Prague, and Berlin; the other-the Tauern Railway-will greatly improve the communication of Trieste with Bavaria and southwestern Germany.

As the increased traffic which these new railways will bring to Trieste will necessitate larger harbor facilities than the present contracts call for, the Government has decided to change its plans and to construct at once a new harbor in the Bay of Muggia of a capacity at least equal to that of the old one to the northwest of the city.

As the transit business constitutes 78 per cent of the traffic of this port, the improvement of the public warehouses will receive special attention. Indeed, the area covered by the projected warehouses is about three times as large as the present, while the projected docks will be about 20 per cent larger than those of the old port.

As much delay and inconvenience is often experienced in the loading and unloading of goods, special attention will be given to improved facilities for handling freight.

There will be in the projected extension 22 warehouses from 395 to 680 feet long and 150 feet wide, the largest ones capacious enough to hold a cargo of 9,000 tons. These warehouses will be provided with 12 cranes of 3 tons, 83 of 11⁄2 tons, and 1 main crane of 50 tons capacity. In order to increase the capacity of the warehouses on the same area, to facilitate the transit within them, and to avoid the clashing of outward with inward bound freights it is proposed to construct along some of the new magazines an upper platform to be used specially in the handling of outward-bound goods, and to reserve the lower platform for arriving freights. While large cranes are available for both platforms along the sea, an elevated railway on iron piles will be provided for the upper platform on the land side, and this railway will be connected with the assorting. stations by inclines.

Buildings for custom and police offices, pilots' quarters, and restaurants will also be provided. All cranes, hoists, capstans, and other machinery will be driven by electric power.

A commission which the Minister of Railways recently sent to Milan to investigate and report on the electric railways of Lombardy has recommended the adoption of electric traction for the new lines of railway of which Trieste will be the terminus, and there is a very strong probability that their recommendation will be adopted. this event the harbor and the new railways would be supplied with electric power by the same plant.

The cost of the new harbor will be about $22,500,000.

FREDK. W. HOSSFELD, Consul.

TRIESTE, AUSTRIA, October 31, 1903.

SUPPRESSING MALARIA IN AUSTRIA.

(From United States Consul Hossfeld, Trieste, Austria.)

A Vienna manufacturer, Leopold Kupelwieser, prompted by the result of Professor Koch's investigations relating to intermittent fever, has placed at Dr. Koch's disposal the island of Brioni (situated west of the peninsula of Istria and about 60 miles south of Trieste), to enable him to continue there his investigations. The experiments which Dr. Koch had made in Africa convinced him that malaria could be stamped out in many places where it now prevails, and that where it was possible to isolate such a place the task would be comparatively easy. It is now well known that the microbe of malaria is conveyed from one person to another by the sting of a species of mosquito.

Dr.

As these insects can not fly very far, an accession of infected mosquitoes from the mainland seemed to be out of the question, and it was hoped that by curing the sick during the cold season and then waging energetic warfare against the conveyer of the microbe the disease could be permanently banished from the island. Koch therefore accepted the offer made to him by Mr. Kupelwieser and intrusted Professor Frosch and Dr. Blundau, of Berlin, with this mission. Their remarkable success led the Austrian Government to make an attempt to exterminate malaria on the coast of Istria by Professor Koch's method. It caused three malaria stations to be established and detailed physicians, furnished with the finest microscopical instruments, to these stations. The physicians examine the blood of all persons suffering from malaria, and subject all suspicious cases to a systematic course of treatment. Quinine in tablets or capsules is furnished to patients free of cost at public expense. If the work of these stations should be attended with success, it is also proposed to establish similar stations in all those districts of Istria and Dalmatia infested with malaria, for the purpose of removing this great evil. FREDK. W. HOSSFELD, Consul.

TRIESTE, AUSTRIA, October 31, 1903.

BELGIAN FIREARMS.

(From United States Consul McNally, Liege, Belgium.)

The firearms industry remains in a satisfactory condition, and while the prices for center-fire arms has decreased a trifle, as is also the case with handmade and interchangeable machine guns, the trade in the better grade of guns, such as the fine fowling gun, is in a very

flourishing condition, and never before has this gun, as manufactured in Liege, been in such universal demand.

Trade in revolvers, which for a time had been a little off, is again picking up. The same may be said for the single-barreled guns, made cheap for export to the coast of Africa.

The markets of South America seem to be in a better condition, and several important orders have come from Brazil and the Argentine Republic.

The manufacture of firearms, complete or in part, is the traditional industry of this Province. Whether the people of Liege hold the secret of turning out a prime quality of gun barrel or other integral part of the arm, I do not know, but it is an established fact that no other barrel of corresponding make and value can stand the strain of the severe test put upon it as well as the Liege gun barrel. Every barrel must, under the law, successfully withstand the Government test before it is admitted for sale. The gun barrels are made by the workmen in their own homes, and are delivered to the merchants, who combine the parts for the markets. It is said that no less than 50,000 men, women, and children are engaged in the manufacture of gun barrels. This system of buying from the people lessens the responsibility of the manufacturer, for if the barrel fails to withstand the test the workman and not the manufacturer is the loser. The material for manufacturing the gun barrels or other parts of firearms is oftentimes supplied by the manufacturer, who sometimes gets his barrels roughly made and completes them himself.

It is the universal understanding here that the United States is the best market for the cheap grade of guns, and there is a doublebarreled gun called at Liege the “American.”

It is estimated that in the Province of Liege about 150,000 pairs of gun barrels were manufactured during the year 1902, part of which were sent to the United States rough bored, to be finished there. The exportation of gun barrels of all grades to the United States is increasing.

Quite a controversy is on here as to the better quality of gun barrel-the Damascus or the steel. The Damascus is manufactured only at Nessonvaux, near Liege, while the steel barrel is made in Liege. One argument in favor of the Damascus barrel is that in case of an explosion there is less liability of injury than with the steel barrel. Muzzle-loading guns are sent in large quantities to South America, while the flintlock is made for export to Africa.

The rifle barrel manufactured here is not exported to the United States in great quantities, on account of the duty thereon.

Revolvers are turned out in great numbers and are shipped to all parts of the world. It is estimated that 600,000 were manufactured in Liege last year.

During the six months ended August 31, 1903, there were exported to the United States firearms to the value of $234,815.71 and gun barrels to the value of $39,012.33.

LIEGE, BELGIUM, October 5, 1903.

JAMES C. MCNALLY, Consul.

METAL-WARE TRADE OF BULGARIA.

(From United States Consul-General Hughes, Coburg, Germany.)

From official German sources a very interesting report is given out regarding "competition in the North Bulgarian metal market, the particulars of which will be of interest to the manufacturers of all kinds of metal ware in the United States. It runs about as follows, the prices throughout being those which prevailed in 1902:

The iron production of Bulgaria, the center of which is Samokow, has largely given way before European competition, while the once rather extensive manufacture of various kinds of ironware, as carried on at Stara Sagora, Sliwno, and Gabrowo, has decreased until at present only tools of a very simple nature, like knives, scissors, yataghans, chains for animals, ploughshares, etc., are manufactured, foreign raw iron being principally used for these articles. The home. industry produces also in some perfection copper caldrons and tin vessels made from foreign raw material. Recently an Armenian has

started an iron foundry at Rustschuck. With the help of German workmen, iron fly wheels and other iron parts for mills are manufactured there, and these goods are much in demand all over northern Bulgaria. Importers of iron and metal ware describe the iron market

of North Bulgaria as follows:

Raw iron in blocks is furnished by England; soft iron, by Sweden. Of iron in bars about 40 per cent comes from Hungary and 20 per cent each from Germany, Belgium, and Sweden. The German quality is considered better than the others, and Bulgarian business men interested in this line of trade think that if the German manufacturers made special efforts they would be able to beat out their Hungarian competitors in the North Bulgarian market, although the cost of transportation of the German goods is much heavier than on the Hungarian. The average price, free at Galatz, is $2.90 per 220 pounds.

One-half of the supply of iron beams is furnished by Germany and 25 per cent each by Austria-Hungary and Belgium. Factories in German Alsace furnish the so-called "normal profiles" in particAverage price, free at Galatz, $3.09 per 220 pounds.

ular.

Of iron rules, squares, and hoop iron, 70 per cent is furnished by Germany and 30 per cent by Hungary. The German goods, owing to their better quality, have almost ousted the Hungarian products.

Germany supplies 60 per cent of the coarse sheet metal, iron plate or tin, and Hungary 40 per cent. Average price, free at Galatz, $3.47 per 220 pounds. Of lamarina sheets 70 per cent comes from England, 20 per cent from Belgium, and 10 per cent from Germany. The products of Germany would make more rapid progress on the North Bulgarian markets if they were more energetically pushed. Galvanized and lead-covered sheets are furnished by England only. Of tinned plates 80 per cent is imported from England and 20 per cent from Belgium. American manufacturers should find it worth their while to compete for the trade in these goods. Average price of tin plate, free at Galatz, $3.28 cents per case of 452 kilograms (100 pounds).

Of steel in bars 50 per cent comes from Belgium, 35 per cent from England, and 15 per cent from Germany. Steel for springs. and steel axles for vehicles are furnished by Austria exclusively. For these two articles American manufacturers should be able to compete.

Tin is imported from England only. Average price of tin (mark, "Lamb Flag "), $67.55 per 220 pounds in 1902.

Of lead, in blocks and tubing, 70 per cent was furnished by Italy and 30 per cent by Germany. For delivery at Galatz, Italian lead costs, on an average, $6.56 per 220 pounds.

Copper is furnished exclusively by England. Average price of the brand "Rio Tinto best selected," $316.32 per ton, free at Galatz, in 1902.

Brass pipes

Brass in blocks and sheets comes from Austria only. are furnished by England and Austria in equal quantities. Iron bedsteads are purchased from English manufacturers only. German manufacturers have made no effort to compete so far.

Iron stoves come from Germany (mark, "Germania") and petroleum stoves from Sweden (mark, "Primus"). Lately Berlin manufacturers who make this class of goods as a specialty have started to compete with the Swedish manufacturers. Here the superiority

of American manufactures ought to and would tell if they were introduced.

Of the importation of enameled ware, Austria-Hungary has a share of 70 per cent, Germany of 25 per cent, and Holland of 5 per

cent.

Part of the German goods are reported by experts to be as yet of a very inferior quality to those made in Austria-Hungary.

Of locks of all kinds, 80 per cent is furnished by Germany and