The development of Hungarian railways is largely the result of the national policy pursued in recent years by the Hungarian Government, and the country has now, on the whole, a fairly good network of communications. The zone system is, however, in operation, and is for political purposes worked in favour of direct communication with Budapest, so that, while radial movement is easy, cross-country traffic frequently finds many obstacles placed in its way.
Among the more important lines from Budapest are those which cross the Carpathians to Cracow, Lemberg, and Bukarest ; and the Karst to Fiume. Budapest also has direct communication by Sarajevo with Uvac on the frontier of Bosnia and Novi-Bazar, and Vienna will be similarly connected when the line from Agram to Sarajevo is completed. It is proposed to continue the railway from Uvac through Novi-Bazar to Mitrovica and thus open up a new route to Saloniki and Constantinople.
COMMERCE.—For the five years, 1906-10, the value of the goods imported for consumption in the monarchy averaged £107,000,000. For the same period the average value of the exports from the country itself was £98,000,000. Among the chief imports are cotton from the United States, India, and Egypt, wool from different parts of the world, coal partly from Great Britain but mainly from Germany, cotton yarn from Great Britain, and machinery largely from Germany. Of the exports, sugar and eggs are sent in large
quantities to the United Kingdom, lignite and oil find their chief foreign markets in Germany, cattle go to Germany and Italy, and wood to Italy and the Mediterranean countries. Hungarian wheat is consumed largely in Austria, but some is sent to Great Britain. Austria-Hungary now imports more wheat than she exports.
In the foreign trade of Austria-Hungary Germany holds the first place, both with regard to exports and imports, as she takes over two-fifths of the former, and supplies nearly two-fifths of the latter. The United States and the United Kingdom rank second and third as importers, and the United Kingdom and Italy as exporters.
The chief ports are Trieste and Fiume, but their trade is princi pally with the Levant and the East, and a great part of the over seas commerce of Austria-Hungary is transacted through German ports. American cotton, for example, is imported through Bremen, while sugar for the United Kingdom is dispatched through Hamburg.