hat
of Argentina. Although an agricultural country, Brazil does not
produce all its own bread and meat, and the imports of wheat, wheat
flour, rice, fish, jerked beef and preserved meats, lard, butter,
beans, potatoes, packed fruits and vegetables, Indian corn and other
food-stuffs, are surprisingly large. Since the creation of the
republic, extreme protective measures have caused the creation of a
large number of cotton factories and other manufactures, but these are
able to supply only a part of the consumption, and the importation of
cotton and woollen fabrics, silks, ready-made clothing, boots and
shoes, &c., is large. Modern industrial development in some of the
states has greatly increased the importation of machinery, electric
supplies, materials for construction, coal, &c. Kerosene oil also
figures among the principal imports, and beef cattle are imported for
consumption by some cities. The exports cover a wide range of
agricultural, pastoral and natural productions, including coffee,
rubber, sugar, cotton, cocoa, Brazil nuts, _mate_ (Paraguay tea),
hides, skins, fruits, gold, diamonds, manganese ore, cabinet woods and
medicinal leaves, roots and resins. Coffee and rubber, however,
represent from 80 to 90% of the official valuation of all exports.
High import duties are imposed by the national government and export
duties by the states. The exchange of domestic products between the
states is greatly restricted through lack of cheap transportation
facilities, and by the suicidal imposition of import and export duties
by the states, either for revenue or for the protection of home
industries.

According to a summary for the six years 1901 to 1906, derived from
official sources and published in the annual _Retrospecto_ of the
_Jornal do Commercio_, of Rio de Janeiro, the values of the imports
and exports for those years (exclusive of coin), reduced to pounds
sterling at the average rate of exchange (or value of one milreis) for
each year, were as follows:--

+------+-----------+------------+-------------+
| | Average | | |
| Year.| Value of | Imports in | Exports in |
| |the Milreis|Pounds Ster.| Pounds Ster.|
| | in Pence. | | |
+------+-----------+------------+-------------+
| | | L | L |
| 1901 | 11.33 | 21,377,270