INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
1327
sufficient Returns show the net weight, though the groas weight also is declared. It is sought to record as the country of origin the country of production, acd as the country of destination that where the goods are to be consume!. When exact information is cot available the most distant known points of transit are recorded. In accordance with this <vsTem. Swi« returns show, as far as can be ascertained, the trade between the Con- federation and Great Britain, though, since direct commercial intercourse is impossible, the name of Switzerland does not occur in the trade retun.- :.,sloni. The
treaty of \Si>b provides for the most favoured nation treatment in respect of commerce, residence and other matters affecting Swiss and British interests.
The customs duties amounted in I 09,180 francs; in 1918, to 44,021,056
francs ; in 1919, to 67,011.442 francs; in 1980, to 67.717,221 franca.
The following table, in thousands of francs, shows the distribution of the special trade of Switzerland (including bullion but not coin) among the principal countries. Much of the trade with the frontier countries is really of the nature of transit trade : —
Iaij-or:*
Exports
1919
vm
Germany
France .
Italy .
Austria
United Kingdom
United States .
Spain
1,000
69.169 MJtM 787,886
213,012
1,000 Franca 808,6* 603,249
71.531 466,736 S6MM
101,395
1,080 Franca
. 61^8,330 571,571 208.487
181,800
1,000 Franca 252.474 521.514 160.141 105,773 645,521 283,307 186,031
Total trade between Switzerland and the United Kingdom (in thousands of pounds) for five years (Board of Trade returns) : —
1917
1918
Imports from Switzerland into U.K. Exports to Switzerland from U.K.
15,510 4,560
HjSM
6,445
13,073
1919
14.S60 13,657
1920
37,004 12,641
Internal Communications.
In 1920 the State railways of Switzerland had a length of 3,881 miles. There are also 34 miles of foreign railways within the Confederation. The cost of construction of the railways up to the end of 1918 was 2,476,247,157 francs. The receipts from traffic of all the Swiss railways amounted * 1920 1 to 510,716,000 francs (20,428,640*.), of which 198,611, 000 "francs (7,944,440/.) was for passenger traffic. The state railways are gradually being electrified. The traffic on the Swiss waters in 1919 was carried on by 153 boats or barges belonging to 22 companies.
In 1920 there were in Switzerland 3,941 post-offices. By the internal sen-ice there were forwarded 213.245,501 letters. 81,732,420 post-cards, 71,532.946 packets of printed matter, 461,837 samples, 277,841,543 newspapers, and 8,520,185 registered parcels, &c. In the international service there were forwarded 27,689,530 letters, 12,594,999 post-cards, 9,178,601 packets of printed matter, 1,501,450 samples, 1,836,253 news- papers, and 3,694,098 registered parcels, &c Internal post-office orders were sent to the value of 2,068,760,029 francs (82,750,400/.). Receipts, 1920, 92,615,138 francs (3,704,605/.); expenditure, 120,891,921 francs (4,835,676/.).
