BENGAL.
312 foreign
countries
1881-82:
and
in
the interportal trade,
—Calcutta,
was as follows for
Chittagong, ;^i, 214, 442 ; Orissa
- ^64,634,509
Ports, ^989,748; Naraydnganj, Of total, ^67,412,619. this grand total, ^40,181,529 are exports; ^27,231,090 are imports.
The
total
of
trade
Calcutta
was
alone
^^38,894,876
exports
Of the export trade, 15!^ millions sterling
- ^25, 739,633 imports.
were sent to Great Britain; 6| millions to China; 2^ millions to the United States; and more than i million to the Straits Settlements, opium, and Ceylon. The most important exports are
—
France,
£lAn,^T,
jute,
£2,^20,682; rice,
tea,
844,516.
£398,9^0, but
it
- ^4, 581, 543
1
indigo,
£zAS^AS9',
oil-seeds,
skins, 830,674; and 1875-76, the value of wheat exported was has since increased to above 2J millions sterling in p{j3, 528,771
hides
and
In
—
In the import trade, the main items are cotton piece-goods, p£iB 43 °) 965 ; nietals, ^1,734,191 ; and machinery, ;^488, 5 39. Of value.
the
imports,
18^ millions are
from
United
the
Kingdom.
The
export trade of Chittagong and of the Orissa Ports consists almost entirely of rice, carried in coasting vessels.
Chittagong imports
salt
direct from Liverpool,
and exports some jute; but otherwise these minor ports have scarcely any direct trade with Europe. The Ganges, the Brahmaputra, and on a much smaller scale the Mah^nadi river in Orissa, with the Eastern Bengal Railway, the Northern Bengal Railway, and the great East Indian Line, form the main arteries of commerce. From these great channels a network of minor streams, and a not yet complete system of raised roads, radiate to the remotest Districts. The larger transactions of commerce are conducted in the cities, such as Calcutta and Patna, and in large rural marts, which have recently grown up under British rule. The smaller operations of trade are effected by means of village markets and countless
Mfs
or open-air weekly bazars in every District.
—
Roads During 1881-82, the expenditure from Provincial funds on the main lines of road in the Province was ^211,525, including the expenditure on six new and important feeder roads for the Northern .
Bengal State Railway. The construction of these feeder lines, although intended to be left to the local Committees, had to be taken in hand by the Public Works Department, as it was found that many years must elapse before the funds at the disposal of the Committees would enable
them
to effect any appreciable improvement in the communications between the railway stations and the local trade centres. The operations of the District Committees are primarily directed to the maintenance of existing roads, and most Districts are now provided with fairly
good
local
roads.
As
of the funds of the Committees
improvement of
village tracks,
a
rule,
is
set
a
considerable
proportion
aside for the construction or
works which bring home to the people
