THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — FIJI
256
yams, kc, 159 acres ; tobacco, 75 acres ; peanuts, 267 acres ; tea, 210 acres ; rice, 432 acres ; pine-apples, 45 acres.
There were in the colony, at the end of 1897, 1,832 horses and mules ; 15,136 cattle ; 4,716 sheep j and 4,049 Angora goats.
Commerce.
The value of the total foreign trade during five years was as follows : —
Year
Total Foreign Trade
Imports
Exports
£
£
£
£
1893
632,030
276,398
355,632
1894
867,633
285,981
581,652
1895
573,968
241,759
332,209
1896
677,834
242,492
435,342
1897
680,608
248,748
431,860
In 1897 the imports subject to duty amounted to 158,654^., and imports duty-free to 90,094^.
The total amount of imports from and exports to British possessions and other countries respectively, for each year, has been : —
Year
From British
From other
To British
To other i
Possessions
Countries
Possessions
Countries
£
£
£
^ 1
1893
270,957
5,441
327,821
27,810
1894
274,575
11,406
528,336
53,316
1895
222,503
19,256
259,280
72,929
1896
233,805
8,487
401,505
33,837
1897
242,106
6,642
415,836
16,024
Quantities and the values of imports are ascertained by invoice and declaration, or by examination by Customs officers. In the case of exports, the values are determined accord- ing to the average price of each article in the local market. The countries recorded as the origin and destination of goods are those disclosed by the shipping documents. Copra is usually exported in vessels which sail to Lisbon, Marseilles, Hamburg, Ac, 'for orders,' and the ultimate destination is unknown. Almost all English goods imported into Fiji appear as imports from Australia.
The principal imports during 1897 were — hardware, 12,807Z. ; drapery, 49,254Z. ; meats, 9,234Z. ; rice, 11,205Z. ; breadstuffs and biscuits, 23,085Z. ; bags and sugar mats, 6, 862Z. ; coal, 14,274Z. ; timber, 4,280^; galvanised iron goods, 3,039Z. ; live stock, 4,457Z. ; machinery, 12,036Z. ; oils, 6,227Z. ; produce, 8,541^. Of these items, meats, breadstuffs, coal, manure, live stock and machinery were free of import duties in 1897, but owing to revision of tariff, meat and bread stuffs are now dutiable.
The principal exports in 1897 were — sugar, 26,991 tons, valued at 323,830Z. ; copra, 7,757 tons, valued at 70,1822. ; green fruit (consisting chiefly of bananas), 16,5142. ; Colonial distilled spirit, 15,041 gallons, valued at 1,8802.; pea-nuts, 185 tons, valued at 2,6362. ; tobacco 9 tons valued at 2,0522. ; and cotton, 34 tons, valued at 1,6152.
The direct trade between Great Britain and Fiji is small. According to the Board of Trade returns the imports into the United Kingdom from Fiji in 1897 amounted to 9,0672. (24,9602. in 1895); and the exports of horae'produce to Fiji to 26,6122. (34,3342. in 1895). In 1897, the exports thereto included cotton manufactures, 12,0492. ; apparel, 3,5392.
