Page:The Czechoslovak Review, vol3, 1919.djvu/381

the cost of the first shipment of cotton to the Bohemian mill owner has more than doubled. It is stated that a second shipment of 15,000 bales, bought before America’s entry into the war, is now on the way.

The new republic has as yet no commercial treaties with its neighbors and customers, except one with Jugoslavia providing for the most favored nation treatment; a similar treaty with France will be signed soon. From Jugoslavia wheat and pork is being brought in, and there is also wheat on the way from Argentina, as the government is taking steps to have the balance of food stuffs needed for this crop year, brought in at once. In this connection preliminary crop figures for Bohemia—figures for the rest of the Republic are not yet available—will prove interesting, especially in comparison with crops before and during the war.

The total amount of grain crops for Bohemia was in quintals of 220 pounds:

The yields per hectar compared as follows:

The discrepancy between the yield before the war and during the war is startling, and while for the current year a great improvement is to be seen, it is evident that the fertility of the soil has been affected by lack of commercial fertilizers and by insufficient cultivation, due to lack of draft animals. Undoubtedly, though, some of the decrease in total yield is accounted for by the fact that the farmers hid as much grain as possible before the authorities to avoid requisitioning, and than even today this motive is exerting an influence, because all foodstuffs must be sold to the government at fixed prices.

The great Škoda Works in Pilsen, famous for their cannon, have passed under the financial control of the French armament firm Schneider-Creusot. While the president of the company and majority of the directors will be Czech, French capital will enable the great plant to change more rapidly to peace basis; it is stated that the Pilsen factory will get large French orders in connection with reconstruction work in northern France. French and Holland capital has also been invested in the Prague Credit Bank which has recently raised its capital from 50 million crowns to 100 million. The foreign banks interested are the Banque of Paris, Rotterdamsche Bankvereinigin and the Societe Generale; there will be three French and one Dutch director on the board.

Complaints have been frequently voiced in the financial and economic columns of Prague newspapers against too much government interference in foreign trade. Early in October a few restrictions were taken off and a list of commodities was published which may be exported or imported without the necessity of showing that it is to the advantage of the country to import, respectively to export them. A license is still necessary, but will be issued as a matter of course. Among commodities which may be imported are: Meats, fats, vegetable and mineral oils, hardwoods, coal, coke, mother-of-pearl, celluloid, ores, phosphates, naval stores, cotton, flax, jute, hemp, wool, rubber, cork, iron and steel, tin, copper, nickel, zinc, cobalt, sulphur, salts used for fertilizers, starch, dyes, rags for making paper. Following are the principal commodities which may be more freely exported: Dried vegetables, preserved fruit, wines, alcohol, mineral waters, coffee substitutes, lumber, building stone, manufactures of paper, rugs, hairnets, brooms and brushes, reed furniture, shoes with wooden soles, gloves, wooden toys, novelties, most glass products, beads, imitation precious stones, nails, agricultural implements, cement manufactures, brick and clay products, wire, iron pipes, wagons, clocks.

On October 15 the last of the old one and two crown banknotes were withdrawn from circulation and Czechoslovak one and five crown bills were substituted for them. It is now a question of only a few weeks, before the last of the old money disappears. The change is sure to have a favorable effect on the value of the Czechoslovak crown in foreign capitals, and it will among other things enable the government to relax the severe inspection measures which are at preserit in force on all the frontiers of the Republic.