SHIPPING AND COMMUNICATIONS. Most of the foreign trade of Mexico is carried either by rail road or in foreign bottoms. Hundreds of ves sels, most of them very small and owned by Mexi cans, are engaged in the coasting trade. The mercantile marine of the country comprised, in 1900, 24 steamers of 4200 tons and 50 sailing vessels of 8445 tons. About 10,000 vessels in the foreign and coastal trade enter and clear at the Mexican ports every year, the tonnage being, on an average. over 3,000.000.
The first railroad, only three miles in length, connecting the City of Mexico with Guadalupe, was completed in 1854. Since 1870 railroad con struction has been carried on rapidly. The railroad between Ve•a Cruz and the City of Mexico was completed in 1873. Two trunk lines connect the capita] with the United States—the Mexican Central to El Paso, Texas, with a branch from San Luis Potosi to the port of Tampico; and the Mexican National to Laredo. Texas. An other trunk line from Torreon on the Mexican Central to Eagle Pass, Texas. makes a third route between Mexico and the United States. There are now two lines between the City of Mexico and Vera Cruz. The Tehuantepec Railroad from the port. of Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf of Mexico to Salina Cruz on the Pacific. 130 miles is the
only road yet extended from the Atlantic to the Pacific, though several others are building. Great improvements have been completed at the ports of Coatzacoalcos and Salina Cruz, so that large vessels may enter them, and it is expected that much trade between the Atlantic and Pacific will pass over this road. The railroad system now reaches the principal cities and commercial and mining centres, and extends southward as far as Oaxaca, 500 miles from the Guatemalan frontier. Many of the railroads are heavily subsidized, it being the Government's policy to promote rail road building. In 1901 there were 9600 miles of railroad in operation, most of which had been built by foreign capital. In 1898 9,061.046 passengers and 5.964.000 tons of freight were conveyed, the gross proceeds being $39,800,000. In 1900 there were 42,843 miles of telegraph lines, of which 28.560 miles belong to the Feder•il Government and the remainder to the States, companies. and railroads. In 1901 there were 2082 post-offices. In the cities there were in 1898 1440 miles of street ear lines, most of them using animal traction.