808

FRANCE

Cleared

With

Cargoes

In Ballast

Total

Vessels

Tonnage

6,716,747 6,061,706

Vessels

17,989 1,125

Tonnage

1,215,197 735,178

Vessels

Tonnage

1909 French :— Coasting trade . Foreign trade i.

55,111 7,008

73,100 8,223

7,931,044 6,706,974

Total French . Foreign vessels.

62,209 13,024

12,778,543 15,093,316

19,114 8,085

1,950,375 6,645,814

81,323 22,009

14,728,918 21,739,130

Total .

76,133

27,871,850

27,190

8,506,189

103,332

36,468,048

71,015 8,088

70.103 22,228

1

1010 French : — ; Coasting trade . Foreign trade i ;

53,227 7,020

6,610,707 6,753,688

17,788 1,068

1,320,348 603,036

7,940,055 6,947,624

Total French . i Foreign vessels .

60,247 13,894

12,864,305 15,666,870

18,856 8,334

2,023,284 6,810,305

14,887,670 2'j, 486,175

Total . . '

74,141

28,531,265

27,100

8,842,580

101,381

37,373,854

^ Inclusive of colonies and maritime fishin-

The most important ports were (1011) Marseille, with 4,595 arrivals and 4,083 de- partures ; Bordeaux, with 1,556 arrivals and 867 clearances; Havre, with 2,277 arrivals and 1,624 clearances ; and Calais, with 1,783 arrivals and 1,530 clearances.

Internal Communication.

I. Rivers, Railways, etc.

On January 1, 1911, there were in France 23,721 miles of national roads, in addition to the vicinal roads.

Navigable rivers (1910)^ 5,450 miles; actually navigated, 3,843 miles; canals, 3,104 miles; actually navigated, 3,051 miles; rivers navigable for rafts, 1,908 miles.

By a law of 1842, the construction of railways was left mainly to companies, superintended, and if necessary assisted, by the State ; which noAv constructs lines which the companies work, and works on its own account one important State system. There are lines of local interest subventioned by the State or by the departments. The concessions granted to the six great companies expire at various dates from 1950 to 1960 ; the periods of State guarantee of four of them terminate at the end of 1914, and of the others in 1934 and 1935.

The length of line open for traffic in 1912 was 25,390 miles of lines of general interest and 6,001 miles of lines of local interest. Total cost to December 31, 1908, 744,800,000^., receipts (1909) 708,400,000^., expenses 41,480,000Z., passengers carried 491,936,930, goods carried 165,027,920 metric tons. On January 1, 1909, the Western Railway system was trans- ferred to the State under laws of July 13, and December 18, 1908.

On December 31, 1911, the length of tramways worked was 5,613 miles.

II. Posts and TELEGRAnis.

In 1911, France had 14,379 post-offices. The receipts on account of posts, telegraphs, and telephones, amounted to 376 million francs ; the ex-

penditure to 302'million francs. The number of letters, kc, carried in 1911