NETHERLANDS. 



507 



The vote in favor of these amendments was 

 larger in every case than that against them; but it 

 appear* to be an unsettled question whether a ma- 

 jority of all the votes cast at the election is neces- 

 sary to pass them. If so, no one of them was carried, 

 the" highest vote being 84,579 in favor of the first. 

 The finding of the canvassing board was as follows : 



We therefore declare the amendments lost if 

 said amendments require the affirmative vote of all 

 those voting at said election." 



The Governor made out certificates of election to 

 the two candidates who received the highest num- 

 ber of votes Messrs. Kirkpatrick and Neville in 

 the usual form, except that the words "contingent 

 - upon the adoption of the constitutional amend- 

 ments increasing the number of supreme judges " 

 were added: the Secretary of State declined to 

 countersign them. 



NETHERLANDS, a constitutional monarchy in 

 western Europe. The legislative authority is the 

 States General, consisting of a First Chamber of 50 

 members elected by the provincial councils for nine 

 years, one third retiring every three years, and a 

 Second Chamber of 100 members elected by direct 

 suffrage for four years, every Dutch citizen having 

 a right to vote who pays 10 guilders of direct taxes 

 over the limit of partial exemption or has a separate 

 lodging. The reigning sovereign is Queen Wil- 

 lemina. born Aug. 31, 1880, whose mother. Queen 

 Emma, widow of Willem III, acts as regent during 

 the minority of her daughter. The ministry, con- 

 stituted on May 7. 181*4, was composed as follows : 

 President of the Council and Minister of Foreign 

 Affairs. Dr. J. Koell : Minister of the Interior. Dr. 

 S. van Houten ; Minister of Finance, Dr. J. P. 

 Sprenger van Eyk : Minister of Justice. Dr. W. van 

 der Kaay ; Minister of the Colonies. J. H. Bergsma ; 

 Minister of Marine. II. M. van der Wyck : Minister 

 of War. C. 0. H. Schneider : Minister of Public 

 Works and Commerce, P. W. van der Sleyden. 



Area and Population. The area of the king- 

 dom is 12.648 square miles. The population on 

 Dec. 31, 1895, was estimated at 4.859.451 persons, 

 comprising 2,228,487 males and 2.2^2.928 females. 

 The number of marriages in 1895 was 35.598 ; of 

 births, 165.741 ; of deaths, 97,618 ; excess of births, 

 68,123. The number of emigrants was 1.513. com- 

 pared with 1,356 in 1894 and 5.712 in 1893. The 

 population of Amsterdam was estimated at 456.324 

 at the end of 1895, that of Rotterdam at 276.337, 

 and that of the Hague at 185.744. 



Finances. The budget for 1896 makes the total 

 revenue 130,858,295 guilders, of which 12,030.000 

 guilders come from the land tax, 11, 716.000 guilders 

 from the personal tax, 6,850,000 guilders from the 

 tax on incomes from investments. 4.523.000 guilders 

 from the tax on professional incomes, 26.400.000 

 guilders from the tax on alcoholic liquors. 16.320.- 

 000 guilders from other excise taxes. 20.053.000 

 guilders from stamps, registration fees, and succes- 

 sion duties. 7.411.250 guilders from customs. 214.850 

 from fees for assaying gold and silver work. 2.425.- 

 000 guilders from domains, 8,179,000 guilders from 

 the post office, 1,345.800 guilders from telegraphs, 

 H.17.MX) guilders from the lottery. 131.000 guilders 

 from hunting and fishing licenses. 1,500.000 guild- 

 ers from pilotage. 5.175 guilders from mining royal- 

 ties. 3.050.000 guilders from railroads, and 7,146,420 

 guilders from miscellaneous receipt-. 



The total expenditures are estimated at 135.781.- 

 461 guilders, of which 804.250 guilders are for the 

 royal household. 672.633 for the superior state au- 

 thorities, 5.367.404 guilders for justice. 13.852.476 

 guilders for the interior. 15,763,796 guilders for the 

 navy. 23.736.335 guilders for the army. 32.334.915 

 guilders for the public debt. 8.871.941 guilders for 

 finance, 8,571.457 guilders for indemnification of 



communes for suppression of the octroi, 1.9*'. 

 guilders for the central administration of th< 



19.941.52s 1'or tin- interior and Water 

 1,642,753 guilders for railroads, and 50,000 guilders 

 for unforeseen expenses. 



The budget for 1897 shows revenue amounting to 

 134.000,000 guilders and 137,330,000 guil. 

 penditure. The ordinary expenditure is 4.nnn.uoi) 

 guilders within the amount estimated for ordinary 

 revenue, but the falling off of the receipts from the 

 personal tax owing to its revision must be made up 

 by contributions to the communes, and an in< : 

 of 1.330.000 guilders in the sum required for build- 

 ing war ships is called for. The abolition of tolls 

 on roads and canals is promised in 1898. The ac- 

 cumulated deficits, amounting to 14,000,000 guild- 

 ers, will be covered by a loan. 



The public debt in 1896 amounted to 1.072,792.- 

 650 guilders, on which the interest, 29.215,365 guild- 

 ers, and the cost of converting the 3-per-cent. ob- 

 ligations, of which there were 462,558,050 guilders 

 remaining, and of amortization, as provided in the 

 law of Dec. 30, 1895. was 2.519.550 guilders. 



The Army and Navy. Two thirds of the active 

 army consists of militia recruited by lot among the 

 young men that arrive at the age" of twenty, the 

 annual contingent being 10,400 ; the other third is 

 raised by voluntary enlistment for six or eight 

 years. Militiamen drawn for service may furni>h 

 substitutes. The peace effective consists of 73 of- 

 ficers of the general staff, 133 administrative of- 

 ficers, 46 battalions, 16 squadrons and 3 depots of 

 cavalry, 21 batteries, with 3 divisions of train and 3 

 depots, 40 companies of fortress artillery, 4 of ar- 

 tillery for ironclad forts, 2 of pontonniers, 2 of tor- 

 pedo miners, 9 of engineers, 3 of sanitary troops, 1 

 corps of marshals, and 2 depot companies for the 

 enlistment of colonial troops, the total strength for 

 1896 being 1,882 officers and 26,972 men, with 5.628 

 horses. 



The navy in 1896 comprised 10 armor dads, of 

 which 3 (the "Holland." "Zealand." and "Fries- 

 land") were not completed, 12 ironclad monitors, 

 5 river gunboats, 22 seagoing gunboats, 37 tor- 

 pedo boats. 6 frigates, 3 corvettes, 3 stationary ves- 

 sels, and 23 school ships. 



Navigation. During 1895 there were 1,387 sail- 

 ing vessels, measuring 964.017 cubic metres, and 

 8,213 steamers, measuring 18.203.983 cubic metres, 

 entered at Dutch ports and 1.419 sailing vessels, 

 measuring 1.066.318 cubic metres, and 8,123 steam- 

 ers, measuring 18.059.443 cubic metres, cleared. Of 

 the arrivals 1,138 sailing vessels, of 890.772 cubic 

 metres, and 7.777 steamers, of 17,588.195 cubic 

 metres, and of the departures 1.062 sailing vessejs, 

 of 575.162 cubic metres, and 5.507 steamers, of 10,- 

 094.659 cubic metres, carried cargoes. The sailing 

 vessels flying the Dutch flag numbered 603, of 249,- 

 873 cubic metres, among those entered, and 624. of 

 330,899 cubic metres, among those cleared ; of the 

 steamers entered 2.139, of 4.884.250 cubic metres, 

 and of those cleared 2,146, of 4,912,011 cubic metres, 

 carried the Dutch flag. 



The merchant navy on Jan. 1, 1896, comprised 

 405 sailing ships, of 289.740 cubic metres capacity, 

 and 162 steamers, measuring 532.820 cubic metres. 



Commerce. The special imports in 1895 were 

 valued at 1.443,800,000 guilders, including 5.400,- 

 000 guilders of specie, and the exports at 1.178,000,- 

 000 guilders, including 1. 800.000 guilders of specie. 

 Of the merchandise imports 450.200,000 guilders 

 consisted of alimentary articles. 511.800,000 guild- 

 ers of raw mat.-' "00.000 guilders of manu- 

 factures, and 230.9nn.000 guilders of miscellaneous 

 merchandise: of the expn- 396.400,000 guilders 

 consisted of alimentary articles. 888,100,000 guild- 

 ers of raw materials. 250,100,000 guilders of n:anu- 



