434 



GERMANY. 



The total length of railroads in Germany, open for traffic, was as follows on January 1. 

 1879 (in kilometres 1 kilometre = 0'62 mile) : 



The postal statistics of the empire, according to the latest official publications, were as fol- 

 lows: 



The extent of electric telegraphs (in kilometres), and the amount of their business, are 

 shown in the following table : 



The second session* of the Reichstag was 

 opened on February 12th by the Emperor Wil- 

 liam in person. In his speech from the throne, 

 the Emperor thanked the House for the assist- 

 ance it had rendered him in arresting the So- 

 cialist agitation, and said bills would be intro- 

 duced for removing the evils afflicting com- 



* The first session was opened on September 9, 1878, and 

 closed in October. For an account of the proceedings, see 

 " Annual Cyclopaedia" for 1878, p. 330. 



merce. " I consider it my duty," added the 

 Emperor, "to strive at least to preserve the 

 German market for articles of national produc- 

 tion as far as that course is consistent with our 

 interests, and also to cause the customs legisla- 

 tion to be once more assimilated to those well- 

 tried principles which, in our commercial policy 

 since 1865, have in some essential points been 

 abandoned." After mentioning the abroga- 

 tion of clause 5 of the Treaty of Prague, by a 



