31)
1876 —1893 average 23 thousand krénur
1894 —1903 107 sv
1904—1913 150
1914-1923 451
1924 —1928 - 789
In the budget for the present year (1930) the State expenditure on
roads and bridges is put at one million krénur, as follows: adminis-
tration of matters concerning roads, 46 thousand; national roads, 580
thousand; bridges, 200 thousand; mountain roads, 25 thousand; dis-
trict roads, 110 thousand; iools for road-making work, and sundry
other expenses, 41 thousand.
For particulars respecting parish and district expenditure on roads,
see article on State and Municipal Finance, ». 48.
SHIPPING AND NAVIGATION
The Icelandic mercantile marine is comparatively Jarge, and consisted
in 1929 of 69 steamers and motor ships of over 100 tons, aggregating
some 25000 tons gross register tonnage, or about 240 tons per every
1000 inhabitants. In 1928 (Lloyd's Register of Shipping) only Norway,
The United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Denmark had proportion-
ately larger merchant fleets, or respectively 1063, 502, 374 and 308
tons per every 1000 inhabitants. Besides ships of 100 tons and
upwards, there is also a great number of smaller craft, especially
motor boats, which are almost all engaged in the fisheries, as are also
the majority of the ships of over 100 tons (trawlers, herring boats,
and long-liners). For the fishing fleet, see p. 65.
Down to the Great War almost all transport to and from Iceland
as well as the majorily of the coastwise trade was carried on in for-
eign, mostly Danish or Norwegian, bottoms. From 1870 to 1875 the
mail service between Iceland and other countries was performed by
one single steamer, owned by the Danish government, and making 7
trips a year, generally touching at only one port in the country
t Reykjavik).
Since 1876 the United Steamship Company, Copenhagen {Det fore-
nede Dampskibsselskab) has kept up a regular steam service between
Iceland and Denmark, usually with a port of call in Scotland (Leith).
For many years, too, the coastal traffic was also in the hands of this
company which in consequence was subsidized by the Icelandic go-
vernment. At present the Company is running ships regularly every
fortnight both between Reykjavik and Leith in Scotland, and between
