BELGIUM. 



BIRD DAY. 



The nominal period of active service is eight years, 

 but after serving from twenty-eight to thirty-six 

 months the men are allowed to take indefinite leave 

 of absence on condition that they report for exer- 

 cise once a month if they belong to the infantry. 

 Cavalrymen, however, must serve four years. The 

 strength of the army on the peace footing was in 

 is;i."i as follows: (leiieral stall'. 79 ollicers: provin- 

 cial staff and fortress commands. .'!! ollicers: infan- 

 try. 1.U27 ollicers and 27.885 men ; cavalry. 376 offi- 

 and 5.S2H men: artillery. 40!) officers and 

 8,501 men: engineers, 95 officers and 1.637 men; 

 administrative, sanitary troops, instructors, and 

 train, 460 officers and 2.34o men : gendarmerie, 60 

 officers and 2.462 men: total. 3.505 officers and 

 4S.048 men. There are 7.200 horses for the troops 

 and 1,636 for the gendarmerie. The number of 

 guns is 200 in peace and 40 more for war. The 

 army on a war footing has the same number of 

 officers and 163.000 rank and file, exclusive of the 

 civic guard, which numbers 42.732 men. 



Communications. The railroads in operation 

 at the beginning of 1895 had a total length of 

 2.820 miles, of which 2,025 miles were state rail- 

 roads and 795 were operated by companies. The 

 state railroads carried 74.773.172 passengers, who 

 paid 51.539.763 francs. Their gross earnings were 

 152.074.ss9 francs, and expenses 86,537,469 francs. 

 Their total cost was 1,392,564,484 francs, and their 

 net earnings from 1835 amounted to 1,441.156,021 

 francs and the financial charges to 1,380,589.048 

 francs. The receipts of the companies' lines in 

 1894 were 41.591.780 francs, and expenses 20,086,- 

 984 francs. 



The telegraph lines have a total length of 3,982 

 miles, with 19.564 miles of wires. There were 

 8,307,193 messages sent in 1894, including official 

 and service dispatches. The receipts were 3,5s4.- 

 446 francs, and expenses 4,764,776 francs. 



The postal traffic in 1894 was 105,197,611 private 

 and 20.578,796 official letters, 42,502,135 postal 

 cards, 82,263,614 printed packets, and 103.441J.177 

 newspapers. The receipts were 19,223,437 francs, 

 and expenses 10,330.850 francs. 



Currency. From 1832 to 1894 the Belgian mint 

 coined 598.642.745 francs of gold, 556,342.745 francs 

 of silver, and 17.671.784 francs of copper and nickel. 

 Xo money has been coined recently. The national 

 bank, with a capital of 550,000,000 francs, estab- 

 lished in 1850. acts as the cashier of the state in 

 addition to carrying on the usual banking business, 

 and has the privilege of emitting notes, of which 

 469.662.000 francs were in circulation in 1894, with 

 a metallic reserve covering all but about 54,000,000 

 francs. The gold coin in actual circulation was 

 estimated at 54,000,000 francs and silver coin at 

 54.900,000 francs. Of the silver fractional coins 

 circulating in 1893 (coins below 5-franc pieces), 431 

 per cent, were of Belgian mintage, 34 per cent. 

 French. 18 per cent. Italian, and 4| per cent. 

 Swiss, with a few Greek pieces. The Premier 

 and Minister of Finance, M. de Smet cle Xayer. 

 in the course of a debate raised by Deputy' de 

 Borchgrave, of Brussels, on March 15, 1896. with 

 reference to the evils alleged to have been en- 

 gendered by the depreciation of the silver cur- 

 rency in 1873, declared that he recognized the 

 gravity of the evils set forth, and, while considering 

 that it was not incumbent on Belgium to take the 

 initiative in the organization of an international 

 conference upon bimetallism, he could promise that 

 the Belgian Government would willingly co-operate 

 in any measures having for their object the estab- 

 lishment of a stable ratio between gold and silver. 

 M. Montefiore-Levi subsequently interpellated the 

 Premier on his speech as denoting a ministerial 

 pledge in favor of bimetallism. The minister ex- 



plained that he had only meant to affirm his belief 

 that the depreciation of silver, favorable to agricul- 

 tural countries across the ocean, but prejudicial to 

 industrial nations in Europe, exercised a disturb- 

 ing influence upon prices, in relation to which, 

 whatever might be said to the contrary, wages had 

 not risen in proportion : and furthermore to express 

 his opinion, without implicating the Government, 

 that Belgium, while not in a position to take tin- 

 initiative, might adhere to an international agree- 

 ment on the subject. 



Elections. In the elections held in July. 1896, 

 the Catholics retained their majority in 7 provinces 

 out of 9, but lost the province of Brabant. The 

 Socialists kept their majority in the province of 

 Liege and gained 2 seats at Soignies, in the prov- 

 ince of llainault; while they lost 3 seats at Seraing 

 and 5 at Mons, which had been centers of political 

 and industrial strikes. The elections at Malines 

 were canceled by the Government, upon the ground 

 of bribery and corruption resorted to by the Liber- 

 als. The Socialist leader Anseele declared in the 

 Chamber that the Labor party was resolved to 

 have a voice in all the politica'l assemblies of the 

 country with the object of accomplishing the tri- 

 umph of the cause of the working classes by legal 

 means and without resort to violence ; but he com- 

 plained of the obligation imposed upon labor repre- 

 sentatives of recognizing a monarchy which they 

 did not acknowledge, their aim being to establish a 

 republican form of government in place of the 

 monarchy. For this speech he was reproved by 

 M. Beernaert, president of the Chamber, who ob- 

 served that, whatever might be the changes fore- 

 seen in the Constitution, the existing one must be 

 respected as long as it endured, and while the mon- 

 archy existed it was not permissible to plead the 

 cause of a republic in the councils of the nation. 

 The elections in Brussels and Antwerp were only 

 completed by reballots on account of the triangular 

 contests between Liberals, Catholics, and Socialists. 

 English trades-unionists and labor members of Par- 

 liament who went to Belgium during the summer 

 for the purpose of fomenting an international strike 

 of dock laborers and organizing a union among sail- 

 ors and firemen were expelled from the country by 

 the police. 



BIRD DAT, a holiday or festival established in 

 certain localities in the United States for the pres- 

 ervation of birds. It follows, in many respects, the 

 precedent of Arbor Day, established for the plant- 

 ing and protection of trees. The first observance 

 of Bird Day was in Oil City, Pa., May 8, 1894; 

 since that date the observance has become general 

 throughout the United States, and legislation is 

 preparing in several of the States to give the day 

 official recognition. It is probable that the day 

 will soon be very generally observed, because the 

 same influences that made Arbor Day what it is 

 are now enlisted in the cause of a Bird Day. 

 Among the influences noted perhaps the most 

 prominent name is that of the Hon. J. Sterling 

 Morton, United States Secretary of Agriculture, 

 who first suggested Arbor Day. twenty-five years 

 ago. In July, 1896, he distributed very widely a 

 circular approving the plan and suggesting how 

 it can best be carried out. The following is a brief 

 extract from the circular: "From all sides come 

 reports of a decrease in native birds, due to the 

 clearing of the forests, draining of swamps, and cul- 

 tivation of land, but especially to the increasing 

 slaughter of birds for game, the demand for feath- 

 ers to supply the millinery trade, and the breaking 

 up of nests to gratify the egg-collecting proclivities 

 of small boys. An attempt has been made to re- 

 strict these' latter causes by legislation. Nearly 

 every State and Territory has passed game laws, 



