The percentage for 10 years has been :-1892, 5·43; 1893, 5·19; 1894, 5-25; The revenue and expenditure in the last five years were (12 guilders = £1):- The budget estimates of revenue and expenditure for the years 1904 (October) and 1905 (October) were as follows:: The share of the direct taxes, excise, indirect taxes and customs duties in the revenue for the years 1899-1903 was : The amount of these taxes per head of the population was, in 1903, in guilders: direct taxes, 6.87; excise, 9.83; indirect taxes, 506; custom duties, 197. Total, 27 40. In 1899, 25 63; in 1900, 26 69; in 1902, 27.08. The expenditure of the Department for the Colonies' entered in the budget estimates only refers to the central administration. There is a separate budget for the great colonial possessions in the East Indies, voted as such by the States-General. The financial estimates for the year 1905 are distributed between the colonies and the mother country in the following proportions : In the budget for 1905 the national debt is given as follows: The following table shows the interest and sinking fund for the last six years : During the years 1850-1904, 323,821,940 guilders have been devoted to the redemption of the public debt. The total debt (1904) amounts to 1,133,415,556 gld. or 177. 7s. 10d. per head, and the annual charge to 34,497,950 or 10s. 7d. per head. The rateable annual value of buildings was given at 142,854,000 guilders in 1903, and of land, 96,961,000 guilders. The total real property of the Netherlands in 1892 was estimated by the Minister of Finance at 308 millions sterling; the total amount of personal wealth, estimated from the declared inheritances, has been put at 572 millions sterling; the total wealth would thus be 880,000,000l. sterling. The various provinces and communes have their own separate budgets; the provincial expenditure for 1903 was estimated at 7,941,000 guilders: the revenue at 7,140,000 guilders; the special communal expenses in 1901 amounted to 115,254,000 guilders, whereof 21,867,000 guilders for debt. The communal revenues were, in the same year, 124,610,000 guilders. Defence. I. FRONTIER. The Netherlands are bordered on the south by Belgium, on the east by Germany. On the former side the country is quite level, on the latter more hilly; the land frontier is open all round. These frontiers are defended by few fortresses. The most effective means of defending the Netherlands consists in piercing the dykes, and inundating a great stretch of land between the Zuiderzee and the river, the Lek. The few roads lying above the level of the water are guarded by fortresses connected with each other; the river can be defended by gunvessels, if necessary. A large part of the province of Utrecht, besides North and South Holland, with the principal towns, is thus secured. II. ARMY. The army of the Netherlands, according to the regulations of an Act of 1861, altered in 1901, is formed partly by con scription and partly by enlistment, the volunteers forming the stock, but not the majority of the troops. The men drawn by conscription at the age of nineteen-numbering yearly 17,500, of whom 12,300 for full training and 5,200 for short traininghave to serve in person,1 nominally, 8 years. In reality the service is for those in full term of training, 8 and 12 months for the infantry and 18 months for the mounted troops; for those in short term of training, 4 months. During the rest of their term of service the men have to meet for practice during 12 weeks for the infantry and 8 weeks for the mounted troops. Besides the regular army, there exists still a militia—' schutterij ' -mainly for internal defence, divided into two classes. The first, the active militia' (dienstdoende), exists in communes of 2,500 inhabitants and more; in the others there is a 'resting' (rustende) militia. All men from 25 to 30 belong to the militia, from 30 to 35 to the reserve. The militia is subdivided into three parts (bans) : (1) the unmarried men and widowers without children; (2) the married men and widowers with few children, who are supposed not to be absolutely necessary for their family or the exercise of their profession; (3) the married men and widowers with children belonging to the militia. The militia numbers 2 per cent. of the population; in 1901 the first part was formed by 42,976 men. Besides this there is the landstorm,' consisting of all capable of bearing arms, and the Society of Sharpshooters,' corresponding somewhat to the English Volunteers.' Under an Act of June, 1901, the militia and landstorm are to be abolished, and men who have served 8 years in the army will belong for 7 years to the landweer which is to be organised. 6 The regular army on footing of war consists in all of about 68,000 men, including special services, but excluding officers. In peace the total number of the army was, on June 1, 1903, 28,357 men and about 1,896 officers. Included in the infantry are 1 regiment of guards, and 9 regiments of the line; there are 3 regiments of cavalry, 1 battalion of sappers and miners, 3 regiments of field artillery, 4 of fortress artillery, 1 corps of light-horse artillery, 1 corps of pontooneers, and 1 corps of torpedoists. III. NAVY. The Navy is maintained for a double purpose-viz. the protection of the Dutch waters and coast, and the defence of the East Indian possessions. These latter contribute to the maintenance of that division of it known as the Indian Marine. Following is a list of the fighting ships of the Dutch Navy. 1 In 1898 personal military service was rendered obligatory, except for students in theology. Formerly substitution was allowed. The water-tube boiler in use is the Yarrow (fitted in 10 ships). There are also two old ironclad turret ships, Koning der Nederlanden, 5,400 tons, four 11-inch guns (old type), and 8-inch iron armour, and Prins Hendrik der Nederlanden, 3,375 tons, four 9-inch guns. Both are quite obsolete. A number of coast defence monitors, dating from 1868, also exist. Some have been refitted a little. They displace 2,000 to 1,500 tons, and carry two or one old type 11-inch gun. Their names are Luipard, Haai, Wesp, Hijena, Panter, Bloedhond, Cerberus, Krokodil, Heiligerlee, Stier Schorpioen, Matador, and Draak. Six unprotected cruisers of no fighting value, and thirty old flatbottomed gunboats, complete the fleet Thirteen first-class torpedo boats are to be built or are building; fifteen second-class of 83 to 90 tons exist, also twenty-five third-class of 45 to 30 tons. Four new third-class boats are to be built or are building. Of the fighting ships the Koningin Regentes is a fine type of small battleship or armoured cruiser; she has two submerged torpedo tubes, and is an improved Piet Hein. This vessel is practically a coast defence armoured cruiser; her guns are far less efficiently protected than those of the larger ship, which is excellently protected against shell fire. The Holland and Gelderland classes are similar to the British Astraea class. They are said to be the finest specimens of naval architecture for their size afloat. The Yarrow water-tube boiler is adopted for all new Dutch ships. The navy is small, but its efficiency is high. The navy is officered by 3 vice-admirals, 4 rear-admirals (‘schoutenbijnacht'), 27 captains, 36 commanders, and about 440 lieutenants and midshipmen, besides engineers, surgeons, &c., and about 8,000 seamen. The marine infantry consists of about 50 officers, and about 2,200 non-commissioned officers and privates. Both seamen and marines are recruited by enlistment, conscription being allowed, but not actually in force. Production and Industry. I. AGRICULTURE. The surface of the Netherlands was divided in 1902 (latest available statistics) as follows (in hectares, 1 hectare -2 47 acres):-Uncultivated land (heath), 585,353; water and morass, 124,223; dykes and roads, 51,019; untaxed land, 78,355; building land, houses, &c., 44,519. Total 883,469 h.a. According to the statistics of 1902 there were: land under culture, 869,442; pasture 1,186,843; gardens and orchards, 63,016; forest, 253,179. Total, 2,372,480 h.a. |