Value of external trade: 1910, exports 37,109,000 Rs., imports 37,545,000 Rs. ; 1915, exports 56,220,000 Rs., imports 48,063,000 Rs. ; 1919, exports 127,806,000 Rs., imports 47,037,000 Rs.
Revenue and expenditure (the financial year ends June 30) : 1910, revenue 10,799,000 Rs., expenditure 9,449,000 Rs. ; 1915, revenue 12,113,000 Rs., expenditure 12,136,000 Rs. ; 1919, revenue 13,813,000 Rs., expenditure 14,711,000 Rs.
Shipping: Tonnage entered and cleared 1910, British 763,000, total 986,000; 1915, British 564,000, total 763,000; 1919, British 509,000, total 648,000.
In normal years before the World War the bulk of the sugar crop went to Indian markets, though when there was a failure of the beet-sugar crop large quantities of Mauritius sugar were diverted to Europe. Thus in 1910 France took 51 tons of sugar from the island, but in 1911 the quantity rose to 19,500 tons. Exports to Australia, formerly about a third of the total crop, had fallen in 1911 to 1,500 tons owing to Queensland becoming a sugar-producing country. The development of the Natal sugar estates had also, by 1914, deprived Mauritius of the South African market. On the outbreak of the World War the British Government purchased the bulk of the island's sugar, and this purchase was repeated in the four succeeding years. The high state of efficiency of the industry, largely the result of the exertions for many years of Mr. P. Bouame, director of the agricultural station at Le Reduit, enabled the British Government to obtain the supplies required, both in quality and quantity. As to quantity, the sugar crop in 1910-1 had been 214,000 metric tons, in 1918-9 it was 252,000 tons. In 1919 the high-water mark of production was recorded to have been reached. Practically the whole area, some 180,000 ac., suitable for cane-growing was under cultivation. Over a third of the sugar estates are held by small planters, of whom the great majority are of Indian origin.
The British Government purchased the sugar at the world's ruling prices and during the war the planters grew very rich. The value of the crops in the period 1915-9 was nearly double its pre-war price. Many planters invested their profits in the development of new plantations in Natal, Reunion and Madagascar. A cooperative scheme was also launched with the object of enabling planters to sell their produce in the best market instead of having, as before the war, to depend mainly on the Indian markets. The Government for its part devoted 20,000,000 Rs. to improvements of the harbour of Port Louis and in irrigation and sanitation works. Mauritius suffered but slightly from the general economic depression ol 1920-1. Socially there was progress in well-being; labour troubles were unknown, and education increased. Many of the European planters sent their sons to England to be educated. Some progress too was made in developing subsidiary industries, though nothing great had been achieved by 1921, and Mauritius remained almost entirely dependent on imports for food. The imports came mainly from India (rice, flour, etc.), the United Kingdom (textiles and machinery), and from South Africa (coal, wine, maize). The share of foreign countries in the external trade was about 25 per cent.
Politically the period 1910-21 was marked by cordial cooper- ation between the people and the administration. Sir Cavendish Boyle was succeeded as governor in Nov. 1911 by Major (after- wards Sir) John R. Chancellor (b. 1870), who had served with distinction in the Tirah expedition (1897-8), and in other cam- paigns and had been secretary to the Imperial Defence Com- mittee. Sir John Chancellor paid particular attention to local feeling, as did his successor, Sir Hesketh Bell, who became governor in May 1916 on Sir John Chancellor's transference to Trinidad. The influence of leading Mauritians such as Dr. Eugene Laurent (n years in succession mayor of Port Louis), Sir Henry Leclezio and Sir Celicourt Antelme, as well as that of the leaders of the Indians, was successfully directed to the improvement of social and economic conditions. The island helped liberally both in men and money in the World War and as late as 1921 a Mauritian Volunteer Battalion was on active service in Mesopotamia.
During the Peace Conference in Paris (1919) a small section of the Creole population (that is, the Europeans of French descent) started an agitation for the retrocession of the island to France. They had not the sympathy of the majority of the French-speaking inhabitants and opposition to the movement was organized under the leadership of Dr. Laurent and Mr. A. Duclos. At the elections to the Legislative Council held in Feb. 1921 all the candidates who advocated the retention of the British connexion were returned by large majorities.
See the annual reports issued by the Colonial Office, London ; the Mauritius Almanac; A. Macmillan, Mauritius Illustrated (1914); D. E. Anderson, The Epidemics of Mauritius, with a descriptive and historical account of the Island (1918); P. Carie, " L'ile Maurice " La Ceog. vol. Hi., (1919) ; R. E. Hart, Les Volontaires Mauriciens aux armees (1919), and the report of the Mauritius Royal Commission (Cd. 5186) issued in 1910, a valuable guide to the economic condi- tion of the island. (F. R. C.)
MAX (OF BADEN), PRINCE (1867- ), was born on June 10 1867 at Baden-Baden, the son of Prince William of Baden. As the nearest agnate to the reigning Grand Duke, of whom he was a cousin twice removed, he was heir presumptive to the grand-ducal throne. He studied law and then entered the army, in which he attained the rank of lieutenant-general on quitting the service in 1911. On the outbreak of the World War he was promoted to the honorary rank of general of the cavalry. From 1907 to 1918 he was president of the First Chamber of the Baden Diet. His family had always had English friends, and during the war Prince Max played a useful part behind the scenes in helping to improve conditions for English prisoners in Germany. He played a similar part on behalf of German prisoners, espe- cially in Russia, where he was able to obtain some amelioration of their treatment. On Oct. 3 1918, when the old regime was already tottering to its fall and the German armies in France were being driven back towards the frontier, he was appointed Imperial Chancellor, partly no doubt because of the moderating role he had adopted earlier in the war when the probability of peace was being discussed. It fell to his lot to initiate the negotia- tions for the Armistice, and also to carry through in hot haste those alterations in the old constitution which had long been demanded by the Liberals and the Socialists, but which now came too late to avert the fate of the empire and the Prussian Monarchy. It also became his duty to put pressure upon the Emperor in order to induce him to abdicate. As the Imperial decision was delayed from day to day and the revolution became imminent, he had to take it upon himself to declare, on Nov. 9 1918, the abdication of William II. as German Emperor and as King of Prussia. For a moment it seemed as if he were about to assume the regency, perhaps on behalf of the Crown Prince's eldest son, a young boy, but the hopelessness of such an expe- dient having become apparent he handed over the control of the Government (Nov. 10) to the majority Socialist leader Ebert, who became the president of the German Reich. The sincerity of Prince Max's liberalism came into question after a private letter full of anti-democratic sentiments, which during the war he had addressed to his cousin Prince Alexander Hohenlohe, had been published by the latter in the Swiss press. He continued after the revolution to publish occasional articles dealing with the situation in Germany before the revolution, and in particular with Ludendorff's action in urging the Government on Oct. 11918 to ask for an immediate armistice, and then eight days later, after they had acted in that sense, endeavouring to persuade them that the matter was no longer urgent. He continued, a*fter the abdication of the Grand Duke, to reside at Karlsruhe.
MAX, ADOLPHE (1860- ), burgomaster of Brussels at the outbreak of the World War, was born at Brussels Dec. 31 1869, and was educated at the university of his native city. He entered the legal profession, also doing journalistic work, and at the age of 25 was appointed provincial counsel for Brabant, becoming communal counsel in 1903. After serving as magistrate, he was elected burgomaster of Brussels Dec. 6 1909, and distinguished himself by his administrative qualities. In Aug. 1914 M. Max showed the greatest coolness and did his best to calm the populace. On Aug. 20 he met the German army as it approached Brussels, and protested against the conditions imposed by the conquerors on the city. He succeeded in inducing the Germans to abandon that clause of the terms by which the burgomaster, the communal counsel and one hundred citizens were required to surrender themselves as hostages. He refused to sign a convention requiring that he should perform his duties only under the authority of the military governor of Brussels, and reserved to himself the rights of a free agent. The same day he charged his fellow-citizens to keep the national flag flying on their houses. Some of his public announcements became famous, notably that of Aug. 30, in which he gave a formal denial to a false statement of the German governor of Liege, and that of Sept. 16, in which he attempted to calm those of the inhabitants who had been ordered
