COMMERCE
151
Companies working • Number Paid up capital Rx. Banking and Insurance .... 726 4,270,759 Trading .... 230 4,539,406 Mills and Presses . 352 14,879,688 Planting 171 3,740,839 Mining and quarrying 64 1,857,162 Ice making . 10 162,224 Sugar manufacture . 8 230,236 Breweries 3 170,000 Miscellaneous 32 1,306,245 Total working 1,596 31,156,559
There were 145 collieries worked in India in 1897. The annual output has been as follows : —
Tons Tons Tons 1891 . 2,328,577 1894 2,820,652 1896 3,848,013 1892 2,537,696 1895 3,537,820 1897 4,063,127 1893 2,562,001
The total value of the output in 1897 may be estimated at Rx. 1,246,659. The total imports of coal, coke, and patent fuel in 1897-98 amounted to 262,844 tons. The total number of persons employed at the mines is given as 59,859.
Commerce. The value of the sea-borne external trade of India has risen in the 64 years, 1834-35 to 1897-98, from Rx. 14,342,290 to Rx. 198,972,505, the increase being nearly fourtcenfold, making on the average a rate of 20*11 per cent, annually. * The av^erage rate of increase during the last thirty-seven years is shown below, the period being divided into five terms of seven years each anil two separate years :
1 Increase Increase Average Average orDecrease or Decrease Years Annual Imports Annual Exports percent.of Imports per cent, of Exports Rx. Rx. 1801-62 to 1867-68 46,564,217 55,247,350 — — 1868-69 to 1874-75 43,144,965 57,379,^11 -7-34 3-86 1875-76 to 1881-82 53,158,379 69,432,191 23-21 21 00 1882-83 to 1888-89 72.768,240 89,300,256 36-89 28-62 1889-90 to 1895-96 87,556,372 111,295,697 20-32 24-63 1896 97 89,188,511 108,921,591 3-34^ -8-161 1897-98 94,191,077 104,781,428 5-6P -3-802
1 Compared with 189.5-96 ; the decline is due to famine and plagne. 2 Coinpare.l with 1890-07.
