kraks vejviser 1934 handelsvejviser

6

in connexion with forestry and plantation activities, in­ dustry and frade, in different parts of the world. The opening of the Copenhagen Free Port in 1894 naturally resulted in practically all transit trade moving \ia Copenhagen. Numerous important commercial firms and joint stock companies have tlieir headquarters at Copenhagen, although the construction and extension of provincial ports has given rise to the establishment of comparatively large business concerns in other Danish ports. The development of Denmark’s foreign t rade during the last fif ty years appears from the following figures:

sugar beet and the important export articles seeds and n/alting barley.At the same time agriculture imports a very large quantity of feeding stuff, fertilizers etc. to a value of in all about 300 million Kroner. The greater part of the products of agriculture undergo a finishing industrial process in dairics, slaughteries etc. prior to exportation. Since 1870 the value of the annual exports of industrialized agricultural products from Denmark has inereased from about 12 mill. Kroner to nearly 900 mill. Kroner. The faet that, notwithstanding this, the agricultural population dur­ ing the whole of this period has remained practically the same, bears witness to the great technical progress which has taken place. How important a part this small coiin- iry^plays for the world market, as far as agricultural pro­ ducts are concerned, will be seen from the appended fi­ gures showing that Denmark with a share of about one third, is the principal supplier of bulter on the world market: n 1. 1932 Ucinntii’k .......................... New Zealand ........................................................ 20% Australia ............................................................... 19% Argentina .............................................................. 5 Netherlands ......................................... Treland ................................................. Swcden .......................... o oz „ . ............................................................ 70 Other countries .................. ........................... jg % Moreover Denmark provides the world market with more than one half of the total bacon supplies, and about 16 % of the total egg supplies. For purposcs of comparison it may be stated that the export values of the most important Danish agricultural products in the years 1913 and 1932 werc as follows:

Total imports Mili. Kr.

Total exports Miil. Kr.

1875. 1885. 1895. 1905. 1913. 1932.

. . 228

172 162 269 534 721 1157

249 564 623 855 1142

The total quantity of goods imported in 1952 amounted to 10,4 mill. tons, and the total exports during the same year amounted to 1,S mili. tons. The average valne of these exports was 5,6 times liigher than that of the impoits, 5vhich is accounted for by Denmark importing crude heavy raw materials in considcrable quantities and cxporting agricultural products on a large scale. The following figures for the year 1932 indicate tlie total valnes of Danish exports to, and imports from the contiies with which Denmark does most trade:

Mill. Kr. Great Brilain ............... 984 Germany .................. ‘ 446 oweden ........................ 129 United States of America ..................... 93 Netherlands ................... 69 Belgium ............ .. ,. 67 Norway .......................... 57 Bussia in Europe .... 56 Argentina ...................... 48 France ............................ 44

Mill Kr 57

Poland & Danzig .... China ........................... 32 Finland ........................ 20 Switzerland ................. 17 Dutch East Indies .. 16 Ualy ............................ J5 Brazil .......................... 13 Czecho-Slovakia .. |3 British North America 12 Roumania .................... 12

1913

1932

Mill. Kr.

Mill. Kr.

69 23 185 410 200 302 33 78 42 4 6

Bacon, meat and other slaughterhouse products .............................................. Butter and cheese ...................................... Uggs ............................ . ............. ............... Uard, condensed milk and other foodstuffs

i . 7

Agriculture in Denmark. Abouf 75 % of the total land area of Denmark is under cultivation, and some 7,5 % is covered with forests and plantations. During the period from 1866 to 1929 the cul- tivated acreage has been inereased by 440,000 hectares and the woodland acreage by 190,000 hectares. It follows from what has been stated above touching the natural conditions of the country, that agriculture should become the leading industry in the modern trade development, or what may be termed the industrial revo­ lution in Denmark. The decisive change took place in the period between 1870 and 1890 when, ns a consequence af the prices on the world market (grain supplies from oversea countries) developing in their disfavour, the Danish farmers, who had hitherto mainly cultivated grain, iow promptly and with unique adaptitude took up the ntensive production of raw materials for the food indu- try with a view to extensive exportalion. Since the year 880 the harvest yield in Denmark has doubled, and luring the same period the number of head of horned attle has likewise doubled. There are now ten times as lany pigs and six times as mueh poultry ns in the year 880. It may be reckoned that about 90 % of the rops of grain, grass and turnips, serves as fodder for the ivestock. The remaining 10% covers the cultivation of

the first half

of 1933 cattle, bacon and bulter showed a fail due to the tariff barst and quota systems in the various import­ ing countries, while horses, live pigs, cheese and grass seeds showed a substantiel inerease. The importance of Danish agriculture for the national economy of the country is that by the exportation of these products Denmark is enabled to procure the great­ er part of the numerous and very important raw materi­ als and goods which the country is unable to produce it- self, such as coal, iron, Chemicals, weaving materials etc. It must not be overlooked that the export value of the agricultural products covers also essential parts emanating from Danish industry, for instance fodder cake, fertili­ zers, machinery and implements, electric lighting and power plant packing and means of transportation etc., as well as the finishing processes at dairies, slaughteries, conserves factories, sugar refineries, breweries etc. Agriculture in Denmark is carried on by a large number of mdependent concerns comprising about 2100 large estates, 88,000 farms and some 125,000 small holdings. The production and sale of the goods are mainly based upon