102 No. 99 ECONOMIC CONDITIONS [ were reported to be 77,578 francs. The Banque Coloniale de Belgique (capital 3,000,000 francs) had profits amounting to 778,269 francs in the same year.

The currency of the Congo is that of Belgium , consisting of 20 and 10 franc pieces in gold ; 5, 2, and 1 franc pieces and 50 centime pieces in silver ; 25, 10, and 5 centime pieces ( perforated) in nickel ; and 2 and 1 centime pieces (perforated ) in copper. In 1912 the Banque du Congo Belge put into circulation notes of 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000 francs, current only in the Congo. Up to August 1 , 1912, the total imports of coin into the Congo were 24,317,500 francs, equi valent to £962,700 sterling.

Gold disappeared from circulation almost immedi ately after the outbreak of war, and silver was hoarded to such an extent that it became necessary for the Banque du Congo Belge to issue bank -notes for nominal values of 1 and 5 francs, a large number of which were put into circulation on October 15 , 1914.

The metric system was introduced by law on August 17, 1910.

> (3 ) INFLUENCE OF FOREIGN CAPITAL On the inception of the Congo Free State in 1884, difficulty was experienced in attracting capital , and the method adopted was to form large concessionnaire ' companies for the development of the territory. The most important of these and the parent of numerous other companies was the Compagnie du Congo pour le Commerce et l'Industrie, founded December 27 , 1886 , with an original capital of 1,227,000 francs . This com pany soon formed five others : the Compagnie de Magasins Généraux (October 20 , 1888 ) , the Société Anonyme Belge du Haut-Congo (December 10, 1888) , the Compagnie du Chemin de Fer du Congo (July 31 , 1889) , the Compagnie des Produits du Congo (Novem 1