The telephone is very extensively used in the rural districts as well as in the cities.

MAILS.

The post-office department of Norway reports for the year 1897 a total gross income of 4,123,865 kroner and a total outlay of 3,924,118 kroner.

Letters sent numbered: Domestic letters, 30,859,200; foreign letters, 5,098,200.

GENERAL REMARKS.

The standing of Norges Bank (official) on October 7, as compared with the same date in 1897, was as follows:

This comparison confirms to some extent the general impression that the country has had, economically, a prosperous year. An advance in freights has largely increased the revenues of the nation, and fine weather during September and the first half of October came just in time to save the grain and hay crops. The ice trade in this district has never had a more profitable year.

The revenues of the State railroads show an increase in the gross returns of no less than 1,277,000 kroner, with an increase of 571,300 kroner in the net returns as compared with last year. These and other factors explain the increase of the bank's stock of gold. The heavy increase in the note circulation indicates, on the other hand, a great expansion of business and speculation; this speculation has been so large that the money market is now becoming rather tight, particularly in Christiania, where the indications are that the speculative boom in city property has been carried beyond reasonable limits. Still, the position must be considered a sound one, because there is a substantial progress in the trade of the country, the speculative mania not having infected the trading community.

Last spring the Norwegian manufacturers of wood pulp and cellulose becoming uneasy about the progress of American manufacturers in the same line, requested their state department to obtain through the Swedish-Norwegian consul in New York as full information on the subject as possible. His report was published in one of the trade journals here last July. The report gives a list of the principal American plants and their capacity, and the consul states that the industry is receiving much attention, and that in his opinion, America before long will become a dangerous rival in the European markets in this article. He lays much stress on the fact that hemlock, which is a cheap sort of wood, is very plentiful in the Eastern States, and that it is quite well adapted to the manufacture of wood pulp. Norway has one great advantage in a competition of this kind, namely, her abundance of good water powers.

Efforts have been made to introduce American cotton textiles into this market, but without success up to the present time. The goods

used here are much like those in use in America, but the unbleached sheetings are generally coarser and heavier and the weft somewhat different.

CHRISTIANIA, October 18, 1898.

HENRY BORDEWICH, Consul.

DECLARED EXPORTS, SWEDEN AND NORWAY.

Statement showing value of exports declared for the United States at the several consulates and agencies in Sweden and Norway during the four quarters of the year ended June 30, 1898.

Statement showing value of exports declared for the United States at the several consulates and agencies in Sweden and Norway, etc.-Continued.

SWITZERLAND.

REPORT FROM CONSULATE-GENERAL AT ST. GALL.'

In 1897, for the first time in the history of Switzerland, the value of goods imported into the country crossed the billion line in francs, amounting to 1,039,219,555 francs, or $199,025,460. During the same year the best record-with the exception of the years 1889 and 1890— was made in the exports, which amounted to $133,781,810, showing an increase over 1896 of $1,433,668. This gives a balance of trade against Switzerland last year of $65,243,650. It shows also, according to official statistics, an increase of imports over 1896 of $7,184,615, while there was an increase of only $961,538 over the exports of the same year.

In order to give an idea of the development of the Swiss trade with the rest of the world since 1888, I submit the following table:

For the past ten years, there has been an almost constant and rather startling increase in the imports, while the actual increase in exports is very small. A comparison of the years 1888 and 1897 proves that while the imports have increased $49,831,460, the exports have only increased $7,276,100. Of the importations, 40 per cent are raw material, 30 per cent food stuff, and 30 per cent manufactured articles. The following are the principal articles imported into Switzerland during the years 1896 and 1897:

The following are the principal articles exported from Switzerland during 1896 and 1897:

As will be seen by these tables, the chief increase in imports was in raw silk, machines, food stuffs, wood, leather, and footwear, while the principal increase in exports is to be found in timepieces, aniline dyes, animals, machinery, and silk goods. There is a small decrease in cotton and woolen goods.

The four great nations which border on Switzerland naturally exercise a potent influence on the trade and commerce of the Republic. About seven-tenths of the imports came from these countries-Germany, France, Italy, and Austria-and about one-half of the exports were purchased by them. They bought of Switzerland in 1897 $65,288,653 worth of goods and sold Switzerland $137,596,152 worth, leaving a balance of trade against the Republic, so far as her immediate neighbors are concerned, of $72,307,469. The importations from these countries during the past three years have increased $14,961,538, while the exports to them have increased only $4,250,000. Great Britain, Holland, and Belgium sold Switzerland last year 8 per cent of her total imports and bought 23 per cent of her exports. These countries sold Switzerland $10,392,307 and purchased from her $28,090,304 worth of goods. The other European countries, exclusive of Germany, France, Italy, and Austria, show an export to Switzerland of $19,480,384, and an import from Switzerland of only $10,980,300. Of this amount, Russia sold Switzerland 66 per cent and purchased 53 per cent. All European countries combined sold Switzerland last year $172,653,486 worth of goods and purchased from her $107,807,692, showing a balance of trade in Europe against Switzerland of $64,845,794.

To the rest of the world, Switzerland made a fair increase in her exports. She sold North and South America to the value of $17,384,615, of which the United States purchased $13,651,923 worth. During the same year, the United States sold Switzerland $9,901,923, which shows a balance of trade in favor of Switzerland, as against our country, of $3,750,000; but it also shows a gain in favor of the United States over her sales to Switzerland in 1896 of $2,384,615. This is nearly a 30 per cent gain, which, in a measure, may be accounted for by the rush to get goods through the custom-house in the first six months of 1897. This also shows the only balance of trade existing in favor of Switzerland with any of the non-European countries, for Africa sold Switzerland $2,478,846 worth and bought $1,157,692 worth; Asia sold her $7,400,000 and purchased of her $5,751,923; and Australia sold her $963,384 and bought of her only $563,461 worth.

By comparing the importation and exportation of food stuffs it will be seen that Switzerland paid the world, in 1897, $39,225,000 more than she sold. This food stuff consists chiefly of wheat, oats, meal, corn, fresh, dried, and salted meats, fowls, game, meat extract, dried and salted fish, canned goods, eggs, coffee, sugar, tea, tobacco, wine, and beer. The principal food stuffs exported by Switzerland are cheese, condensed milk, chocolate, and live stock. The important articles of export are, in their crder, silk goods, cotton goods, timepieces, chemicals and dyes, straw goods, and cheese.

The Swiss customs receipts for 1897 were $9,121,923, which is $310,902 more than in the year 1896. Food stuffs produced over onethird of the increase. The revenue collected was about 10 per cent of the total import value.