600
GERMAN EMPIRE
housing, &c., incurred after the frontier is passed. For exports, the price includes all charges within the territory, but does not include export duties, nor are drawbacks or bounties taken into account. The quantities are determined according to obligatory declarations, and, for imports, the fiscal authorities may actually weigh the goods. For packages, an oflScial tare is deducted. The country of origin of imports, and the ultimate destination of exports are registered.
Custoihs duties are levied* on imports, and taxes upon spirits, beer (malt), salt, sugar manufactured from beetroot, and tobacco, &c. Since 1879 Germany has been protectionist in her commercial policy. Of the total imports in 1897, the value of 2,553,524,000 marks was subject to duty, and 2,311,120,000 duty-free. The duties levied amounted to 474,889,826 marks, or 18 '6 per cent, of the vahie of the imports subject to duty.
The combined imports of gold and silver (included in the above) amounted to 233,552,000 and 227,989,000 marks for 1896 ; 168,068,000 and 150,881,000 marks for 1897.
Some of the leading imports and exports under the above heads were, in thousands of marks value, as follows in 1897 : —
—
1,000 Marks
—
1,000 Marks
—
1,000 Marks
g I'Horses . « I Swine 2 Wheat . a iRye. . .
84,500
7,159
173,698
80,283
Barley
Coffee (raw) . Petroleum Raw hides
120,618
160,368
75,107
136,547
Cotton (raw) Wool .
Woollen yarn . Raw silk .
243,221
218,713
99,128
89,460
„ Hops g Sugar . o-^Coal and coke. X 1 Aniline dyes . W ^Wooden goods.
23,876
229,898
170,085
67,028
63,498
Paper
Leather goods v^otton cloth (coarse) Mixed silk and cot. ton cloth
59,410 74,534 69,078
83,457
Woollen fabrics (unprinted) . Hosiery Haberdashery .
144,430
82,276
115,459
The special commerce of the Deutsche Zollgebiet was divided as follows in 1896 and 1897 :—
Countries
1896
1897
Imports from
Exports to
Imports from
Exports to
German Free Ports .
Great Britain .
Austria- Hungary
Russia ....
Switzerland
Belgium ....
Netherlands
France and Algeria .
Italy ....
Norway and Sweden
Denmark ....
Spain
1,000 Marks
15,801
647,773
578,032
634,671
146,343
175,702
162,632
233,587
137,484
93,109
58,224
35,942
1,000 Marks
40,456
715,946
477,324
364,142
243,953
168,000
262,265
201,553
85,630
127,144
97,417
39,428
1,000 Marks
17,123
661,990
600,293
708,319
158,613
186,512
185,234
248,844
152,981
111,620
60,407
42,118
1,000 Marks
64,374
702,589
435,131
372,064
254,393
189,619
263,862
210,410
90,255
148,435
107,387
29,960
