Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/1281

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

DEPENDENCIES

1159

railways open for traffic, is 642 miles ; the concession of a line from Lobito Bay was granted in 1902, the line to be of about 1,200 miles (3ft. 6in. gauge), to link with the Central African system. The construction is proceed- ing, 224 miles being open for traffic. Other railways run inland from Loanda and Mossamedes. In 1911, there were 2,688 miles of telegraph line ; 69 telegraph offices. Angola is connected by cable with East, West, and South African telegraph systems.

Mozainbioue is separated from British Central and South Africa by the limits of the arrangement between Great Britain and Portugal in June, 1891. Itis separated from German East Africa, according to agreements of October and December, 1886, and July, 1890, by a line running from Cape Delgado at 10° 40' S. lat. till it meets the course of the Rovuma, which it follows to the point of its confluence with the 'Msinje, the boundary thence to Lake Nyasa being the parallel of latitude of this point. The province comprises territories directly administered by the State, and others under the adminis- tration of the Mozambique and Nyasa Companies. The first are divided into 5 districts : LourenQO Marques, Inhambane, Q.nilimane, Tete and Mozambique. The districts are divided in eoncelhos, circumscripqQes civis and capitanias-mores, the last comprising the territories not yet entirel}^ pacified and occupied. The municipal institutions are the Camara Mimi- cipal, the Coonmissdo Municipal, and the edilidade, according to the develop- ment of the respective centres of population. Louren^o Marques is the Capital of the Province. There is a Government Council composed of officials and elected representatives of the commercial, industrial and agri- cultural classes, and a Provincial Council with the attributions of an administrative and account tribunal. In each district there is a District Council. The existing organisation of the province is that which was estab- lished by decree of May 23, 1907, with some modifications. The Manica and Sofala region is administered by the Mozambique Company, which has a royal charter granting sovereign rights for 50 years from 1891. Under the Company's administration the country on the Zambezi has become settled there is convenient transport by river, and facilities are granted for securing titles and working mines. -The Nyasa Company, with a roj^al charter, administers the region between the Eovuma, Lake Nyasa, and the Lurio. The military force of the Colony varies between 2,250 men (1,379 natives) and 3,904 men (2,468 natives). For 1910-11 the estimated revenue was 5,418,832 milreis ; expenditure, 5,118,832 milreis.

The chief products of the Colony are rubber, sugar, cocoa-nuts, bees-wax, and mining products. In 1908 the export of rubber from the State Terri- tories amounted to 104 tons, and from the Mozambique Territories in 1910 to 81 tons. Important gold-bearing reefs have been discovered on the Upper Zambezi, and extensive coal deposits in the Tete region.

The trade of the Province in 1910 was as follows : —

State territories (January to November) . . . . Mozambique Company . Nyasa Company

Imports

Milreis

6,022,294

2,747,376

537,285

Exports

Milreis 3,311,863 2,342,444 369,094

Re-exports

Milreis 3,590,964 1,111,150 85,857

Transit

Milreis 29,945,877 5,518,717 154

The principal ports are Mozambique (population, 1910, 472 Europeans, 895 Lsiatics, andabotrt 361,367 natives), Ibo, Quilimane, Chinde (population 1,690,