782 



VENEZUELA. 



form of the entire fiscal system of Uruguay is 

 planned, and in this purpose the administration 

 had the support of almost the entire nation. The 

 haroor works are expected to regain for Monte- 

 video its lost position as the chief port on the 

 southeast coast of South America. After the first 

 surveys were made nearly three-quarters of a 

 century ago there came a period of internal strug- 

 gles and conflicts which rendered impossible any 

 continued effort to accomplish the work, which 

 was beyond the limits of the commerce and reve- 

 nue of the republic. Later administrations which 

 studied the matter deemed it necessary to call in 

 the assistance of foreign capital. This proved a 

 stumbling-block, and at last the Cuestas Govern- 

 ment conceived the idea of forming a fund from 

 home capital, which was done with entire suc- 

 cess. The port works will require from six to 

 eight years for their completion. The price at 

 which the French contractors undertake to build 

 them is $9,916,336 in gold, the Government fur- 

 nishing dredging material to an amount not to 

 exceed 4,900,000 francs. The funds are provided 

 by special import and export duties, yielding about 

 $1,000,000 in gold per annum. On the guarantee 

 of these duties port bonds are issued, which the 

 French syndicate agrees to take at current rates. 

 A violent conflict between the two political par- 



ties seemed likely to occur on the occasion of the 

 general election in November. Negotiations were 

 carried on to bring about an electoral agreement, 

 such as was made in 1897, whereby each party 

 sent to Congress a proportionate number of Depu- 

 ties. These negotiations failed, and in September 

 the situation was strained. On Oct. 24 the Min- 

 ister of Industry and Commerce resigned. The 

 Colorados and Blancos still strove to arrive at an 

 accord which would avert disorders, and on the 

 eve of the election an agreement was definitely 

 arranged in accordance with which the composi- 

 tion of the Chambers was to remain substantially 

 as it was, insuring the maintenance of the exist- 

 ing administration and averting the possibility of 

 a renewal of the civil war. The election on Nov. 

 24 passed off in perfect tranquillity. Party con- 

 tention having been suppressed by the electoral 

 accord, the majority of the electors abstained 

 from voting. Half of the Deputies were reelected, 

 and the only alteration in the political situation 

 was to add strength to the support given by Con- 

 gress and the nation to President Cuestas and his 

 administration. The new Chamber did not meet 

 till Feb. 15, 1902. Meanwhile the old Chamber 

 continued its deliberations, having been convened 

 to an extraordinary session. 



UTAH. (See under UNITED STATES.) 



V 



VENEZUELA, a federal republic in South 

 America. The legislative power is vested in the 

 Congress, consisting of a Senate of 27 members, 

 3 from each state and the federal district, elected 

 for four years by the state legislatures, and a 

 House of Representatives of 52 members, 1 to 35,- 

 000 of population, elected for the same period by 

 popular vote. The President is elected for two 

 years, and is ineligible for the succeeding term. 

 Gen. Cipriano Castro was appointed provisional 

 President on Oct. 23, 1899. The Cabinet appoint- 

 ed on July 30, 1900, was composed as follows: 

 Minister of the Interior, Dr. Rafael Cabrera Malo ; 

 Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Eduardo Blanco; 

 Minister of War and Marine, Gen. J. Pulido ; Min- 

 ister of the Treasury, Tello Mendoza ; Minister of 

 Public Instruction, Dr. Felix Quintero; Minister 

 of Fomento, Gen. Ramon Ayala ; Minister of Pub- 

 lic Works, Juan Otafiez. 



Area and Population. The area of Vene- 

 zuela is estimated at 593,943 square miles. The 

 population according to the census of 1891 was 

 2,323,527. In 1900 it was estimated at 2,444,816. 

 There were 326,000 Indians, of whom 240,000 were 

 civilized. The number of foreigners was 44,129. 

 Efforts have been made recently to settle foreign 

 agriculturists on the unoccupied lands of the in- 

 terior. The Federal Government will grant to 

 settlers 2} acres for each member of the family. 

 Education was made compulsory in 1870, and 

 in 1900 there were 1,450 federal elementary 

 schools and l.">0 state schools. But at the last 

 census only 399,986 persons, 205,277 males and 

 194,709 females, could read, and the total number 

 of pupils in all the schools was 'but 54,553. 



Finances. The revenue in 1898 was 33,429,826 

 bolivars, or francs, and expenditure 45,542,524 

 bolivars. Under a contract made for five years 

 in 1897 the Bank of Vene/.uela collects and dis- 

 burses the revenue, receiving a commission of 2 

 per cent, on all collections and payments. In the 

 budget for the financial year 1902 the amount of 

 the revenue is calculated at 37,000.000 bolivars, 

 of which 21,330,000 bolivars come from customs, 



650,000 bolivars from stamps and patents, 65,822 

 bolivars from territorial revenue, 2,860,000 boli- 

 vars from salt, 130,000 bolivars from registration, 

 700,000 bolivars from consular fees, 400,000 boli- 

 vars from Caracas water-rates, 800,000 bolivars 

 from Puerto Cabello, 4,560,178 bolivars from edu- 

 cation, 2,159,791 bolivars from posts, telegraphs, 

 and telephones, 3,312,200 bolivars from transit 

 dues, and 32,000 bolivars from mines. The ex- 

 penses are estimated at 15,239,332 bolivars for 

 administration, 11,425,791 bolivars for costs of 

 regie and collection, 2,484,108 bolivars for the 

 internal debt, 1,067,601 bolivars for the external 

 debt, 1,500,000 bolivars for the Venezuelan debt, 

 497,064 bolivars for foreign creditors, 541,895 boli- 

 vars for public works, and 4,244,209 bolivars for 

 subsidies; total, 37,000,000 bolivars. 



The foreign debt of Venezuela was inherited 

 from the federal republic of Colombia that was 

 dissolved in 1830. It was incurred in the war of 

 independence, and on July 30, 1900, the amount 

 outstanding was 2,638,200, not including 204,- 

 460 of unpaid interest. The internal debt at the 

 beginning of 1899 was 79,783,511 bolivars. The 

 total debt on July 1, 1901, was stated to be 194,- 

 202,343 bolivars, of which 11,119 bolivars were 

 what remained of the former national consoli- 

 dated 5-per-cent. debt and 13,092 bolivars the in- 

 ternal debt of 1894; 59,808,671 bolivars paying 6 

 per cent, were the internal debt of April 14, 1896; 

 3,544,342 bolivars were warrants paying 1 per 

 cent, a month; 66,614,550 bolivars were the ex- 

 ternal 3-per-cent. debt; 47,200,000 bolivars were 

 the Venezuelan loan of 1896 paying 5 per cent.; 

 6,713,029 bolivars were French, German, and 

 Spanish debt at 3 per cent.; 10,175,199 bolivars 

 the loan for the Caracas aqueduct; 115,638 boli- 

 vars debt from the revolution; and 6,703 bolivars 

 floating debt. 



Commerce and Production. In the settled 

 region near the coast and the Orinoco river sugar, 

 coffee, cacao, and grain are cultivated; in the 

 savannas farther back cattle are pastured in 

 great herds; and from the forests of the interior 



