272 



tute a tou. Only sealed weights and measures are used in public 

 markets. 



Insurance is practiced on a large scale, both by mutual and stock com- 

 panies. Some life-insurance companies take risks outside the Empire ; 

 on the other hand, some thirty foreign companies have agencies in Ger- 

 many. It is estimated that 500,000 policies are pending, covering an 

 aggregate risk of 440,000,000 thalers, and paying an annual premium of 

 14,000,000 thalers. Fire-insurance operations are still more extensive 5 

 337 German companies and unions represent an aggregate capital of 

 7,440,000,000 thalers, while 25 foreign companies take German risks to 

 the amount of 500,000,000 thalers. It is estimated that 14,000,000,000 of 

 thalers' worth of property are insured, at an annual premium of 25,500,000 

 thalers. Besides the above, there are four companies who insure mirrors 

 at an annual risk of 1,500,000 thsilers, and several local and general 

 associations insuring crops against hail ; a very large number of live- 

 stock insurance companies do an extensive business, especially in the 

 stock-raising districts. Quite a number of private parties also assume 

 insurance risks. 



An important factor in domestic economy was founded, in 1850, by 

 Schulze-Delitzch under the name of " loan, credit, and consumers' 

 unions." At the close of 1871 there were 1,239 loan and credit unions, 

 with 230,016 members, and 405 consumptive unions, with 22,333 mem- 

 bers. At the close of 1872 a combination of trades-unions had been ef- 

 fected, embracing 10 confederated general unions, 282 affiliated local 

 unions, and li independent local unions, numbering 18,823 members. 

 This organization embraces about half the trades-unions of the empire. 



Mutual-benefit societies and savings banks are numerous. In Prussia, 

 in 1871, there were 1,805 mutual-benefit societies for independent traders, 

 with 300,917 members, andau income of 387,359 thalers, with a reserve- 

 fund of 1,898,359 thalers. For workmen there were 4,055 funds, with 

 632,212 members, an income of 1,907,418 thalers, (of which 416,977 

 thalers came from employers,) and a reserve of 2,316,981 thalers. Sav- 

 ings-banks originated, in 1818, at Berlin. At the close of 1871 they 

 numbered 830, with an aggregate deposit of 192,920,802 thalers, equal 

 to 7.86 thalers j?er capita of the population. The maximum proportion, 

 25 thalers per capita, is found in Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein; in 

 Posen and Prussia proper it falls below 1 thaler. 



Military establishment. — Military duty is inflexibly required of 

 every able-bodied citizen. The military age is from twenty to thirty- 

 two, seven of which are in the standing army — three years in activ^e 

 service and four in the regular reserve. The remaining five years is 

 passed in the landwehr or embodied militia. The peace-establishment 

 embraces 1 per cent, of the entire population, and actually enrolls 

 401,659 privates, 17,036 officers, and 3,644 surgeons and enlisting- 

 oflacers. The artillery consists of 1,200 field-pieces, served by 96,158 

 horses. The navy includes 3 armored vessels, 2 monitors, 10 corvettes, 

 2 dispatch-boats," 18 guu-boats, &c. Several armored vessels are in 

 process of construction. 



Taxation. — The expenses of the Empire in 1873 were met in part by 

 110,505,466 thalers of ordinary and 8,335,023 thalers of extraordinary 

 taxes. Their deficiency was met, first, by the surplus revenue of the 

 post-office department and telegraphs ; and, secondly, by direct allot- 

 ments to the states of the Empire in proportion to population. Since 

 the organization of the empire all internal customhouses have been 

 abolished, and no restrictions can be placed on the commerce between 

 the states. The customs-union embraces also Luxembourg, though it 



