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342 ECONOMIC INQUIRIES AND STUDiES
Imports of Articles of Food and Ra1v Materials and Sem,:Uanufadunl
Articles into tke undermenlioned Countries in 1888 and 1898
compared.
ARTICLES OF FOOD, ETC.
I Increase.
1888. 1898. 1 - - -----
Amount. Per Cent.
--·--1-----------
Russia. 1,000 roubles 7 8.975. 105,391 27,416 35
German Empire min. marks 907 1,819 9 12 100
FraJ;lce 1,000 francs 1,503,000 1,505,000 1 Nil Nil
Switzerland '. .. 238,000 94,000 4 0
Italy 1,000 lire 274,480 33 2 ,000 I 1I7,120 4 2
391,600
18 1
Austria-Hungary 1,000 gulden { ( 9 ) } 191,919 92,478 85
108,-H1
RAW AND SEMI-MANUFACTURED MATERIALS.
-
Russia. 1,000 roubles 241,497 313,629 71,132 29
German. Empire min. marks 1,50 7 2,247 740 49
France 1,000 francs 2,014 2,348 334 16
Switzerland .. 308,I10 390, II I 82,001 27
Italy 1,000 lire 398,330 5 0 9,418 II 1,088 28
Austria-Hungary 1,000 gulden 231,000 293,000 62,000 27
I
The drawback to this table is that it is one of values.
Consequently the increase of values in the later years
may in part be one of values only without correspond-
ing increase of quantities. But the general course of
prices in the period in question was not such as to cause
a great change of values apart from a change in quan-
tities. The inference seems undeniable then, that the
continental countries named, especially Germany, have
largelyincreased their imports of food and raw materials
. of recent years-that is, have become increasingly de-
pendent on foreign and over-sea supplies. The position
of Germany, with its enormous increase offood imports
-from 907 to 1,819 million marks, or from 45 to over
90 million sterling, and its corresponding increase of
raw material imports - from 1,507 to 2,247 million
marks, or from' 75 to I 12 million sterling-is especially
remarkable.
An examination in detail of the quantities imported