  .  .   7,018   9,883   10,539 
 Coffee  .  .  .  .  .  .   6,106   4,553   3,717 
 Cotton, raw  .  .  .  .   7,446   7,722   11,987 
 Flax  .  .  .  .  .  .   2,346   2,435   3,173 
 Fruit and seeds (oleaginous)   7,175   6,207   8,464 
 Hides and skins, raw  .  .   6,141   5,261   6,369 
 Machinery .  .  .  .  .   2,181   3,632   4,614 
 Silk, raw  .  .  .  .  .   9,488   10,391   11,765 
 Timber .  .  .  .  .  .   6,054   6,284   6,760 
 Wheat  .  .  .  .  .  .   10,352   5,276   1,995 
 Wine  .  .  .  .  .  .   9,972   10,454   5,167 
 Wool, raw  .  .  .  .  .   13,372   16,750   16,395 

Principal Exports (Thousands of £).

   1891–1895.   1896–1900.   1901–1905. 
 Apparel .  .  .  .  .  .  4,726   4,513   5,079 
 Brandy and other spirits  .   2,402   1,931   1,678 
 Butter  .  .  .  .  .  .   2,789   2,783   2,618 
 Cotton manufactures  .  .   4,233   5,874   7,965 
 Haberdashery[1] .  .  .  .   5,830   6,039   6,599 
 Hides, raw .  .  .  .  .   2,839   3,494   4,813 
 Hides, tanned or curried  .   4,037   4,321   4,753 
 Iron and steel, manufactures of  . .  2,849   4,201 
 Millinery  .  .  .  .  .   1,957   3,308   4,951 
 Motor cars and vehicles .  . .  160   2,147 
 Paper and manufactures of   2,095   2,145   2,551 
 Silk, raw, thrown, waste and cocoons   4,738   4,807   6,090 
 Silk and waste silk, manufactured of   9,769   10,443   11,463 
 Wine  .  .  .  .  .  .   8,824   9,050   9,139 
 Wool, raw  .  .  .  .  .   5,003   7,813   9,159 
 Wool, manufactures of  .   11,998   10,190   8,459 

The following were the countries sending the largest quantities of goods (special trade) to France (during the same periods as in previous table).

Trade with Principal Countries. Imports (Thousands of £).

   1891–1895.   1896–1900.   1901–1905. 
 Germany .  .  .  .  .   13,178   13,904   17,363
 Belgium .  .  .  .  .   15,438   13,113   13,057
 United Kingdom.  .  .   20,697   22,132   22,725
 Spain  .  .  .  .  .   10,294   10,560  6,525 [2]
 United States  .  .  .  .   15,577   18,491   19,334
 Argentine Republic.  .   7,119   10,009   10,094

Other countries importing largely into France are Russia, Algeria and British India, whose imports in each case averaged over £9,000,000 in value in the period 1901–1905; China (average value £7,000,000); and Italy (average value £6,000,000).

The following are the principal countries receiving the exports of France (special trade), with values for the same periods.


Trade with Principal Countries. Exports (Thousands of £).

   1891–1895.   1896–1900.   1901–1905. 
 Germany  .  .  .  .  .    13,712     16,285     21,021  
 Belgium  .  .  .  .  .   19,857     22,135     24,542  
 United Kingdom.  .  .    39,310     45,203     49,156  
 United States  .  .  .  .    9,337     9,497     10,411  
 Algeria .  .  .  .  .  .    7,872     9,434     11,652  

The other chief customers of France were Switzerland and Italy, whose imports from France averaged in 1901–1905 nearly £10,000,000 and over £7,200,000 respectively in value. In the same period Spain received exports from France averaging £4,700,000.

The trade of France was divided between foreign countries and her colonies in the following proportions (imports and exports combined).

  General Trade. Special Trade.
Foreign
 Countries. 
  Colonies.   Foreign
 Countries. 
  Colonies. 
 1891–1895    92.00     8.00     90.89     9.11  
 1896–1900    91.18     8.82     89.86     10.14  
 1901–1905    90.41     9.59     88.78     11.22  

The respective shares of the leading customs in the trade of the country is approximately shown in the following table, which gives the value of their exports and imports (general trade) in 1905 in millions sterling.

  £   £
Marseilles .  .  .  .  88.8   Boulogne .  .  .  .  17.5
Le Havre .  .  .  .  79.5   Calais .  .  .  .  .  14.1
Paris .  .  .  .  .  42.8   Dieppe  .  .  .  .  13.5
Dunkirk  .  .  .  .  34.8   Rouen .  .  .  .  .  11.3
Bordeaux .  .  .  .  27.4   Belfort-Petit-Croix  .  10.7

In the same year the other chief customs in order of importance were Tourcoing, Jeumont, Cette, St Nazaire and Avricourt.

The chief local bodies concerned with commerce and industry are the chambres de commerce and the chambres consultatives d’arts et manufactures, the members of which are elected from their own number by the traders and industrialists of a certain standing. They are established in the chief towns, and their principal function is to advise the government on measures for improving and facilitating commerce and industry within their circumscription. See also Banks and Banking; Savings Banks; Post and Postal Service.

Shipping.—The following table shows the increase in tonnage of sailing and steam shipping engaged in foreign trade entered and cleared at the ports of France over quinquennial periods from 1890.

  Entered. Cleared.
French. Foreign. French. Foreign.
 1891–1895   4,277,967   9,947,893   4,521,928   10,091,000 
 1896–1900   4,665,268   12,037,571   5,005,563   12,103,358 
 1901–1905   4,782,101   14,744,626   5,503,463   14,823,217 

The increase of the French mercantile marine (which is fifth in importance in the world) over the same period is traced in the following table. Vessels of 2 net tons and upwards are enumerated.

  Sailing. Steam. Total.
 Number 
of
 Vessels. 
 Tonnage.   Number 
of
 Vessels. 
 Tonnage.   Number 
of
 Vessels. 
Tonnage.
 1891–1895   14,183   402,982   1182   502,363   15,365   905,345 
 1896–1900   14,327   437,468   1231   504,674   15,558   942,142 
 1901–1905   14,867   642,562   1388   617,536   16,255   1,260,098 

At the beginning of 1908 the total was 17,193 (tonnage, 1,402,647); of these 13,601 (tonnage, 81,833) were vessels of less than 20 tons, while 502 (tonnage, 1,014,506) were over 800 tons.

The increase in the tonnage of sailing vessels, which in other countries tends to decline, was due to the bounties voted by parliament to its merchant sailing fleet with the view of increasing the number of skilled seamen. The prosperity of the French shipping trade is hampered by the costliness of shipbuilding and by the scarcity of outward-bound cargo. Shipping has been fostered by paying bounties for vessels constructed in France and sailing under the French flag, and by reserving the coasting trade, traffic between France and Algeria, &c., to French vessels. Despite these monopolies, three-fourths of the shipping in French ports is foreign, and France is without shipping companies comparable in importance to those of other great maritime nations. The three chief companies are the Messageries Maritimes (Marseilles and Bordeaux), the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (Le Havre, St Nazaire and Marseilles) and the Chargeurs Réunis (Le Havre).


  1. Includes small fancy wares, toys, also wooden wares and furniture, brushes, &c.
  2. Decrease largely due to Spanish-American War (1898).