1032 GREECE 



Chamber and to revise new laws and decrees, and that of a supreme court for annulling 

 decisions and acts contrary to law and dealing generally with administrative abuses. 

 It established the principal of the irremovability of public officials during good behaviour 

 thus striking a blow at political jobbery. It widened the electoral law, and reduced 

 the age qualification of deputies from thirty to twenty-five years. Several modifications 

 in the procedure of the Chamber have been introduced, such as the reduction in the 

 number of deputies necessary to constitute a quorum, and new regulations under which 

 bills can be passed into laws. The Chamber must meet annually for not less than three, 

 nor more than six months. The power of verification of the mandates of deputies was 

 transferred from the Chamber to a special tribunal. Other modifications include the 

 transfer of the cost of primary instruction from the local authorities to the state, and 

 an article permitting the appointment of foreigners to the government services. 



Legislation. Other measures passed during 1911 were: judicial reforms tending to 

 facilitate and accelerate legal procedure; the introduction of an income tax; and the imposi- 

 tion of a new tax on arable land. Income is assessed for taxation on the rent of the residence 

 of the taxpayer; incomes below 160 are exempt, as well as the first 160 of incomes above 

 that amount, while deduction is made at the rate of 15 for every member of the family 

 above five in number living under the same roof; incomes from 160 to 4000 are taxed on 

 a sliding scale, and all incomes above 4000 are taxed 3 per cent. 



The tax on the produce of arable land, to replace the old tax on ploughing animals, met 

 with great opposition. It is imposed on cereals of all kinds, and amounts to 5 per cent 

 of the produce, after deducting a certain amount for each household. It may be paid 

 either in kind or specie. When land is let on the metayer system, as is the common practice, 

 the tax varies from a minimum of 2.4 per cent paid by the tenant farmer to 7 per cent paid 

 by the landlord, or 10 per cent if an absentee landlord. Owners of land producing less than 

 70 bushels of cereals or 10 cwts. of beans, peas, etc. are partially or wholly exempt. 



Agriculture. The government has taken various steps to promote agriculture and to 

 better the conditions of the peasants. Foreign experts have been engaged to organize 

 different branches of agriculture, and efforts have been made to drain marshes, improve 

 watercourses, and build roads. A new law has been passed f.o reform municipal administration. 

 Under this law each village forms a distinct unit of local government. 



Of the cultivated area about 1,200,000 acres are under cereals, 1,200,000 acres fallow 

 lands, 5,000,000 acres meadows and pastures, and 2,025,000 acres under woods and forests. 



The area under the chief crops and their yield in 1911 were: 



There were about 12,000 acres under cotton, and efforts were being made to encourage 

 cotton plantation and to improve the quality of the product. There were about 40,000 

 acres under vineyards, and the wine produced in 1911 amounted to 6,555,000 gallons. The 

 olive crop of 1911 was one of the best ever produced, amounting to 83,563 tons of olives, and 

 the yield of olive oil was 21,044,000 gallons. In 1910-11 the currant crop amounted to 

 144,196 tons, and that of 1911-12 to 155,000 tons, of which 113,000 tons were exported. 



Minerals. The mineral output of Greece in 1910 was: iron, 608,349 tons; lead, 185,207 

 tons; magnesite, 48,913 tons; sulphur, 51,531 tons; zinc, 37,108 tons; manganese iron, 

 35,594 tons; iron pyrites, 27,557 tons; emery, 8000 tons; chromite, 7000 tons; lignite, 1500 

 tons; manganese, 1287 tons; nickel 185 tons; copper, 91 tons; marble, 100,668 cubic feet. 



The value of all minerals extracted is estimated at 970,729. The produce of the blast 

 furnaces was: calcined zinc, 27,567 tons; magnesite, 19,294 tons; and lead, 16,573 tons. 



Army. The task of reorganizing the army was undertaken in 1911-12, with the 

 assistance of a French military mission under General Eydoux. In 1911 the peace 

 strength amounted to 1889 officers and 29,361 men, and the war strength to about 

 115,000 men. In 1912 a new law came into force, under which the war strength was 

 to be raised to about 200,000 men, and it was reckoned that the second reverse and the 

 national guard would add another 50,000 men. Military service was fixed to begin at 

 the completion of the nineteenth year, instead of the twenty-first as before, the term of 

 service in the active army being two years. Large sums of money were spent for pro- 

 viding the army with modern armaments, and 1,000,000 was provided in 1912 to 



