AUSTRIA-HUNGARY 9 6 S 



The Independent Party, however, still maintained their old programme and resorted 

 to obstructionist methods in order to make themselves heard. In November 1911 things 

 came to such a pass that it was resolved to adopt new rules of procedure to 

 /n*p' l rtf*- 0n ma ^ e obstruction impossible. The Opposition was unyielding, and the 

 meat. House witnessed disgraceful scenes, the upshot of which was that the 



Cabinet came to an arrangement with the Kossuthists with regard to the 

 Army Bill. But the basis of this agreement the Crown was unable to recognise; where- 

 upon Count Khuen-Hedervary tendered his resignation (March 6, 1912). At the re- 

 quest of the Crown, however, the Premier agreed to go on acting as First Minister, 

 especially as the Emperor threatened to abdicate if he would not (March 31, 1912). It 

 was intended that he should try to smooth over the difficulties of the situation. But 

 difficult as the state of affairs was, it was intensified by the policy of the Government in 

 Croatia. In December 1911 the General Elections for the Diet had been held, and the 

 Government were defeated, obtaining only 21 seats, whereas the Serbo- 

 Absoiutism Croatian coalition obtained 24 and the Allied Croatian Right 27. Hence 

 Croatia. the Diet was dissolved at the end of January 1912, without meeting. 

 Preparations for a new election were at once commenced, but the Govern- 

 ment, fearing a recurrence of the results, stopped the electioneering and suspended 

 Croatian autonomy. A new Ban, M. Cuvaj, was appointed as Royal Commissioner 

 (April 3, 1912), and virtually a despotism was established. A movement of protest at 

 once grew up. By the middle of April 191 2 it was beginning to take practical measures, 

 such as the proclamation of a boycott of all goods coming from Hungary. 



The Khuen-Hedervary Cabinet was unable to maintain itself, and on April 17, 1912, 

 it resigned. Three days later the Emperor-King entrusted Dr. de Lukacs, Minister of 

 Finance, with the formation of a new Cabinet. The ministers of the late 

 K fKhuea-" caomet joined the new ministry, and Dr. Lukacs attempted to find means of 

 tiedervary. coming to some understanding with the Kossuth Party with a view to intro- 

 ducing the Army Reform measure (April 21, 1912). The negotiations failed, 

 and the only method of overcoming obstruction in the House seemed to be by an 

 abusive interpretation of the standing orders. Count Tisza, who favoured such a 

 course, was elected President of the Chamber (May 22, 1912), and before 

 l n ne carried through his policy with great success. On June 4, 1912, he 

 secured the adoption of the Army Bill, and after 36 Opposition deputies 

 had been removed by the police and the rest had left the Chamber of a bill to increase 

 the annual contingent of Honved recruits. His action was approved by the Monarch 

 (June 12, 1912), but the Opposition were by no means cowed. When Parliament met 

 after the recess (Sept. 17, 1912) the same tactics were resorted to by the dissatisfied 

 party and similarly met by the President. For two days the Chamber presented a 

 scene of disorder, and on Sept. i8th the majority of the Deputies adjourned sine die. 



Despite these proceedings the Hungarian Minister of Finance was able to declare 



(Sept. 23, 1912) that the fiscal year ended with a surplus of over 2^ millions sterling. 



That was accountable by the fact that the year was on the whole a prosper- 



Progress. ous one f r Hungary. One way in which the improved conditions showed 



themselves was an enormous development in the building trade. In Buda 



Pest alone no less than 600 new houses were completed, many of them very large ones. 



But prices of the necessaries of life, particularly of meat, continued to rule very high in 



the towns, and in all probability the high price of food contributed to the prosperity of 



farmers. That agriculture was a profitable business was evidenced by the immense 



increase in the value of land and the rise in rents. 



Obituary. Of famous people who have died since 1909 the following may be mentioned. 

 IQOQ: on July 9, COUNT BADENI (b. 1836), Austrian Premier from 1895 to 1897 ( see 

 E. B. Hi, 34-36). 



ipio: on February 8, DR. FRANZ VON JURASCHEK (b. 1850), President of the Statis- 

 tical Commission; on March 10, DR. KARL LUEGER (b. 1844), Chief Burgomaster of Vienna, 

 and a well-known anti-Semite (see E. B. iii, 35-38); on Tune 29, CHRISTINE HEBBEL (b. 

 1818), widow of the poet Frederick Hebbel (E. B. xiii, 165), and formerly a famous actress; 



