I j u 
 
 i •( C' ^ 
 
 No*" 
 
 
 / ./ < 
 i/i ' V, 
 
 p.- 
 
 J : 
 
 
 ETHIOPIA 
 
 COMMERCIAL AND ECONOMIC 
 SURVEY 
 
 f 
 
 t *• 
 
 ^ 
 
 'K 
 
 By I 
 
 J. LODERPARK ; 
 
 AMERICAN VICE CONSUL, ADEN, ARABIA 
 
 Trade Information Bulletin No. 476 
 
 Vo : Vj- : ,. 
 
 r i 
 
 
 /■V 
 
 ■ ' ■ '-.5 , ^ 
 -0 " 
 
 
 : ■■■. i ' i 
 
 'H 
 
 ' / 
 
 A 
 
 ,47*»' ■ 
 
 
 A ^ 
 
 ^ UNIT ED STATES 
 *^^‘PARTMENT 
 OF COMMERCE 
 
 BUREAU OF FOREIGN AND 
 DOMESTIC COMMERCE 
 
Trade Information Bulletin No. 476 
 
 Price, 10 Cents 
 
 FOREWORD 
 
 The increased international interest recently shown in the Empire 
 of Ethiopia, formerly known as Abyssinia, warrants a review of con¬ 
 ditions in that little known country of approximately 10,000,000 
 inhabitants—a region which is one of the few productive portions of 
 the African continent in which no modern development projects 
 have been undertaken during recent years, although some are under 
 consideration. The country’s situation as a sovereign nation places 
 it, however, in a somewhat different relation to foreign capital from 
 that of its neighboring areas that are parts of the colonial systems 
 of European powers. 
 
 Although the political independence of Ethiopia has been recog¬ 
 nized by Great Britain, France, and Italy since 1906, and that coun¬ 
 try under its Regent, Ras Taffari Makonnen, has been a member of 
 the League of Nations since 1923, nevertheless the modern economic 
 developments there have been largely accomplished by foreign 
 enterprise. 
 
 The country’s resources remain still largely unexploited and the 
 industrial development is negligible. Although there are reported 
 to be rich resources of rubber, coal, copper, silver, sulphur, potash, 
 mica, gold, and iron, only the last four have so far been extracted 
 commercially, and these only to a slight extent. Ethiopia may be 
 said to represent, therefore, an almost virgin field for productive 
 effort, and with its increasing economic development and augmented 
 purchasing power, it represents, as well, a new and promising 
 market for the products of the industrial world. 
 
 Julius Klein, Director 
 Bureau of Foreign and Dcnnestic Gorwmerce. 
 
 May, 1927. 
 
ETHIOPIA: COMMERCIAL AND ECONOMIC SURVEY 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 Ethiopia, formerly loiown as Abyssinia, is an inland empire sepa¬ 
 rated from the west coast of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden by 
 the Italian colony of Eritrea and French and British Somaliland, 
 and from the Indian Ocean by Italian Somaliland. It is bounded 
 by Kenya Colony on the south and by the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan 
 on the west. It is made up of several ancient kingdoms and formerly 
 independent or semi-independent political entities, which constitute 
 in part the modern provincial divisions. The nominal ruler is the 
 Empress Waizeru Zauditu, crowned in 1916, but the actual govern¬ 
 ment is largely in the hands of her son, the regent, Ras Taffari. 
 
 In 1923 Ethiopia was admitted to membership in the League of 
 Nations. Since 1906, when a special agreement was signed between 
 them, Great Britain, France, and Italy have recognized the independ¬ 
 ence and integrity of the country, at the same time guaranteeing not 
 to intervene in Ethiopian internal affairs, nor to act so that indus¬ 
 trial concessions granted in the interest of any one of them might 
 injure the others. 
 
 Of the country’s estimated population of about 10,000,000, only 
 about one-third are Ethiopians, a Christian people of Hamitic origin 
 with a Semitic admixture. More than half the total population are 
 Gallas, pastoral and agricultural people, some of whom are Chris¬ 
 tian, some Mohammedan, and some pagan. Somalis inhabit the 
 Somaliland Plateau in the southeast; Falashas, of Jewish religion, 
 comprise an important part of the population in the northeast; and 
 a considerable number of negroes inhabit the southwest districts. 
 
 The capital and seat of government, Addis Ababa, has a popula¬ 
 tion of about 65,000, of whom perhaps 1,000 are foreign residents, 
 chiefly British Indians, Arabs, Greeks, and Armenians. The only 
 other important towns are the walled city of Harrar and the former 
 railroad terminus, Diredawa. Each of these has a population of 
 from 30,000 to 40,000. Addis Ababa and Harrar are the only cities 
 having schools, in all of which the teaching is done by the clergy. 
 Recently, a new school has been opened in the capital with French 
 professors for the sons of noblemen, a few of whom are sent to Egj^pt 
 for further instruction. 
 
 Addis Ababa is connected with Harrar, Jibuti (French Somali¬ 
 land) and Massawa (Eritrea) by telegraph, and by telej^hone with 
 a dozen Abyssinian towns, including Gambeila, the western trading 
 station leased to the Sudan Government; Sharada in the southwest; 
 and Derra in the north. The country’s few miles of metaled roads 
 are also in the vicinity of the capital, all other roads being scarcely 
 more than tracks or caravan routes. 
 
 In addition to the products discussed below, Ethiopia is reported 
 to have forests rich in rubber and other valuable trees. Coal, copper, 
 silver, and sulphur have also been found but have not as yet been 
 exploited. 
 
 45624—27 
 
 ( 1 ) 
 
2 
 
 INDUSTRIAL AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION 
 
 The character of Ethiopia’s import trade indicates that the native 
 people in their present stage of economic development are incapable 
 of producing even their bare necessities. The exported products, 
 
 moreover, are only those of a pastoral and crudely agricultural Coun¬ 
 try. For example, much of the coffee is wild. Hides and skins are the 
 casual by-products of animals raised primarily for food, and would 
 be wasted for the most part if there did not happen to be a foreign 
 
3 
 
 demand for them. Wax is gathered from wild honeycombs and 
 ivory is obtained from wild animals killed mainly for that valuable 
 material. Grain, of course, is cultivated, but in a primitive manner. 
 Under the heading “ Miscellaneous ” in the tables given below are 
 included various other agricultural products, such as potatoes, beans, 
 and other vegetables. Civet production might properly be called an 
 industry, since it is achieved by organized breeding farms of civet 
 cats. Gums, again, such as gum arabic, gum tragacanth, and myrrh, 
 are obtained by the usual simple process of tapping the trees of the 
 countryside. 
 
 Ethiopia can not, therefore, be called an industrial country, except 
 in the most strictly limited sense of the word, despite its reputation 
 for having potentialities of such an amazing extent that it might well 
 become one of the most productive countries in the world. Not only 
 are its exports those of a pastoral rather than an industrial com¬ 
 munity, but there is not even any organized system of production of 
 any of these export commodities. 
 
 COFFEE GROWING 
 
 The production of coffee is the unique example of an increasing 
 effort to cultivate this commodity. The output for 1924 was three 
 times as great as the average for the preceding 14 years. Coffee 
 culture is especially noteworthy in the Province of Harrar, the 
 quality of that product being very similar to Mocha, or Arabian cof¬ 
 fee. It is exported both via the Sudan and the French railway. Its 
 prices keep level with those prevailing in Aden, which represent the 
 prices obtainable abroad. So far as the American consumer is con¬ 
 cerned, Abyssinian coffee is the same as Arabian, such names as 
 “ Harrari,” “Abyssinian Longberry,” being merely names in com¬ 
 mon use in the trade. The Ethiopians are not great coffee drinkers, 
 and are willing to export most of the coffee produced in their country. 
 
 Wild coffee without any but the most casual attention will grow in 
 the country in abundance, and if cultivated by the most approved 
 methods may one day be produced in enormous quantities and become 
 an important rather than an incidental part of the world’s coffee 
 supply. 
 
 HIDE AND SKIN INDUSTRY 
 
 The hides and skins of Ethiopia are the best obtainable, excepting 
 those from the blackbird sheep of Arabia. The quality, depending 
 largely as it does upon pasturage and water, has every opportunity 
 in Abyssinia to be the best. Most of the Abyssinian hides and skins 
 appearing on the Aden market are of the “butcher” grade, i. e., 
 taken from animals killed for food. The increase in 1924 over pre¬ 
 vious years was sufficient to show a general improvement in pastur¬ 
 age, rainfall, and prosperity in Abyssinia. Recent unofficial reports 
 indicate that 1925 was the best year on record for Ethiopia’s hide 
 and skin output, exceeding the metric tonnage of 1924 (7,642 tons) 
 by at least 30 per cent. Prices are still too high for American 
 buyers, but this is owing to active competition for good skins in 
 Europe and America and to the dependence of the Abyssinian trade 
 upon Aden, the center of activity. 
 
4 
 
 GRAIN PRODUCTION 
 
 Abyssinian inillett (diirra), wheat, and barley have been exported 
 in important quantities only since 1915 to supply Red Sea and 
 east African ports. It was only the existence of war conditions 
 that brought about the exportation of this most abundant of Abys¬ 
 sinian field crops, since prior to 1915 the export was restricted by the 
 Government. It was. apparently, between 1910 and 1915 that this 
 restriction was in force, because 768 tons were exported via Jibuti 
 alone in 1910, one third of that quantity in 1911, none in 1912 and 
 1913, and 79 in 1914. Exports have varied greatly since 1915, and 
 here again 1924 was a record year (1,579 metric tons having been 
 shipped via Jibuti). Exports via Jibuti were supplemented by those 
 into and through the Sudan in unknown but certainly less quantities. 
 
 WAX COLLECTING 
 
 Although much of the beesAvax of Ethiopia is the result of bee¬ 
 keeping, it is believed that more than half of the loiOAvn output is 
 from wild hives. The wax is shipped to Aden in large blocks weigh¬ 
 ing from 50 to 100 pounds each, ready for further export. The 
 quality of the Avax is A’ery good and found generally acceptable in 
 the United States. 
 
 IVORY HUNTING 
 
 lAmry, because of its rarity and great value, is listed as a separate 
 item, since Ethiopia is distinctiA^e for its steady and rather large 
 production of the substance. It is obtained manily by Ethiopians,, 
 who are very proud of their proAvess and skill in hunting wild 
 animals, including those bearing ivory. As shoAvn in the tables 
 below, ivory production varies from year to year, the pre-war and 
 postwar production being about equal, although there has been a 
 falling off in recent years. It seems that there is a scarcity of large 
 tusks, only those weighing up to 50 pounds being available for 
 export. These are not nearly so A^aluable as the larger ones, owing 
 to the holloAv half, Avhich severely limits the available ivory in the 
 tusk. It is not the gross weight of ivory but the net weight of solid 
 ivory that gives it value. 
 
 MINING INDUSTRIES 
 
 Deposits of iron exist in several parts of Ethiopia but have been 
 used by the natives only for the manufacture of more or less primi¬ 
 tive tools and weapons—spears, kniA^es, hatchets, etc. 
 
 Placer gold mining and washing is carried on by the natives in 
 some of the eastern districts, Avhere gold is found in several of the 
 riA^er beds. Exports average in value about $200,000 a year, but it 
 is reported that if the quartz deposits said to exist in the country 
 were exploited, production would reach much larger proportions. 
 
 Since 1911 the concession for the exploitation of extensive depos¬ 
 its of potash salts in northeastern Ethiopia, near Eritrea, has been 
 held by an Italian company. A certain amount of development and 
 exportation, chiefly to Italy, has been carried on by this company. 
 
 Concessions are held by an American company for the exploita¬ 
 tion of mica mines in four sections of Ethiopia: In Laka and Walloga 
 in the west; in the country of the Ogaden near Somaliland; in the 
 
5 
 
 vicinity of Harar; and in the vicinity of Anssa near French Somali¬ 
 land. Mining has been begun in the section between Harar and 
 Jijiga, where the mica is reported to be of excellent quality, and 
 exportation was begun in 1923. The deposits are abundant, but the 
 exploitation has so far been somewhat handicapped by difficulties 
 of transportation, since the mines are separated from the nearest 
 railway point, Diredawa, by about 100 miles of very rough country. 
 The possibility of an alternative export route, however, has been 
 suggested, through British Somaliland to the port of Berbera, for 
 which only 40 miles of new road would have to be constructed. 
 
 DEMAND FOR FOREIGN PRODUCTS 
 
 It is evident from the import figures that the principal needs of 
 Ethiopia from abroad are, in order of importance, salt, cotton goods, 
 kerosene, sugar, empty bags, hardware, wines, and glassware. The 
 Austrian Maria Theresa dollars are imported in great numbers, but 
 are not mentioned separately. They will be dealt with under a 
 separate heading. 
 
 SALT 
 
 Salt takes the lead, because of the extreme dearth of it in Ethiopia. 
 There are certain occurrences of natural rock salt in the country, but 
 these are few, while the quality is poor and there are no means of 
 refining it. Ethiopia, being completely landlocked, can not produce 
 salt from sea w^ater and must depend mainly upon foreign sources. 
 Salt, as a result, is so precious that it is used as money throughout 
 Ethiopia. The production of salt bars of convenient sizes for money 
 has become an industry, in the hands of a small group of Greeks, who 
 are said to be making a substantial profit. The bars are about 12 
 inches long, slightly tapered at both ends, are molded in hard crys¬ 
 talline masses and protected from chipping by a binding of thongs. 
 The values of the bars of salt correspond with equivalents in Maria 
 Theresa dollars. 
 
 TEXTILES 
 
 Cotton goods, still known as “American!,” in spite of the fact that 
 the lower priced Japanese products have captured the Ethiopian 
 market from the Americans who dominated it several years ago, 
 form the second most important item. Imports of 4,438 metric tons 
 in 1924 (no other measurement is available) indicate a recovery of 
 the market from a postwar decrease. The imports of this com¬ 
 modity have not varied much from an annual average of about 4,000 
 metric tons, and were not affected by the war. 
 
 KEROSENE 
 
 American kerosene, once dominant, lost prestige when, about four 
 years ago, British brands were introduced at cut prices. The Ameri¬ 
 can is still regarded as the best in quality, but its price has been 
 maintained at a proportionately high level. Lately, however, Ameri¬ 
 can marketers have altered their policy, and are now endeavoring to 
 recover the lost Red Sea markets, including Ethiopia. They are 
 fairly certain of success, because their kerosene is famous for its 
 uniform quality, and a very small reduction in price has enabled 
 American kerosene again to compete with the British product. 
 
6 
 
 JUTE BAGS 
 
 Empty bags made of jute, imported for the most part from 
 India, are constantly in demand for animal transportation. The 
 year 1924 was the record year since figures have been compiled, its 
 total imports of bags being 434 tons, against the next highest total 
 of 264 tons in 1922. The use of bags is universal in Ethiopia, as 
 they are constantly required for packing merchandise on every Ijeast 
 of burden. 
 
 > HARDWARE 
 
 Hardware is imported chiefly from Germany and Austria. This 
 heading includes lanterns, locks, hinges, bolts, nails, and every¬ 
 thing in common use that is made from iron, copper, and brass. 
 The cheapest only of each kind of hardware is sold in Ethioj^ia. 
 There is no apparent requirement for anything fine or elaborate in 
 this category, even the best buildings of the natives being most 
 crudely constructed. It is an open market for American hardware, 
 and the cheaper American manufactures should figure prominently, 
 if actively promoted. Consumption at present is small, although 
 the 1924 imports had not been equaled since 1914. The market could 
 probably be developed to much greater importance if personally 
 studied by an American representative of hardware manufacturers. 
 Two hundred tons of metal ware in a year is not a large consump¬ 
 tion for 10,000,000 people. 
 
 GLASSWARE 
 
 Closely allied to hardware is glassware, including tumblers, table¬ 
 ware in general, lamp globes, bottles, window glass, etc. The in¬ 
 creased demand for glassware in Ethiopia is startling. Imports 
 dropped from 123 tons in 1914 to 45 tons in 1915, with smaller pur¬ 
 chases during and after the war. The year 1924 marks a very 
 substantial recovery, which gives promise of further increases as 
 time goes on. Most of the glassware in Ethiopia is sold at retail in 
 the bazaars of the larger cities. The venders spread their wares on 
 the ground, with or without a roof or a shop, and distribution to the 
 surrounding country is accomplished by the purchasers, who travel 
 from afar to the marts on regular market days. The leading arti¬ 
 cles of glassware required in Ethiopia are tumblers and lantern 
 glass. No person is permitted out at night without some kind of 
 light. Very little glassware is obtainable in the market and the 
 prices are rather high. There is a good opportunity for American 
 glassware. 
 
 SUGAR 
 
 Sugar is a constant requirement, being imported mostly from Java. 
 It is not produced in the country, yet imports for the whole country, 
 as seen below, amounted to only 494 metric tons in 1924—a total 
 rarely equaled in any previous year. 
 
 WINES AND LIQUORS 
 
 Wines and liquors, beer, and rectified alcohol are universal re¬ 
 quirements in Ethiopia, but most of the foreign-made beverages are 
 much too expensive for the natives, who are obliged to content them¬ 
 selves with two staple homemade drinks, namely, “tej,” a mild. 
 
7 
 
 diluted form of beer which is made from honey in nearly every 
 household, and a white liquor of great potency made from raisin 
 skins. Hence most of the imported beverages are consumed by 
 foreigners in Ethiopia. 
 
 FOREIGN TRADE 
 
 Ethiopia's foreign trade has never been nearly so great as the 
 reputed wealth of the country would seem to justify. The balance 
 of trade has long been unfavorable, and changed for the first time in 
 1924, when exports exceeded imports by 5,192 metric tons. The 
 recurrent import surplus is attributable to the lack of productive 
 industry in the country. Although no assertion can be ventured 
 regarding future commercial developments, it is an undoubted fact 
 that with a little effort to exploit the soil in a modern manner and to 
 develop the country’s untouched resources an export surplus could be 
 established and the total volume of trade considerably increased. 
 
 The tables of imports, exports, and prices included in the present 
 report are believed to be the first definite statements yet obtainable. 
 They cover the total trade of Ethiopia via the port of Jibuti since 
 1910 and via the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan for the years 1922 to 1924, 
 inclusive. The accuracy of the figures can not be guaranteed but 
 they are useful for purposes of comparison and are considered to 
 represent a very close estimate of the country’s trade. 
 
 Although caravans carry on a large trade with the interior, the 
 chief route for Ethiopian foreign commerce is the Franco-Ethiopian 
 Railway from the capital to the French Red Sea port of Jibuti. 
 
 TRADE VIA JIBUTI 
 
 The tables given below show the exports and imports via Jibuti 
 since 1910. As stated above, these figures are not official statistics, 
 but since they are from a reliable source they may be relied upon as 
 having a very fair degree of accuracy. In considering them, how¬ 
 ever, it should be remembered that they do not cover all Ethiopian 
 trade, but only that carried on through the port of Jibuti. The 
 more detailed commodity tables for the years 1923 and 1924 similarly 
 cover only the trade through Jibuti. 
 
 Tonnages of Principax. Imports Into Abyssinia via the Franco-Ethiopian 
 
 Railway Since 1910 
 
 [In metric tons] 
 
 Year 
 
 Salt 
 
 Kero¬ 
 
 sene 
 
 Wines 
 
 Liq¬ 
 
 uors 
 
 Sugar 
 
 Beer 
 
 Al¬ 
 
 cohol 
 
 Glass¬ 
 
 ware 
 
 Hard¬ 
 
 ware 
 
 Bags, 
 
 empty 
 
 Cot¬ 
 
 ton 
 
 goods 
 
 All 
 
 other 
 
 items 
 
 Total 
 
 iftin 
 
 1 484 
 
 4Qn 
 
 117 
 
 
 350 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2,976 
 
 22,844 
 
 28, 261 
 
 iftn 
 
 1 Qlfi 
 
 585 
 
 947 
 
 
 604 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3,649 
 
 30,358 
 
 37,362 
 
 1019. * 
 
 1 Qfifi 
 
 580 
 
 875 
 
 
 477 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4,219 
 
 12,071 
 
 19,678 
 
 
 fiQ4 
 
 8fi7 
 
 857 
 
 
 1 ,138 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4,735 
 
 33, 763 
 
 43,464 
 
 1914_ 
 
 4 ', 702 
 
 755 
 
 109 
 
 
 603 
 
 110 
 
 127 
 
 123 
 
 408 
 
 233 
 
 6,117 
 
 1,773 
 
 15,060 
 
 1915. 
 
 7,202 
 
 1,306 
 
 102 
 
 240 
 
 439 
 
 56 
 
 33 
 
 45 
 
 74 
 
 245 
 
 4,642 
 
 3, 048 
 
 17,432 
 
 1916_ 
 
 7,524 
 
 ■311 
 
 59 
 
 125 
 
 494 
 
 9 
 
 8 
 
 16 
 
 153 
 
 233 
 
 3,994 
 
 1,674 
 
 14, 580 
 
 1917. 
 
 14, 087 
 
 698 
 
 49 
 
 64 
 
 180 
 
 9 
 
 
 11 
 
 41 
 
 191 
 
 3, 572 
 
 113 
 
 20, 022 
 
 1918. 
 
 13,886 
 
 38 
 
 47 
 
 140 
 
 346 
 
 14 
 
 6 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 
 207 
 
 4,116 
 
 1,942 
 
 20, 769 
 
 1919. 
 
 9,117 
 
 299 
 
 77 
 
 104 
 
 109 
 
 4 
 
 66 
 
 4 
 
 17 
 
 115 
 
 3,586 
 
 1,735 
 
 15,233 
 
 1920. 
 
 12,841 
 
 453 
 
 282 
 
 265 
 
 322 
 
 64 
 
 1 
 
 72 
 
 110 
 
 191 
 
 3,336 
 
 3,421 
 
 21,358 
 
 1921. 
 
 5,900 
 
 308 
 
 65 
 
 55 
 
 256 
 
 23 
 
 5 
 
 33 
 
 98 
 
 220 
 
 2, 543 
 
 2,029 
 
 11, 535 
 
 1922_ 
 
 7,899 
 
 1,183 
 
 67 
 
 44 
 
 338 
 
 46 
 
 21 
 
 43 
 
 118 
 
 264 
 
 2,505 
 
 1,753 
 
 14,281 
 
 1923. 
 
 15 ', 801 
 
 412 
 
 84 
 
 84 
 
 323 
 
 45 
 
 5 
 
 73 
 
 173 
 
 226 
 
 3,381 
 
 2, 359 
 
 22, 966 
 
 1924_ 
 
 8;i57 
 
 657 
 
 147 
 
 82 
 
 494 
 
 61 
 
 12 
 
 131 
 
 199 
 
 434 
 
 4,438 
 
 3, 881 
 
 18, 693 
 
 7 
 
8 
 
 Tonnages of Principal, Exports from Ethiopia via the Franco-Ethiopian 
 
 Railway Since 1910 
 
 [In metric tons] 
 
 Year 
 
 Coffee 
 
 Hides 
 
 Wax 
 
 Grain 
 
 Ivory 
 
 All other 
 items 
 
 Total 
 
 1910... 
 
 3,766 
 
 2, 810 
 
 422 
 
 768 
 
 64 
 
 867 
 
 7,687 
 
 1911...... 
 
 
 3,043 
 
 434 
 
 233 
 
 69 
 
 4,747 
 
 8,520 
 
 1912... 
 
 3,541 
 
 3,115 
 
 408 
 
 
 51 
 
 309 
 
 7,424 
 
 1913... 
 
 4,446 
 
 4,105 
 
 637 
 
 
 51 
 
 585 
 
 9,824 
 
 1914.. 
 
 3,455 
 
 4,301 
 
 234 
 
 79 
 
 14 
 
 280 
 
 8,363 
 
 1915.... 
 
 4,807 
 
 4,673 
 
 355 
 
 828 
 
 4 
 
 217 
 
 10,884 
 
 1916____ 
 
 4,206 
 
 3,193 
 
 355 
 
 173 
 
 22 
 
 1,062 
 
 9, 011 
 
 1917... 
 
 4,744 
 
 6,743 
 
 392 
 
 617 
 
 6 
 
 1,663 
 
 14,165 
 
 1918... 
 
 3,253 
 
 8,217 
 
 185 
 
 505 
 
 1 
 
 3,107 
 
 15,268 
 
 1919.. 
 
 3,307 
 
 8,346 
 
 369 
 
 764 
 
 20 
 
 1,990 
 
 14,796 
 
 1920.. 
 
 2,993 
 
 4,671 
 
 226 
 
 1,415 
 
 26 
 
 1,865 
 
 11,196 
 
 1921...... 
 
 4,027 
 
 2, 229 
 
 166 
 
 1,417 
 
 24 
 
 2,497 
 
 10,360 
 
 1922..... 
 
 6,630 
 
 3, 740 
 
 277 
 
 725 
 
 12 
 
 2,106 
 
 13,490 
 
 1923.... 
 
 5,517 
 
 6,902 
 
 220 
 
 742 
 
 11 
 
 2,191 
 
 15,583 
 
 1924.. 
 
 12,043 
 
 7, 642 
 
 335 
 
 1,677 
 
 17 
 
 2,271 
 
 23,886 
 
 Imports into Ethiopia, by Articles, 1923 and 1924 
 
 [In metric tons] 
 
 Item 
 
 1923 
 
 1924 
 
 Item 
 
 1923 
 
 1924 
 
 Cotton piece goods _ 
 
 2,513 
 
 3,332 
 
 Rice__ 
 
 89 
 
 98 
 
 Cotton * piece goods, other 
 
 Grain. 
 
 23 
 
 35 
 
 kinds_ 
 
 868 
 
 1,106 
 
 Tinware___ 
 
 173 
 
 199 
 
 Kerosene oil_'... 
 
 412 
 
 657 
 
 Glassware_ 
 
 73 
 
 131 
 
 Salt _ 
 
 15,801 
 
 8,157 
 
 Bags, empty_ 
 
 226 
 
 434 
 
 Sugar_ 
 
 '323 
 
 '494 
 
 Tobacco.'.. 
 
 12 
 
 20 
 
 Soap___ 
 
 192 
 
 242 
 
 Incense__ 
 
 206 
 
 230 
 
 Rectified alcohol_ 
 
 5 
 
 12 
 
 ''Articles by post..__ 
 
 49 
 
 72 
 
 Beer_ 
 
 45 
 
 61 
 
 All other items_ 
 
 1,734 
 
 3,090 
 
 
 84 
 
 147 
 
 
 
 Liquor_ 
 
 84 
 
 82 
 
 Total_ 
 
 22,966 
 
 18,693 
 
 Dates. 
 
 54 
 
 94 
 
 
 Exports from Ethopia, by Articles, 1923 and 1924 
 
 [In metric tons] 
 
 Item 
 
 1923 
 
 1924 
 
 Item 
 
 1923 
 
 1924 
 
 Butter.... 
 
 279 
 3,770 
 1,747 
 61 
 220 
 11 
 
 6,902 
 742 
 801 
 46 
 
 163 
 
 7,390 
 
 4,653 
 160 
 335 
 17 
 
 7,642 
 1,577 
 664 
 26 
 
 Charcoal____ 
 
 86 
 
 382 
 
 142 
 
 36 
 
 2 
 
 177 
 
 179 
 
 15, 583 
 
 61 
 
 483 
 
 141 
 
 21 
 
 1 
 
 248 
 
 273 
 
 23,855 
 
 Harrar coffee. 
 
 Abyssinian coflee (wild). 
 
 Coflee husk__ 
 
 Beans, dried.. 
 
 Flour.. 
 
 Drugs____ . 
 
 Wax.. 
 
 Gum, myrrh... 
 
 Ivory_ 
 
 Articles by post... . 
 
 Skins and hides.. 
 
 Grains. 
 
 Seeds. 
 
 All other items. 
 
 Total_ . 
 
 Potatoes... 
 
 
 In addition to the preceding export estimates, via Jibuti, an addi¬ 
 tional table is here given, summarizing the exports of hides (and 
 skins), coffee, and wax by the same route, for 1922, 1923, and 1924. A 
 comparison will show a small but fairly uniform difference. These 
 discrepancies should not raise doubts as to the authenticity of either 
 set of tables, but rather tends to give them mutual support, since the 
 figures given below were obtained from a different source. 
 
9 
 
 Item 
 
 1922 
 
 1923 
 
 1924 
 
 Hides........... 
 
 Kilos 
 
 3,804,406 
 6,469, 645 
 259, 226 
 
 Kilos 
 
 7,533,008 
 5,811,187 
 226,762 
 
 Kilos 
 
 8 ,686,399 
 11,590,040 
 306, 277 
 
 Collee__________ 
 
 Wax___ 
 
 
 TRADE WITH THE INTERIOR 
 
 The chief foreign routes of Ethiopia, in addition to the Franco- 
 Ethiopian Eailway, are as follows: (1) West, through Gambeila, the 
 trading station leased by Ethiopia to the Sudan Government, to 
 Khartum by the White Nile; northw^est through Gallabat by caravan 
 to Singa, between Eoseires and Sennar on the Blue Nile, and by 
 river to Khartum; Avest to Eoseires and by the Blue Nile Eiver 
 to Khartum; (2) south, through the frontier station of Moyale 
 across Kenya Colony to Nairobi and the port of Mombasa; (3) south, 
 by the Juba Eiver through Lugh and across Italian Somaliland to 
 the port of Mogdishu; (4) east, through the country of the Ogaden 
 tribes near the Somaliland frontier to the ports of Bulhar and Ber- 
 bera; (5) north, through Gondar and across Eritrea to the port of 
 Massawa; northeast through Aussa to the port of Assab. 
 
 The greatest volume of inland trade is carried on with and through 
 the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, chiefly via the trading station at Gam¬ 
 beila, leased to the Sudan Government. 
 
 In comparing this trade with that from the coast, the difficulties 
 of transit should be remembered. In order to use the tributaries 
 of the White Nile and Blue Nile, goods must be packed over rough 
 country, often for hundreds of miles, to very near the western 
 frontier of Ethiopia, before they can be placed on river boats which 
 connect with Sudan railways or with Khartum by water. The 
 through water route is, moreover, interrupted by cascades and rapids, 
 with the result that the Sudan railways are used for most of the 
 transportation. If Khartum were connected with Abyssinian cen¬ 
 ters of production by rail extensions, the whole matter would be 
 simplified. 
 
 The Sudan route for Ethiopian trade is complex in its ramifica¬ 
 tions, and what figures are available can not be guaranteed to cover 
 all goods passing through that country to or from Ethiopia. Unlike 
 the figures for Jibuti trade, moreover, which are in metric tons, the 
 records for the remainder of the known Ethiopian trade are kept in 
 money values. 
 
 EXPORTS VIA THE SUDAN 
 
 In the following tables, the exports are grouped under three head¬ 
 ings—namely, coffee, wax, and “various”—the total being given in 
 Egyptian pounds. From this it is possible to arrive at a rough esti¬ 
 mate of the number of hundredweights of these products shipped 
 from Abyssinia via the Sudan. Coffee is by far the most important 
 item. Allowing coffee to be worth, at current Aden export prices, 
 about $20 per hundredweight, and counting the Egyptian pound to 
 be about $5, it is found that in 1922, in round numbers, 50,000 hun¬ 
 dredweight; in 1923, 37,700 hundredweight; and in 1924, 56,000 
 
10 
 
 hundredweight of Ethiopian coffee passed into and through the 
 Sudan. The quantity of wax for those years was relatively small, and 
 can not so easily be calculated, since prices are not so uniform as in 
 the case of coffee. The “ various ” items include small quantities of 
 all the exports listed in preceding tables of exports. 
 
 IMPORTS VIA THE SUDAN 
 
 The imports from and through the Sudan are seen in the following 
 tables to include salt, Sudan products, cotton and silk fabrics, and 
 various,” meaning general manufactures from Europe. Textiles are 
 dominant in this case, a value of about $250,000 having been im¬ 
 ported from the Sudan in 1922, $300,000 in 1923, and $360,000 in 1924. 
 An item of this importance and apparent growth is not to be over¬ 
 looked. It is clear, also, that the bulk of the textile imports into 
 Ethiopia, via the Sudan, are from Manchester. Thus, in spite of the 
 French railway monopoly to the east, the British are gaining head¬ 
 way, without railways in Ethiopia, from the west. The salt and 
 Sudanese products referred to in the table below, seem to have 
 steadily fallen off in quantity. Salt, of course, comes from the Bed 
 Sea coast, but Sudanese products are expected to increase when the 
 present British cotton-growing campaign in the Sudan gets into itS' 
 full stride. 
 
 Ethiopian Exports to and Across the Sudan, and Imports From and Across 
 
 THE SUD.A.N ^ 
 
 Item 
 
 1922 
 
 1923 
 
 1924 
 
 EXPORTS 
 
 Coffee.......... 
 
 £E207,176 
 711' 
 37, 239 
 
 £E151,018 
 2,784 
 31,558 
 
 £E225,505 
 2,562 
 33, 547 
 
 Wax...... ... ... 
 
 Various items....... 
 
 Total_____ ... . . ... . . 
 
 245,126 
 
 185,360 
 
 261, 614 
 
 IMPORTS 
 
 Salt and Sudanese products........ 
 
 16,460 
 49, 518 
 17,479 
 
 13,259 
 60,369 
 26, 005 
 
 9,836 
 73,734 
 27,093 
 
 Cottons, silks, etc....... 
 
 Various items________ 
 
 Total_____ 
 
 83,457 
 
 99,633 
 
 110,663 
 
 
 I The average exchange rates for the Egyptian pound for the above years were: 1922, $4.54; 1923, $4.69; 
 1924, $4.53. In 1926, however, the pound was above par ($4,943) and was quoted locally in the Sudan at 
 $5.02. 
 
 ETHIOPIAN CURRENCY 
 
 The Austrian thaler or dollar is the currency of Ethiopia. Al¬ 
 though there are about 2,000,000 Menelik dollars in circulation, these 
 are rapidly disappearing, being transmuted into ornaments and 
 hoarded by those who are able to accumulate wealth. The British 
 Bank of Ethiopia issues bank notes for silver dollars supposed to be 
 in its vaults as guarantee, but the average native is suspicious of 
 banks and paper money and will have nothing but the copied Aus¬ 
 trian dollar of 1789. These dollars are still manufactured by 
 Austrian mints and are bought and sold like any other article of 
 merchandise. They are treated as money only in Ethiopia, Yemen, 
 Hadramaut, Shehr, and the Arabian Persian Gulf area. There is 
 
11 
 
 in Aden an English agent for the Austrian manufacturers of the 
 dollars, who is responsible for their distribution. 
 
 In 1924 the total imports of Maria Theresa dollars were 5,499,036, 
 worth at the current exchange rate (which varies but little) of 
 $0.54, exactly $2,969,480. This figure exceeds all records, imports 
 having steadily increased since the war-time scarcity of silver. 
 
 For some years—and certainly since 1918—the Maria Theresa 
 dollars sent to Ethiopia have not been permitted to leave the country. 
 This prohibition of reexportation is strictly enforced, although it is 
 said that some smuggling is practiced. It is said that the coins are 
 smuggled out of the country regularly in the sacks of grain sent by 
 caravan, in soap, and even under the coal in the locomotive tenders of 
 the Franco-Ethiopian Railway. A person leaving Abyssinia is 
 allowed to_ carry with him the sum of five Maria Theresa dollars only. 
 
 Smuggling, however, does not account for the amazing disappear¬ 
 ance of the imported dollars from circulation. There are probably 
 not more than 6,000,000 or 7,000,000 of the coins in circulation at 
 present, which is not much more than the imports in a single year. 
 This disappearance is called “ the mystery of Ethiopia,” even by 
 those who import and distribute the dollars and who would ordinarily 
 be expected to know the ultimate fate of the merchandise they handle. 
 The favorite theory is that each Ethiopian is his own banker, gather¬ 
 ing his wealth in tangible silver and hoarding it in the earth from 
 which it came. There are in Ethiopia at present probably more than 
 50,000,000 of the Austrian dollars. 
 
 TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS 
 
 Transportation in Ethiopia is largely carried on by pack horses, 
 mules, donkeys, and camels. The single railroad, about 495 miles in 
 length and connecting Addis Ababa with the coast at Jibuti, is a 
 monopoly in the hands of the Franco-Ethiopian Railway Co., formed 
 in 1896. Over this road two trains a week are run in each direction. 
 
 The cost and difficulty of transportation via the Sudan has already 
 been touched upon. It is for this reason that the Franco-Ethiopian 
 Railway authorities are able to exact the high freight charges for all 
 merchandise carried on their road. In 1925 the owners of the rail¬ 
 way made a sweeping increase of 30 per cent in freight rates from 
 Addis Ababa to Jibuti, the rates being made payable on a gold basis, 
 which further increased the cost of shipment. This move created no 
 little consternation among Ethiopian exporters of goat and sheep 
 skins, since it was upon them that almost the whole burden fell. 
 Even at the old rates the cost of railway transport of skins from 
 Addis Ababa to Jibuti alone considerably exceeded ocean freight 
 charges for the same skins from Jibuti to New York. Buyers of 
 skins at Jibuti and Aden can not exceed the price limits fixed by 
 their European and American clients, and naturally refuse to be con¬ 
 cerned with the cost of delivery to the ports. In the opinion of the 
 leaders of the skin trade the result of the increased freight rates will 
 be the defeat of the very end it was calculated to effect—i. e., the 
 increase of railroad revenues—since the overland transport will nec¬ 
 essarily, they say, be diverted to other carriers and even to other 
 ports. 
 
12 
 
 The effects of hi^h railroad freight rates are felt not only in the 
 export skin trade, but in various import lines as well. American 
 kerosene, for example, which is sold in Aden for 61^ rupees per case 
 of 8 imperial gallons, can not be sold at a profit in Addis Ababa for 
 less than 14 rupees. Another case in point was a shipment of 1.5 
 cases of naphthalene, the cost of which loaded on the train in the port 
 of Jibuti, French Somaliland, was a little more than doubled when 
 unloaded in Addis Ababa, just 500 miles distant. The same difficulty 
 applies to everything shipped into Abyssinia on this railroad from 
 Jibuti. 
 
 CONCLUSION 
 
 In spite of this seemingly prohibitive restraint on Ethiopian for¬ 
 eign trade, the steady growth of trade since the war is apparent, a 
 fact which points to the conclusion that a very little competition in 
 transport facilities would materially reduce costs. Improved trans¬ 
 portation of merchandise is essential to the commercial, industrial, 
 and agricultural progress of Ethiopia. 
 
 In all probability, therefore, the establishment of new trade out¬ 
 lets by railroad to the Italian port of Massawa, in Eritrea, or by a 
 good road from the Harrar region by Hogeisa to the port of Berbera, 
 in British Somaliland, would react to the advantage of the whole 
 countiy. Improved road construction, which is already being 
 reflected in increased automobile imports through the port of Aden, 
 will also inevitably hasten the country’s general economic develop¬ 
 ment. 
 
 u.tj. UOVlflltNMENT 1‘IUNTINU OFIJ’ICl!;; 1927 
 
; 
 
 \ 
 
‘ -'VV 
 
 
 
 ' • 'I- ■' ■ ^ :v, ; ? '>,^ 
 
 . • ‘iff:. '‘*: ■ > * ';»«\! ,.i 
 
 •-'^a 
 
 
 >f 
 1 . . 
 
 ■ l^.t 
 
 . |> • ^/v. '■*^^: -.^v, ; .' ;>■ V .' .vU iV,,v‘'i' ' 
 
 I . ■' v>'’i!/tJ..:;;M':; ■ \w •'‘\ jj;'):{• n'l.wA • S,T. 
 
 .vr 
 
 :! 1 
 
 ■•It.' 
 
 ••' ■’ ' ' 'lPi^Vw:o-?«i»;-it;'.v...■!«♦':■*. ("•;:‘^ . ./ U'- it . . H v- 
 
 
 •*}’, '.f¥‘ 
 
 
 
 ;V'iv ; , 
 
 ■h- 
 
 
 > vn^ii 
 
 :ly ^rt'H " ' •■' 
 
 .,*»■ c M-W;. th'. •✓:'* 
 
 ■"■ ' '■ ■<* - : '.'■ ’ ' -C'> v'/if'.^, .••.K'lttJWr.ii*. ;’. ■ : ^ i 
 
 '-' Mr. 
 
 -i iA ui. ':■•♦■* -i^Xi 
 
 
 ,:.1‘ 
 
 . - < •.■,) ■>. 
 
 
 ;v,i '-.V/i' .^■■. ■ ■ ' ^-.; J ^ 
 
 ■ ’iJ.’■ ■ < T' ^ :■< 'i.- ■ -;. i;v '.-' . ,V; 
 
 '•• “ 'V.- 7 };;s fr;7,t) ^ ..; ♦ I ^ •''> ■ ■■ ;^r'L '• Vu'/n,' 
 
 .••/■ - 
 y / 
 
 i'/'■ ry s-jr; ' 
 
 /•. - 
 
 «,- 
 
 
 ;• I •■•. ■ an 
 
 
 ^ ».vVyi.' p:. ; y y ^ 
 
 \ '.A-*^’‘i • .■' 4^ ^ ' •■;l . ;v'' '■ 
 
 rs. /fL- y: 
 
 '■ A 
 
 if 
 
 
 i 
 
 t*. j 
 
 
 01 
 
 ' ‘ (-.-i' 
 
 ..-i« ♦ . 
 
 
 
 
 , V*, * ■ 
 
 li ’ »V > >,'. -'* \ ;»V ' 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 A:;: 
 
 ^ av . L. y.y^y 
 
 .•yy • 
 
 ■4' 4( 
 
 - 'U' 
 
 v ’.'i.iy- 
 
 ■i/'V'" 
 
 
 0^ 
 
 ; I 
 
 V-. i. « , *\ ’ ' 
 
 ^ ■ : vv : 
 
 ■S ■■'-• 
 
 
 
 .t • • 
 
 
 • ■ 
 
 •• •• ,« -if, 
 
 ,...., 
 
 »> 
 
 
 y7. .. y 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ,s,.,w r ":- -i' • -’y:„,;vv >■ -'^y ..‘^ >■ 7 ■ - ’ ,. 
 
 ■i ' • :'■ ^^0' 
 
 if’,. 
 
 . r* 
 
 .* 'y ‘ 
 
 ' Ar. r»^r^. ' ■ 
 
 » 4 • : '■ I V> . ■ '• • , '. Vj>‘ . .: '.1 
 
 • '\ '..'‘liO?..w " ^ Tir 
 
 >/'Jm 
 
 
 ;' .; 
 
 . 
 
 
 -.• 'A' ■ <A' \ , 
 
 s 
 
 V ..