1080

NETHERLANDS

Letters

1910 Internal Foreign

1911 Internal Foreign

112,293,000 51,846,000

115,083,000 50,205,000

Newspapers and Printed Matter

89,525.904 240,770,000 16,568,451 26,957,000

90,540,632 17,039,307

257,608,546 27,788,609

Parcels

6,802,658 1,619,810

6,053,689 1,702,967

Letters with Monc'V Orders

500,966 118,385

497,742 121,132

The average number of letters and post-cards per inhabitant was 45 '8 in 1911.

The receipts of the Post Office in 1911 were 16,685,000 guilders, the ex- penditure 14,013,000 guilders.

There are several private telegraph lines, but most of the lines are owned by the State. The length of State lines on Dec. 31, 1911, was 4,729 miles, the leno'th of wires 23,534 miles. Thenumber of State offices was, on December 31, 1911, 1,072. The number of paid messages by State lines in 1911 was 6,404,000. The receipts of the State amounted in the same year to 2.582,000 guilders, and the ordinary expenses to 4,365,000 guilders.

In 1911 the interurban telephone system had 1, 909 miles of line and 45, 654 miles of wire, and is administered by the State ; 4,901,342 interurban and 633,573 international conversations were held. The receipts were in the sam'e year for interurban and international intercourse 2,074,000 guilders ; the total expenses 1,768,000 guilders.

Money and Credit.

The money in general circulation is chiefly silver. Before 1875 the Netherlands had the silver standard ; but a bill which passed the States - General in the session of 1875 allowed an unrestricted coinage of ten-guilder pieces in gold, whereas the coinage of silver was suspended for an unlimited time.

The total circulation, except the metal stock of the Bank, was valued as follows in thousands of guilde rs : —

I 1 I Gold, or covered

by gold at the

Bank was in

total

Jan. 1

Silver, Ac.

Gold

Paper money

Total

1907 1908 1909 1910 1911

66,529 120,852 108,587 104,225

87,162

17,551

47,807 47,807 47,807 47,807

274,448 232,468 287,918 280,553 283,270

358,628

451,127 444,312 432,585 418,239

66,427

91,790

101,052

120,980

124,771

Value of guilders) : —

money minted during the following years (in thousands of

Copper

For the

Total

Total number

Year

Gold

Silver 1,433

and Nickel

840

East India Colonies

value

of pieces

1881-90

4,030

2,660

8,955

111,768,000

1891-1900

4,540

12,285

470

7,496

24,791

340,574,090

1901-10

990

34,990

1,305

15,035

52,097

404,679,00C

1909

—

3,700

25

2,255

5,980

47,980,000

1910

—

3,445

—

3,000

6,445

29,130,000

1911

7,750

2,800

25

2,000

12,570

27,375,000