GOVERNMENT AND LAW. 



103 



bers. The Upper or First Chamber is com- 

 posed of 50 members, elected by the Provincial 

 States from among the most highly assessed 

 inhabitants of the eleven provinces, or from 

 among some high and important function- 

 aries, mentioned by law. Members of the 

 First Chamber not residing in the Hague, 

 where the Parliament meets, are allowed 10 

 guilders (16s. 8d.) a day during the session of 

 the States-General. The Second Chamber of 

 the States-General numbers 100 deputies, who 

 are elected directly. 



The Government and the Second Chamber 

 only may introduce new bills; the functions 

 of the Upper Chamber being restricted to ap- 

 proving or rejecting them, without the power 

 of inserting amendments. The meetings of 

 both Chambers are public, though each of 

 them, by the decision of the majority, may 

 form itself into a private committee. The 

 ministers may attend at the meetings of both 

 Chambers, but they have only a deliberative 

 vote, unless they are members. Alterations in 

 the Constitution can be made only by a bill 

 declaring that there is reason for introducing 

 those alterations, followed by a dissolution of 

 the Chambers and a second confirmation by 

 the new States-General by two thirds of the 

 votes. Unless it is expressly declared, the 

 laws concern only the realm in Europe, and 

 not the colonies. 



The executive authority, belonging to the 

 Sovereign, is exercised by a responsible Council 

 of Ministers. There are eight heads of depart- 

 ments in the Ministerial Council, namely : 



The Minister of Foreign Affairs and President 

 of the Ministerial Council. 



Tin' Minister of the Interior. 



The Minister of Finance, 



The Minister of Justice. 



The Minister of the Colonies. 



Tin- Minister of Marine. 



Tit e Minister of War. 



Tin' Minister of Public Works and. Commerce. 



Each of the above Ministers has an annual 

 salary of 12,000 guilders, or 1 ,000/. 



There is a State Council " Raad van 

 State " of 14 members, appointed by the 

 Sovereign, of which the Sovereign is president, 

 and which is consulted on all legislative and a 

 great number of executive matters. 



Local fJqvernmeiit. The territory of the Nether- 

 lands is divided into 11 provinces and 1,123 communes. 

 Each province has its own representative body, "the 

 Provincial States." The members are elected for 6 

 years, directly from among the male Dutch inhabitants 

 of the province who are 25 years of age, one half of the 

 number being; subject to re-election or renewal every 

 three years. Except that they must be inhabitants of 

 the province, the electors, as well as the mode of voting, 

 are the same as for the Second Chamber. The number 

 of members varies according to the population of the 

 province, from 80 for Holland (South) to 35 for Drenthe. 

 The Provincial States are entitled to make ordinances j 



concerning the welfare of the province, and to raise 

 taxes according to legal precepts. All provincial ordi 

 nances must be approved by the King. The Provincial 

 States exercise a right of control over the municipali- 

 ties. They also elect the members of the First Cham- 

 ber of the States-General. They meet twice a year, as a 

 rule in public. A permanent commission composed of 

 six of their members, called the " Deputed States," is 

 charged with the executive power in the province and 

 the daily administration of its affairs. This commit- 

 tee has also to see the common law executed in the 

 province. Both the Deputed as well as the Provincial 

 States are presided over by a Commissioner of the Sov- 

 ereign, who ni the former assembly has a deciding vote, 

 but in the latter named only a deliberative vote. He is 

 the chief magistrate in the province. Only the members 

 of the Deputed States receive an allowance. 



The communes form each a Corpoiation with its own 

 interests and lights, subject to thegeneral law. In each 

 commune is a Council, elected for six years directly, bv 

 the same voters as for the Provincial States, piov'ided 

 they inhabit the commune ; one third of the Council 

 retiring every two years. All the male Dutch inhabi- 

 tants 23 years of age are eligible, the number of mem- 

 bers varying from 7 to 41, according to the population. 

 The Council has a right of making and enforcing by- 

 laws concerning the communal welfare. The Council 

 may raise taxes acording to rules prescribed by com- 

 mon law ; besides, each commune receives from the 

 State Treasury an allowance proportioned to the total 

 number of its inhabitants and to the share which its 

 non-contributing inhabitants have failed to pay toward 

 local taxes. All by-laws may be vetoed by the Sover- 

 eign. The Municipal Budget and the resolutions to 

 alienate municipal property require the approbation 

 of the Deputed States of the province. The Council 

 meets in public as often as may be necessary, and is pre- 

 sided over by a Mayor, appointed by the Sovereign for 

 six years. The executive power is vested in a college 

 formed by the Mayor and 2, 3, or 4 Aldermen (wethou- 

 ders) elected by and from the Council ; this college is 

 also charged with .the execution of the common law. 

 Municipal Police is under the authority of the Mayor ; 

 as a State functionary the Mayor supervises the actions 

 of the Council ; he may suspend their resolutions for 30 

 days, but is bound to inform the Deputed States of the 

 province. 



Religion. According to the terms of the Constitu- 

 tion, entire liberty of conscience and complete social 

 equality are granted to the members of all religious con- 

 fessions. The royal family and the majority of the in- 

 habitants belong to the Reformed Church. The salaries 

 of several British Presbyterian ministers, settled in the 

 Netherlands, and whose churches are incorporated with 

 the Dutch Reformed Church, are paid out of the public 

 funds. The State Budget contained fixed allowances 

 for the different churches; for Protestant Churches, 

 1,370,852 guilders; for Roman Catholics, 578,035; and for 

 .lews, 12,775. 



Instruction. Public instruction (primary) is given 

 in all places where needed, but education is not compul- 

 sory nor necessarily free; religious convictions are re- 

 spected. 



From the beginningof this century elementary schools 

 have been more or les.-i under State regulation and in- 

 spection. In 1806, and more expressly in 1848, secular 

 instruction was separated from religious or sectarian 

 instruction. Elementary education is now regulated by 

 the Primary Instruction Act, passed in 1857, supple- 

 mented by an Act of 1878, and again considerably altered 

 by the Act of December 188!). By the last Act public in- 

 struction is diminished and a greater share in the edu- 

 cation of the youths left to private instruction, which is 

 now supported by the State. According to the regula- 

 tions or the piesent Act the cost of public primary in- 

 struction is borne jointly by the State and the c*m- 

 munes, the State contributing to the salaries of the 

 teachers and being responsible for 25 per cent, to the 

 costs of founding or purchasingsehools. There are four 

 universities Leyden. Grongingen, Utrecht, and Am- 

 sterdam attended by over 3,000 students; 1,278 private 

 and higher schools ; and 2,923 public elementary schools. 

 Justice. Justice is administered by the High Court 

 of the Netherlands (Court of Cassation), by 5 courts of 

 justice (Courts of Appeal), by 23 district tribunals, and 

 'by 106 cantonal courts ; trial by jury is unknown in Hol- 

 land. All Judges are appointed for life by the King 

 (the Judges of the High Court from a list prepared by 

 the Second Chamber). They can be removed only by a 

 decision of the High Court. 



