Page:EB1922 - Volume 31.djvu/357

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.
GUBERNATIS—GUIANA
323

1918 the crop amounted to 110,000,000 Ib. of which between 50% and 60% was German-owned. In 1918 coffee exports were worth $8,562,715. Sugar ranked second in importance. In 1918 there were produced 42,000,000 pounds. In 1916 the banana and plantain crop was 9,351 ,485 bunches ; and 6,1 10,900 quintals of corn were produced. The cattle production in 1915 amounted to 1,470,200 head of all varieties. The total imports in 1918 were worth 1,326,800, and the exports 2,263,800. By far the greater part of the commerce was with the United States. The British trade showed in 1919 292,521 exports from Guatemala and 396,182 imports. This was a marked increase over the trade of the war period. In the same year 601 vessels entered Guatemalan ports, 175 being American and 129 British. In Dec. 1915 the State took over all the ore lands in the country, ordaining that they might be exploited only under leasehold.

The International railway of Central America, incorporated in 1912, was a consolidation of the Guatemala railway (195 m.), the Guatemala Central (139 m.), the Occidental railway (51 m.), and the Ocos railway (22 miles). The main lines at the close of 1920 ran from Puerto Barrios on the Caribbean to Guatemala City, 194-5 m -. and thence to San Jose de Guatemala on the Pacific, 74 miles. A Salvadorean division 40 m. long was separately operated. In 1914 the International railway bought a 6o-m. line from Santa Maria to Las Cruces and continued it 45 m. to Ayutla on the Mexican border. Through service began Oct. I 1916. A line was also projected from Santa Maria to Santa Ana in Salvador. The plan was to provide continuous service from Vera Cruz, Mexico, to Panama along the western portion of Central America. Telegraph lines in 1917 amounted to 4,337 m., and telephone lines to 531 miles.

The Banco Nacional Privilegiado, established April II 1918, made agricultural loans, and assisted in rehabilitating earthquake-de- stroyed areas and transacted commercial business. Its capital was owned by the Government and by native and foreign capitalists. There were four other established banks, antedating 1910, whose paper money in circulation in 1916 was 183,000,000 paper pesos.

(H. I. P.)

GUBERNATIS, ANGELO DE, COUNT (1840-1913), Italian man of letters (see 12.667), published in his later years a series of lectures on Italian poetry (1907), and a Dictionnaire inter- nationals des ecrivains du monde latin (1905-6). He died at Rome Feb. 26 1913.

GUCHKOV, ALEXANDER (1862- ), Russian politician, was born in Moscow in 1862. His father was a factory owner of some means, whose family came from a stock of Old Believers, who had acknowledged the authority of the Russian Orthodox Church while keeping the ancient ritual for which their fore- fathers had endured persecution since the days of Patriarch Nikon. Guchkov's mother was French. He studied history and humanities at the university of Moscow, and, after having gone through his military training in a grenadier regiment, left for Germany where he read political economy in Berlin under Prof. Schmoller. Academic studies were, however, not suited to his active and adventurous character. He gave them up and started travelling. He rode alone on horseback through Mongolia to western Siberia, and narrowly escaped being slaughtered by a mob. During the Boer War 1899-1902 he volunteered for service against the English and joined Gen. Smuts's commando. He was shot in the leg, picked up by the English, and successfully treated, although he remained slightly lame. He was elected by the Moscow municipal Duma to be a member of the executive (Uprava), and took active part in the self-government of the city. During the Russo-Japanese War he served in the Red Cross and in the Municipal Union for the organization of hospi- tals; he was left to take care of the Russian wounded after the battle of Moukden, and showed much dignity and efficiency in the performance of his arduous duties. When the first Russian revolutionary movement developed in 1905 he took part in the meetings of Zemstvo representatives, but did not join the Cadets, whom he considered to be too doctrinaire and cosmopolitan. Together with D. Shipov, E. Trubetzkoy and N. Lvov, he founded the Octobrist party, in the hope that the Tsar's Govern- ment would recognize the necessity of great reforms and work with the moderate Liberals of the Zemstvos while safeguarding the monarchical principle. Stolypin was for some time in sym- pathy with that programme, and even contemplated the forma- tion of a Ministry strengthened by leaders of public opinion, of whom Guchkov, Count Heyden and N. Lvov would have been prominent members. When this project came to grief, Guchkov continued to support Stolypin. In the third Duma, elected on a restricted franchise, the Octobrists assumed the leading role.

After Khomiakov's resignation in 1910 Guchkov was elected speaker. He attacked with patriotic eloquence the " irresponsible influences " at Court and the shortcomings of the Ministry of War in preparing for the inevitable conflict with Germany. As Stolypin became more and more violent and reactionary, the Octobrists lost their standing ground, and Guchkov eventually resigned the presidentship of the. Duma. In the elections to the fourth Duma he failed to secure a seat. He came again into prominence, however, during the World War. He was put in charge of the Red Cross organization on the German front, and it fell to him to search for the corpse of the unfortunate Samsonov. When the campaign of 1915 had disclosed the incredible in- efficiency and corruption of the Russian War Office, Guchkov threw his whole energy into the work of refitting the army on the technical side. He was one of the principal workers and leaders of the mixed committees for the defence of the country, formed with the help of the Zemstvos and towns. He was not content with laying the blame at the door of the effete War Office, but deplored the apathetic way in which the Tsar passed the time at headquarters, without any clear political plan, holding on supinely to formalism and routine, yielding to the spasmodic interference of the Empress.

When the March Revolution of 1917 broke out Guchkov was called in to take charge of the Ministry of War. Together with Shulguin, he submitted the Act of Abdication for signature to Nicholas II. He was powerless against the mounting flood of desertion and demoralization in the army, and he was the first of the ministers to resign in despair. In the "emigration" he found himself without proper place and influence. He would have liked to organize a big move against the Bolsheviks from the west, but such a move could not be made while the Entente Powers were resolved to keep Germany out, and while they sympathized with all the new organizations hostile to Russia Esthonia, Latvia and Poland. Later he took refuge in Paris, where he pleaded for a national reunion of all parties against the Red tyrants. (P. Vi.)

GUERRINI, OLINDO (1845-1916), Italian poet (see 12.672), died at Bologna Oct. 21 1916.

GUIANA. (For BRITISH GUIANA see WEST INDIES, vol. 32.)

Dutch Guiana (see 12.680). The pop. of Dutch Guiana, excluding the Indians and negroes of the interior, was in 1910, 86,233; in 1918, 92,284; and on Dec. 31 1919, 109,810, including Dutch, British, Hindus, Javanese and Chinese; 1,109 were Europeans. In 1910 the pop. of Paramaribo, the chief city, was 35,346; in 1919 it was 36,038.

The country grants full religious liberty and in 1918 there were 24,624 Moravian Brethren, 20,850 Hindus, 19,698 Roman Catholics, 12,489 Mohammedans, 9,733 Reformed and Lutherans and 847 Jews. In 1910 there were 25 public schools with 2,889 pupils and 38 private schools with 6,016 pupils; in 1918 there were 30 public schools with 3,806 pupils and 43 private schools with 6,724 pupils. The chief agricultural products are sngar, rice, cacao, maize, coffee and bananas. Of these sugar is the most important. Rum and molasses are produced in large quantities. The following table shows production :

Sugar Rice Cacao Maize Coffee Bananas . Rum .... Molasses .

1910 26,433,220 Ib. 4,386,140 Ib. 3,702,600 Ib. 2,911,260 Ib. 445,060 Ib. 462,200 bunches 210,779 gal. 43.356 gal.

1918 26,588,509 Ib. 8,260,560 Ib. 4,152,940 Ib. 4,121,920 Ib. 4,076,600 Ib. 733,800 bunches 294.805 gal. 3,709 gal.

In 1910 the gold production was 18,745 oz. ;in 1917, 25,869 ounces. In 1910 the production of balata, a species of gutta-percha, was I .495>34 2 Ib. ; in 1917 it was 1,952,643 pounds. The country's exports and imports were valued as follows:

1910 1917

Exports 692,700 732,216

Imports 614,121 632,442

In 1910 there entered 240 vessels of 210,998 tons and cleared 243 vessels of 215,391 tons. In 1917 there entered 133 vessels of 182,788 tons and cleared 133 vessels of 185,562 tons. The local revenues are not sufficient to meet expenditures, and the Dutch Government makes up the annual deficit by subventions.