(Reichsgericht) in Vienna has power to decide. Private persons can in certain cases appeal against the decisions of magistrates to the High Court for Administrative Affairs.

There are 15 penal establishments (Strafanstalten) in Austria for males, and 6 for females.

Pauperism.

The right to poor relief is defined by an imperial statute, but the regula tions for the apportionment of the cost are made by the separate provinces, and are consequently very various. The funds first available are the public funds for the support of the poor (Localarmenfonde und Armeninstitute), derived from endowments, voluntary contributions, the poors' third of the property left by intestate secular priests, and certain percentages on the proceeds of voluntary sales. In some provinces the poors' funds are augmented from other sources, e.g. theatre money (Spectakelgelder), hunting licences, dog certificates, and in some large towns percentages on legacies over a fixed amount. When, in any given case, these funds are exhausted, the commune of origin (Heimatsgemeinde) must make provision. Those who are wholly or partially unfit for work may be provided for in such manner as the commune judges propose. Besides poors' houses and money relief, there exists in many provinces, by custom or by constitutional rule, the practice of assigning the poor-in respect of board and lodging--to each of the resident householders in fixed succession (Einlegesystem).

In some provinces unions (Verbände) have been formed by statute to undertake certain burdens as to poor relief. By the erection of houses for forwarding vagrants to their proper communes (Schubstationen) a great step was taken towards the suppression of begging and vagrancy.

On hospitals, orphanages, and poor-relief in 1899 the Austrian provinces (exclusive of Görz and Gradiska, Istria and Dalmatia) expended 3,599,816 crowns, and Vienna and other municipalities with a total population of 2,711,635 expended for similar purposes 16,326,726 crowns.

Besides these there were, in 1900, 1,361 crèches, Kindergartens, &c., with 148,170 children, 229 orphanages, &c., with 16,256 children, and 1,643 poorhouses (Versorgungs-Anstalten), with. 48,689 inmates. The expenditure for the poor-houses alone was 7,835,333 crowns, or 0.80 crown per head per day.

Finance.

The following table shows the expenditure and revenue of Austria in thousands of florins up to 1899, but in thousands of crowns or half-florins (12 florins or 24 crowns = £1) for 1900, 1901 and 1902.

Expenditure:

Total in cash 559,597 803,547 840,621 1,755,027 1,876,567 1,819,200 in bills. 5,787 129,780 29,151 212,354 208,038

16,911

Total. 576,508 809,334 970,401 1,784,178 2,088,921 2,027,238

Revenue:

Total in cash. 582,163 794,058 801,544 1,727,413 1,994,406 1,809,064

Total. 603, 600 801,560 932,775 1,758,329 2,273,567 1,956,341

The revenue and expenditure were given as follows in the estimates for the years 1904 and 1905. It should be observed that they are stated not in florins, but in crowns (or halfflorins) :—

For railway construction and other purposes the amount of 567,000,000 crowns will be expended during the 5 years 1901-1905.

The general debt amounted on December 31, 1903, to 5,424,366,337 crowns; to the charge for interest and amortisation Hungary pays about 61,000,000 crowns.

The special debt of Austria on December 31, 1903, consisted of consolidated debt, 3,747,713,525 crowns; floating, 13,678,917 crowns; total, 3,761,392,442 crowns. The charge for interest and amortisation of the general and special debts was in 1903, 367,087,410 crowns. Not included in the debt are State notes amounting to 2,988,250 crowns.

Production and Industry.

I. AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY.

The interests of agriculture fall to the care of the ministry of that department.

The cultivation of the soil is an important industry, furnishing employment to nearly half the population. The proportion of productive land is greatest in Dalmatia, Silesia, Moravia, Bukowina, Bohemia, and Galicia; least in Salzburg and Tyrol.

FF

In 1903 the total area cultivated was 28,249,864 hectares, distributed among different kinds of culture as follows:

The area exempt from taxation was of 1,750,929 hectares.

The following table shows the area in thousands of hectares (2·47 acres) of the leading crops, the total produce in thousands of hectolitres (2.75 bushels dry, 22 gallons liquid measure) or of quintals, and also the produce per hectare in hectolitres or quintals.

Barley and wine are most largely exported, though in some years considerable quantities of wheat are also exported.

In Austria in 1900 there were 1,716,488 horses, 9,511,170 cattle, 2,621,026 sheep, 4,682,654 pigs, and 1,019,664 goats.

The total value of the Austrian live stock was estimated at 487 million florins. The export of horses, cattle, and sheep far exceeds the imports.

The produce of silk-cocoons in Austria in 1899 was 2,158,205; in 1900, 2,631,767; in 1901, 2,441,710; in 1902, 2,150,261 kilogrammes; in 1903, 1,674,149 kilogrammes.

The administration of the forests and domains belonging to the State is in the hands of (a) the Administrators of Forests and Domains (the heads of husbandry); (b) the Direction of Forests and Domains; (c) the Ministry of Agriculture. Under the Administration of Domains and Forests is an extensive association of forestry officials, and schools of various grades for practical training in forestry.

The total area under forest in Austria (1902) is 9,777,935 hectares, and of this 6,828,415 hectares are under pines.

II. MINING.

Mines are worked for common coal chiefly in Bohemia, Silesia, Moravia, and Galicia; for brown coal in Bohemia, Styria, Upper Austria, Carniola, and Moravia. Iron ore is worked in Styria, Bohemia, Carinthia, Moravia, and Galicia; silver ore in Bohemia; quicksilver in Carniola; copper ore in Salzburg; lead ore in Styria, Galicia, Bohemia; zinc in Galicia, Carinthia, Tyrol, and Vorarlberg; sulphur in Bohemia, Tyrol, and Vorarlberg; manganese in Styria and Carniola; alum in Bohemia; graphite in Bohemia; petroleum and ozokerit in Galicia; while the largest production of salt is from Galicia, Upper Austria, and the Coast Land.

In mining (exclusive of petroleum, &c.), there were employed in Austria in 1903, 126,394 men, 5,963 women, 6, 497 juveniles, and 26 children; total, 138,880; in smelting, 6,810 men, 224 women, and 176 juveniles; total, 7,210; in salt works, 1903, 6,166 men, 703 women, 240 juveniles, and 607 children; total, 7,716.

The following table shows the value of the chief mineral and furnace products in thousands of florins :

The total value of mining and furnace products in five years was follows in Austria in florins :

as

1899

1900

1901

1902

1903

Miningproducts' 104,146,136 116,727,240 129,808,084 116,553,300 112,908,312 Furnace 1 47,498,858 49,987,900 48,327,850 44,517,308 44,157,157

1 Exclusive of petroleum, &c.

The following table shows the quantities and values, respectively, of the leading minerals and metallic products of Austria in 1903 :—