end of the year 1897 was 301⁄2 kilometers (18.9 miles). The gross receipts during that year were 2,655,685 marks ($632,000), of which 288,722 marks ($68,000) were paid to the city treasury, according to contract. There were 781 horses and 197 cars in use, and 26,507,403 passengers were carried during the year. The net proceeds amounted to 430,491 marks ($102,457). Railways in the Transvaal.-Consul Macrum, of Pretoria, on July 6, 1899, writes: Referring to my report of June 13, 1899,* re construction of the Rustenburg and the Lydenburg railways, I have to state that a notice has been published extending the time for the sending in of tenders on the construction of the Rustenburg line until Thursday, October 12 next, at noon. This is done for the purpose of allowing foreign contractors time to bid, and makes the time on both the Pretoria-Rustenburg and the Belfast-Lydenburg lines the same. Contract for Railway in Peru.-Minister Dudley, of Lima, under date of July 14, 1899, sends translation of a resolution awarding to Mr. Ernesto Thorndike the contract for building the railroad from Oroya to Cerro de Pasco. It appears that Mr. Thorndike was the only bidder. The contract is to last for twenty-five years. The rates for passengers are to be: First class, 6 cents (2.6 cents gold); second class, 3 cents (1.3 cents), per kilometer (0.62137 mile). Work on Guayaquil Railway.‡-Minister Sampson, under date of July 17, 1899, writes from Quito that on the 16th instant active work was begun in the construction of the Guayaquil and Quito Railroad. A United States company is interested in this work. Proposed Portuguese Exhibition in South America.-Minister Finch, of Montevideo, under date of July 11, 1899, sends translation of an editorial in a local paper, discussing prospective reciprocal treaties between Portugal and Argentina and Uruguay. As a means of extending Portuguese trade, a movement, it appears, is now being agitated to establish annual exhibitions of Portuguese products at a convenient port of the River Plata. * See CONSULAR REPORTS No. 228 (September, 1899), p. 100. + See CONSULAR REPORTS No. 227 (August, 1899), p. 726. See CONSULAR REPORTS No. 222 (March, 1899), p. 364. Flour in Guatemala.-According to a Government decree issued on August 11, 1899, which has been transmitted by ConsulGeneral Beaupré under date of August 22, flour will be admitted free of duty into Guatemala during the month of October. The duty on flour imported into Guatemala, according to its tariff schedules, is 51⁄2 centavos per kilogram (2.2046 pounds) and 15 per cent additional duty. Thirty per cent of the duty is payable in gold and the balance in silver. Waterworks at Tampico.-The following, dated Tampico, July 19, 1899, has been received from Consul Magill: The governor of the State of Tamaulipas has authorized this city to proceed with the construction of a system of waterworks and sewerage. This report is somewhat in advance of the official city notice, which I presume will outline a plan, but I send it in order that corporations or individuals interested in such contracts may write to me or to their agents in Mexico, to get the details as soon as published. Demand for Automatic Lawn Mowers and Incubators.Consul Le Bert writes from Ghent, July 25, 1899: I have this day received a request from Dutry-Colson, No. 12 rue des Champs, of this city, for the names and addresses of manufacturers of automatic lawn mowers and of incubators. This firm is one of the oldest, most reliable, and largest general hardware and machinery houses in this consular district. They request immediate replies, as they are now holding orders for such goods. Inquiry for Iron and Steel in Belgium.-Consul Le Bert, of Ghent, on August 15, 1899, writes: Mr. M. D. Levison, No. 58 rue Van Eyck, of this city, desires names and addresses of manufacturers of pig iron, Thomas; hematite and manganesian (Spiegel); bar steel; blooms, Thomas and Bessemer. He states that if prices are satisfactory, the transaction will be of considerable importance. Prices should be given c. i. f. at Antwerp, net cash. Failures of Norwegian Paper Mills.-Consul Bordewich, of Christiania, under date of June 26, 1899, informs the Department of recent failures in that city. Five of the largest manufacturers of paper and cellulose have failed, and the value of nearly all classes of stock has declined. The Norwegian output of wood pulp, adds the consul, will in all probability be reduced for some time to come. Operation of Japanese Copyright Law.-Minister Buck writes from Tokyo, June 30, 1899, that, according to an imperial ordinance published on the 28th instant, the new copyright law* will be enforced on and after the 15th of July, 1899. Consular Reports Transmitted to Other Departments.-The following reports from consular officers (originals or copies) have been transmitted since the date of the last report to other Departments for publication or for other action thereon: Consular officer reporting. Date. Subject. Department to which referred. ...do. ...do tries. F. M. Brundage, Aix la July 26, 1899 Dairying in foreign coun- Department of Agriculture. clerk), Tangier. A. D. Barlow, Mexico City.. Aug. 5, 1899 ......do Do. Do. Do. Do. FOREIGN REPORTS AND PUBLICATIONS. Markets of Siberia. The Moniteur Officiel du Commerce, Paris, March 23, 1899, has the following: The importance of the Siberian market has long been recognized. The Germans especially are taking possession of the new field in oriental Siberia by the building of the railway of the Ousouri from Vladivostock to Khabarovka. A German-Siberian company has been formed at Hamburg, under the protection of the Government, for the purpose of developing commercial relations between Germany and the district of Amur. Khabarovka has been made the center of operations. Agents provided with samples have been established there, ready to exchange them for the raw products of the country. The extension of German commerce in Siberia is shown in the Russian official reports, where the statement is made that 30 per cent of the total commerce of Siberia is with Germany; Russia has 25 per cent; England follows with 15 per cent; Japan, 13 per cent; China, 12 per cent; and, lastly, the United States, 5 per cent. The port of Vladivostock is free, except for the following articles: Alcoholic liquors, tobacco, matches, petroleum, varnish, sugar, confectionery, and preserved fruits. It is one of the most beautiful roadsteads of the East, and, as a commercial and military center, by far the most important port of oriental Siberia. Besides being the naval base for the formidable fleet which Russia keeps in the Pacific Ocean, it is the terminus of the TransSiberian Railway, which from day to day increases its commercial importance. The commerce of the United States with Vladivostock has considerably increased. In 1897, 12,641 tons of American goods entered, against 3,180 tons in 1896. Exporters of American wood have established a permanent agency at Vladivostock. Wood from Oregon is used in the construction of the Manchurian Railway. The work on this branch line is divided into three sections, and is carried on systematically without interruption. The work is controlled by Russians, the coolies having Cossacks for overseers. American locomotives will soon be passing over the rails. A Belgian syndicate has obtained the monopoly of the restaurants and hotels to be established along the whole line of the road. A United States firm has the contract for the cartage of materials for the road and has established a branch office at Niuchwang. In addition to its fleet of steamers, this house uses several Japanese boats. Not only is gold found in Siberia, but silver, lead, copper, coal, and iron have been discovered in great quantities along the Trans-Siberian road. The coal measures of Kuznezk contain about 27,000 square miles and include the extraordinarily rich mines of Koltschouginks, besides enormous beds of anthracite. Measures have been taken to develop these mines; the Government has furnished the necessary funds. This will create a large market for machinery, tools, and material of every kind. Cement, wood, iron and steel, lead, cast-iron and forged pipes are already in great demand. From the 8th of September, 1898, to the 1st of January, 1909, the Russian Government has declared machines and pieces of machinery destined for the working of mines to be free from duty on all the frontiers of the Empire. Not only is there a great market for mining machines, but hundreds of other articles will find an assured sale. The field for agricultural machines is immense. The economic situation of the Siberian peasant is, all things considered, very favorable. With 200 or 250 rubles ($103 or $129) he can own a farm, carts, tools, horses, cows, and other domestic animals. Farm laborers get from 50 to 75 rubles ($25.75 to $38.63) a year.. A workman in a manufactory gets from 15 to 30 rubles ($7.72 to $15.45) a month. Food is generally cheap. Emigration into Siberia increases every year. More than 100,000 planters from European Russia arrived in 1897. There are twenty-eight towns of over 5,000 inhabitants. The commerce of Siberia is concentrated in these towns and is generally in the hands of a small number of individuals, but the peasant is the great consumer. Agriculture and Trade in Tunis.-The Revue du Commerce Extérieur, Paris, June 3, 1899, has an article on the commerce of Tunis, which is summarized as follows: Before the French occupation, Tunis was exclusively a farming country; the exports were the production of the soil-cereals, live animals, olive oil, skins, ores, and wines-and the imports were chiefly manufactured articles-machinery, tools, building materials wood, and colonial commodities. At that time, the highest figures reached by the commerce of the country was 27,000,000 francs ($5,211,000). In 1897 the total was 90,500,000 francs ($17,466,500), notwithstanding a series of bad harvests and a commercial crisis. In fifteen years, the commerce of Tunis has trebled. A phenomenon, not less interesting, is the change in the commercial current of the country. In the years which preceded the treaty, France struggled painfully with Italy and England for the Tunisian market. To-day, she has scored a decisive victory. Since 1890, the exports from Tunis into France have increased from 5,000,000 francs ($965,000) to nearly 30,000,000 francs ($5,790,000); while the imports from France into Tunis rose from 16,000,000 francs ($3,088,000) to 27,000,000 francs ($5,211,000). This favorable showing is due to the law of July 19, 1890. From the moment when France ceased to treat as an economic enemy the country under her protection, there was an increase of commerce. A study of the annual statistics published by the customs of Tunis shows that the greater part of Tunisian products benefitting by a reduced tariff on entering France take the road to the metropolis—i. e., 78 per cent of barley, 89 per cent of oil, 92 per cent of wheat, and 99.47 per cent of wine-while the products which can enter only under the minimum French tariff have remained stationary at about 25 per cent. Nothing is more certain than that any encouragement granted to the exportation of Tunisian products will increase in the same ratio the importation of French goods. Agriculture in Tunis is easy and remunerative; manual labor—Arabs and skilled negroes-can be readily obtained for 1.50 to 2 francs (29 to 39 cents) per day. In October, 1898, a colonial school of agriculture was opened in Tunis under the most favorable conditions. The course lasts from October to July and is fixed for two years. Students devote a large part of their time to practical farming; they are trained to care of, harness, and manage animals; to use farming implementsin short, they do the greater part of the work of the farm and garden, in this way acquiring the experience so indispensable to a farmer. Pupils of this school are exempt from the two years of military service, provided they become residents of Tunis before the 1st of January of the year of their entrance into the army, and that they continue to live for ten years in the colonies. The school has connected with it a botanical garden, with the most varied collection, which distributes every year numerous plants to farmers; also a testing farm, an agricultural station, a |