Money, Weights, and Measures. By law of August 2, 1892, the monetary system of Austria-Hungary was reformed on a gold basis, though the standard coin, the crown (krone, korona), is not coined in gold. The new coins with English equivalents are Gold: The twenty-crown piece (weighing 6·775067 grammes 900 fine, and thus containing 6 09756 grammes of fine gold) = 16s. 8d. The ten-crown piece 88 4d. The single ducat = 11 crowns 29 heller (fillér) = 9s. 4 d. The single crown (weighing 5 grammes 835 fine, and thus containing 4 175 grammes of fine silver) =100 heller = half-a-gulden (forint) of the old coinage = 10d. The twenty-heller (20-fillér) piece = 10 kreuzer (krajczár) of the old coinage = 2d. 1d. The ten-heller (10-fillér) piece = 5 kreuzer (krajczár) of the old coinage == Bronze : The two-heller (2-fillér) piece = 1 kreuzer (krajczár) = d. Silver gulden or florins continue to be legal tender to any amount. Silver crown-pieces are accepted to any amount at Government offices, but in general circulation they are legal tender only up to 50 crowns. The notes of the State Bank are legal tender. The metrical system of weights and measures is now legal and obligatory in Austria-Hungary. The old weights and measures were :— The Centner (mázsa) =100 Pfund=56 06 kg. Eimer (akó) Joch (hold) Metzen (mérö) =123 lbs. avoirdupois. 12:49 wine gallons. = =56 59 litre 5,754 64 square metre =61.49 litre (The Klafter (öl) of wood = 6·82 cubic metre = 240 cubic feet.) Meile (mértföld) = AUSTRIA. Constitution and Government. I. CENTRAL GOVERNMENT. The political representation is twofold—(1) for all the Austrian provinces (Reichsrath); (2) for each separate province (Landtage). The Reichsrath, or Parliament of the western part of the Monarchy, consists of an Upper and a Lower House. The Upper House (Herrenhaus) is formed, 1st, of the princes of the Imperial family who are of age, 17 in number in 1904; 2nd, of a number of nobles-63 in the present Reichsrath —possessing large landed property, in whose families by nomination of the Emperor the dignity is hereditary; 3rd, archbishops, ten in number, and bishops, 7 in number, who are of princely title inherent to their episcopal seat; and 4th, of any other life-members nominated by the Emperor, on account of being distinguished in art or science, or who have rendered signal services to Church or State-152 in 1904. The Lower House (Abgeordnetenhaus) consists of 425 members, elected, partly directly and partly indirectly, by the vote of all citizens who are 24 years of age and possessed of a small property or particular qualification; or, since 1896, who are not disqualified by any special cause. Of the members, 85 represent large landed proprietors, 21 the chambers of trade and commerce, 118 the towns, 129 the rural districts, and 72 the whole body of male citizens. There are thus five classes of electors: first, the large landed proprietors, payers of from 50 to 250 florins taxes, according to the provinces in which their estates are situated. In this class females in possession of their own property are entitled to vote. Second, the chambers of commerce and manufactures in the cities and large towns; third, towns and seats of industry; fourth, the rural districts where the peasantry and small proprietors are the electors, choosing in Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Corinthia, Carniola, and Bohemia, the deputies directly, in all the other lands indirectly (a voter for every 500 inhabitants, these voters electing the deputies); but in both towns and rural districts all males who pay direct taxes amounting to four florins annually have a vote. Fifth, the body of citizens not disqualified. In the several classes of electors the numbers qualified (1900-01) are given as follows: landowners, 5,431; chambers of commerce, 556; towns, 493,804; rural districts, 1,585,659; general electorate, 5,004,222. The total number of members is distributed as follows: Lower Austria 46, or 1 for every 66,252 inhabitants; Upper Austria 20, or 1 for 40,173; Salzburg 6, or 1 for 31,885; Styria 27, or 1 for 49,878; Carinthia 10, or 1 for 36,302; Carniola 11, or 1 for 45,969; Trieste 5, or 1 for 35,291; Görz and Gradisca 5, or 1 for 46,098; Istria 5, or 1 for 67,297; Tyrol 21, or 1 for 40,015; Vorarlberg 4, or 1 for 32,324; Bohemia 110, or 1 for 57,067; Moravia 43, or 1 for 36,228; Silesia 12, or 1 for 56,362; Galicia 78, or 1 for 92,624; Bukowina 11, or 1 for 66,003; Dalmatia 11, or 1 for 53,199; Total 425, or 1 for 60,890. The duration of the Lower House of the Reichsrath is for the term of six years. Members of the Lower House receive 10 florins (16s. 8d.) for each day's attendance, with an indemnity for travelling expenses. In case of dissolution new elections must take place within six months. The Emperor nominates the president and vice-president of the Upper House of the Reichsrath, while those of the Lower House are elected by the members. It is incumbent upon the head of the State to assemble the Reichsrath annually. According to the law of December 21, 1867, all constitutional matters concerning rights, duties and interests that are common to all provinces of Austria Proper must be regulated by the Reichsrath. To give validity to bills passed by the Reichsrath, the consent of both Chambers is required, as well as the sanction of the head of the State. The members of both the Upper and the Lower House have the right to propose new laws on subjects within the competence of the Reichsrath. The Ministry for Austria Proper is as follows, January 1, 1905 :— Minister of the Interior.-Count Bylandt-Rheydt. Minister for Railways.-Dr. Ritter von Wittek. Minister of Finance.-Dr. Kosel. Minister of National Defence.-Feldzeugmeister Count Zeno Welsersheimb. Minister of Agriculture.-Count Buquoy. Minister of Justice.-Dr. Klein. von Minister of Commerce.-Baron von Call zu Rosenburg und Kulmbach. Minister of Instruction and Worship.-Dr. Ritter von Hartel. Without Portfolio. Dr. Pietak for Galicia; Dr. Randa, Czech representative. The responsibility of Ministers for acts committed in the discharge of their official functions was established by a bill which received the sanction of the Emperor on July 25, 1867. II. PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT. The Provincial Diets are competent to legislate in all matters not expressly reserved for the Reichsrath. They have control over local representative bodies, and the regulation of local affairs affecting taxation, the cultivation of the soil, educational, ecclesiastical, and charitable institutions and public works. In Tyrol and Vorarlberg they have the regulation of the defence of the province, and consent to the employment of the local militia (Landeschützen) in another province of the Monarchy. Each Provincial Diet consists of one assembly, composed (1) of the archbishop and bishops of the Catholic and Oriental Greek Churches; (2) the rectors of Universities in Galicia, the Rector of the technical High School of Lemberg and the President of the Academy of Sciences of Cracow (Krakau); (3) the representatives of great estates, elected by all landowners paying land taxes of not less than 100, 200, 400, or 500 crowns, according to the provinces in which their estates are situated ; (4) the representatives of towns, elected by those citizens who possess municipal rights or pay a certain amount of direct taxation; (5) the representatives of boards of commerce and industry, chosen by the respective members; (6) representatives of the rural communes, elected in Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Carinthia, Carniola, and Bohemia directly, in other lands indirectly, by deputies called 'Wahlmänner,' returned by all inhabitants who pay a small amount (four florins) of direct taxation. In Carinthia and Vorarlberg there is, besides, a general electoral class in which every qualified male subject of the State over 24 years of age, who has been domiciled for the required time has a vote, in Styria and Carinthia direct, in Vorarlberg indirect. The strength of the seventeen separate Diets is shown in the following table: The deputies to the Provincial Diets are elected for six years. The Diets are summoned annually. The Provincial Council (Landesausschuss) is an executive body composed of the president of the Diet (called Landmarschall in Lower Austria and Galicia; Oberst landmarschall in Bohemia; Landtagspraesident in Dalmatia ; Landeshauptmann in the other lands, nominated by the Emperor) and other members elected. III. LOCAL GOVERNMENT. Each commune has a council to deliberate and decide, and a committee to administer all its affairs. The members of the council are elected for three (in Galicia for six) years. All who have a vote are eligible if of age. In the towns with special statutes a corporation takes the place of the communal committee. District representative bodies are, in Styria (Steiermark) Bohemia, and Galicia, interposed between the communal bodies and Provincial Diets. They deliberate and decide on all affairs affecting the interests of the district (Bezirk). They consist of the representatives (1) of great estates, (2) of the most highly taxed industries and trades, (3) of the towns and markets, (4) of the rural communes (Landgemeinden). Members are elected for three years, in Galicia for six. A committee of this body (called the Bezirksausschuss) administers the current affairs of the district. Area and Population. I. PROGRESS AND PRESENT CONDITION. Austria--exclusive of the Turkish provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which have been under the administration of Austria-Hungary since 1878, but have not as yet been formally incorporated with it—has an area of 115,903 English square miles, with a total population at the census of December 31, 1900, of 26,150,708 or 226 per square mile. The following is the civil population of Austria at the last 4 censuses:— The following table gives the area, and total number of inhabitants (civil and military), of the various provinces of Austria, after the returns of the censuses of December 31, 1890 and 1900: : The ethnical elements of the population on the basis of language were as follows in 1900: According to the returns of the census of 1900 there were in Austria 496,231 foreigners, of whom 270,751 were Hungarian, 112,971 German, 63,064 Italian, 20,973 Russian, 7,790 Swiss, 3,090 Rumanian, 2,802 Turkish and Egyptian, 2,645 British, 2,482 American, 2,400 French, 1,905 Bosnian and Herzegovinian, 1,738 Montenegrin, 968 Greek, 845 Servian, 352 Bulgarian, and 1,455 of other nationalities. In Austria, in 1900, the population, by occupations, was as follows: : |