Wiirttemburg the interim committee (which according to the constitution, is the 

 executive power during the dissolution of the Diet) contained two Socialists (October 

 5, 1912). At the elections in Bavaria, the second important state in the Empire 

 (February 1912), the party increased its strength from 20 to 30. The remarkable 

 thing about these elections was that Bavaria for the first time in its history obtained 

 a purely Centre ministry, with Freihefr von Hertling at the head. Former ministries 

 had been either liberal or business administrations; a Centre ministry 



Bavarian was something new. The justification for it however lay in the great 



Ultramontane i / i ? \ " '"' V 



cabinet. strength of the party after the elections. It had obtained 87 seats, as 



against 35 Liberals and 30 Socialists. Nevertheless feeling in the country 

 and in the press ran high, for the appointment of the new cabinet was regarded as a 

 success for reaction. 



Of the smaller states Mecklenburg deserves a word of mention. Mecklenburg has 

 always been regarded as the home of uncompromising conservatism; yet on February 



1 8, 1909 the Grand Duke received a deputation which presented a petition 



with forty thousand signatories (the total number of electors there is 

 146,910) demanding a reform of the constitution. The Grand Duke himself was quite 

 agreeable, but the nobility objected, and the notorious influence of the landed pro- 

 prietors in Mecklenburg was sufficient to make the scheme impossible. One other 

 matter is worthy of mention in connection with Mecklenburg. In November 1910 

 the Diet agreed to the imposition of a tax on bachelors. 



The death on Dec. 12, 1912 of Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria (b. 1821), may 

 be noticed here. He was the third son of King Ludwig I (abdicated 1848), and uncle 

 New Rulers ^ Ludwig II and the reigning King, Otto. He took a prominent part in 

 la Bavaria the Franco-German War, but mixed little in politics till 1886, when Lud- 

 aad wig II was declared incurably insane. Prince Luitpold then became 



' Regent, and he continued in that position when a few months later the 

 King drowned himself, and Prince Otto, who had already been eleven years under re- 

 straint, succeeded to the throne. His rule was. wise and economical, and under him 

 Bavarian relations with Prussia steadily improved. He was succeeded in the regency 

 by his son, Prince Ludwig Leopold (b. 1845). Mention must be made too of the 

 Duchy of Luxemburg, which though politically independent, is yet for commercial 

 purposes included in the German Zollverein. The reigning Grand Duke William died 

 February 26, 1912, and was succeeded by his daughter, the Grand-Duchess Marie 

 Adelaide (born June 14, 1894). 



The prosperity which showed itself throughout Germany in 1909 continued the next 

 year also. In 1910 the production of iron established a record (14,793,604 tons) and 



surpassed that of 1907 (13,045,760 tons). The same buoyancy was shown 

 progress. in coal production, which reached a total of 152,881,509 tons, being an 



increase of 2.63 per cent on the production of the previous year. Foreign 

 trade too was profitable, the total exports showing an increase of 13.35 P er cent on 

 those of 1909. The railway profits were satisfactory and there was technical progress. 



For in 1909 the Prussian State Railway Administration was voted a sum 

 /ec/rtf * monev in order to make experiments in electric motive power. The 

 nation. line chosen was that between Bitterfeld and Dessau (26 kilometres, about 



15 miles) which forms part of the main line between Magdeburg, Leipzig 

 and Halle. The electrification was begun on January 18, 1910, and was in working 

 order at the end of the year. 



As 1909 was the year of famine prices for wheat, 1910 registered famine prices. for 

 meat. The scarcity of cattle was due largely to the previous bad harvest of fodder, 



which had made cattle-rearing expensive. Besides, it must be remem- 



bered that even in good years the production of cattle in Germany is not 



sufficient to satisfy the demand. The high price of meat, therefore, is 

 a consequence, seeing that cattle importation is rendered difficult by the veterinary 

 precautions which are even more prohibitive than the high duties levied on foreign live 



