COMMERCE — INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
971
—
1895
1896
1897
Imports
Exports
Imports
Exports
Imports
Exports
from
to
from 55,500
to
from
to
Russia
51,100
48,600
47,900
73,200
48,300
Sweden and Norway-
9,700
6,100
11,100
5,500
12,200
6,300
Denmark
4,400
16,500
5,900
18,700
7,200
17,000
Germany
52,500
10,000
58,600
10,600
65,700
13,000
Great Britain .
19,300
36,000
24,300
46,800
29,200
51,200
Spain
2,100
5,700
2,200
5,400
2,000
6,000
France .
3,300
11,100
3,800
12,700
5,800
14,600
Various .
Total .
7,900
8,900
11,200
11,300 158,900
7,200
12,300
150,300
142,900
172,600
202,500
168,700
The chief articles of export are : timber (79,400,000 marks in 1897, as against 28,699,000 in 1887), butter (30,300,000), paper, paper mass, and cardboard (15,600,000), iron and iron goods (4,400,000), textiles, leather, hides, tar, and pitch.
The chief imports were :— Cereals (41,000,000 marks), coffee (11,170,000), sugar (6,600,000), iron and hardware (12,800,000), cotton and cottons (13,900,000), woollens (8,500,000), machinery (12,100,000), chemicals, leather ware, tobacco, colours, and oils.
Shipping and Navigation.
The number of vessels which entered and cleared the ports of Finland in 1897 was as follows : —
Entered
Cleared
No.
Tons
No.
Tons
Finnish . Russian . Foreign ,
Total .
5,871
528
1,977
822,907
83,414
962,392
5,848
529
1,977
812,619
82,923
965,635
8,376
1,868,713
8,354
1,861,177
The Finnish commercial navy numbered on January 1, 1898, 1,790 sailing vessels of 248,809 tons, and 218 steamers, 35,103 tons ; total, 2,008 vessels of 283, 912 tons.
Internal Communications.
For internal communications Finland has a remarkable system of lakes connected with each other and with the Gulf of Finland by canals. The number of vessels which passed along the canals in 1896 was 24,332 ; the receipts from vessels, 525,978 marks ; and expeuditure,379,529 marks.
In January, 1898, there were 1,535 miles of railways, all but 20 miles
