PRUSSIA. 



741 



SOCRCIS or RJCVXNUI. 



Muki. 



1. Ministry of Finance 801,425,893 



5. Ministry of Agriculture. Domains, and ForeiU H2.2m.y5l 



.i.stry of 1'uMic Works 270,844,904 



I Ministry of Commeroo 282,423 



ft. Ministry of State 628,480 



6. Ministry of Justice 49,104,1*00 



7. Ministry of the Interior 8,701,b95 



S Ministry "1 Worship and Education 2,a4,86T 



9. Ministry of Foreign Affairs 4,500 



10. Ministry of War 1,000,000 



ToUl 711,500,758 



The expenditures are divided into permanent 

 (fortdauernde), transitory (einmalige), and ex- 

 traordinary (auvterordentliche) disbursements. 

 The permanent are subdivided into current 

 expenditures (Betriebsautgaberi), administrative 

 expenditures (Staat&verwaltungsausgaben), and 

 charges on the consolidated fund (Dotationen). 

 The different branches of expenditure were as 

 follows : 



CURRENT EXPENDITURES. 



Mart.. 



1. Ministry of Finance 81,617,970 



2. Ministry of Agriculture, etc 85,475,830 



8. Ministry of Public Work* 1,422,582 



4. Ministry of State 494,200 



5. Ministry of Worship and Kdacation 583,000 



Total current expenditures 264,598,087 



CHARGES ON THE CONSOLIDATED FUND. 



1. Additions to the crown dotations of the King. 4,100,000 



2. Interest on public debt 84,779,809 



8. Kentes 1,376,977 



4. Sinking fund of debt 18,402,524 



5. Management 440,690 



<5. Herrenhaus (House of Lords) 164,810 



7. Chamber of Deputies 1,199,520 



Total charges on the consolidated fund 80,864,180 



ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURES. 



1. Ministry of State 2,286,000 



2. Ministry of Finance 119,862,443 



8. Ministry of Foreign Affairs 410,400 



4. Ministry of Public Works 16,294,072 



6. Ministry of Commerce 1,437,605 



6. Ministry of the Interior 89,170,218 



7. Ministry of Justice 69,723,425 



8. Ministry of Agriculture, etc 10.4S3.302 



9. Ministry of Worship and Education 47,979,381 



10. Ministry of War 18,056 



Total administrative expenditures 807,159,899 



Total ordinary expenditures 652.622,066 



Transitory and extraordinary expenditures. . 58,878,693 



Grand total 711,500,758 



The public debt of the kingdom according 

 to the budget of 1878-'79 was as follows: 



Mark*. 



1. Consolidated debt of May 2, 1842 (Staat*- 



tokuldKluine) 134,964,800 



2. Consolidated debt at 4 J per cent 606,988,150 



8. Consolidated debt at 4 per cent 150,000,000 



4. Non-consolidated loans of various dates 103,857,000 



6. Preference loan of 1855 26,590,000 



6. War debt of the Kurinark and Neumark. . . . 2,683,745 



7. State railway debt 46,716,941 



8. Floating debt, called Schateanwtvntngen . . 80,000,000 



9. Debt of the provinces annexed in 1866 98, 107,048 



Total 1,097^22,879 



The principal subject before the Diet at its 

 spring session, commencing on January 8th, 

 was the budget for 1879, which was passed on 

 February llth. The debate on the appropria- 

 tion for tbe Ministry of Worship led to a dis- 



cussion of the supposed desire of the Center 

 or Catholic party to negotiate a compromise 

 with the state, when llerr von Schorlemer- 

 Alst (Center), on January llth, argued that 

 the fact of Prince Bismarck having entered 

 into negotiations with the Pope as to the posi- 

 tion of the Catholics in Prussia proved the co- 

 ordination of Church and state. He further 

 stated that the Catholic religion was being 

 forcibly stamped out, and its defenders, to the 

 shame of all Europe, were being hunted out of 

 the land. Having been called to order by the 

 President for the violence of his expressions, 

 he yielded to two other members of the Cen- 

 ter, who complained of the excessive favor 

 shown the Old Catholics in Bonn, which gave 

 occasion to a sharp reply from Dr. Falk. On 

 January 29th the House discussed a motion of 

 Herr Windthorst to restore the three articles 

 of the Constitution having reference to the re- 

 lations of the Church toward the state, and 

 which were annulled when the May laws were 

 passed. Professor Aegidi moved as an amend- 

 ment that the House should pass to an order of 

 the day, and this motion was adopted, being 

 supported by deputies of all parties except the 

 Center, Polish, and Old Conservative deputies. 

 The Diet was closed on February 21st. 



Elections were held throughout Prussia for 

 members of the Diet on October 7th, which 

 resulted in a complete overthrow of the Liberal 

 parties. Tho strength of each party in the new 

 Diet, as compared with that elected in 1876, was 

 as follows: Conservatives of all shades, 174 

 (in 1876, 73) ; Center, 97 (90) ; National Lib- 

 erals, 99 (178); unattached Liberals, 6 (8); 

 Progressists, 36 (67) ; Democrats, 1 (0) ; Poles, 

 19 (16) ; Danes, 2 (2). The result showed a 

 gain for the Conservative parties, and a cor- 

 responding loss for the National Liberals, in 

 every province except Hanover, where the Na- 

 tional Liberals held their own, while the Con- 

 servatives gained one seat from the Center. 

 The largest gains of the Conservatives are found 

 in East Prussia (15), Brandenburg (17), Pome- 

 rania (9), Silesia (18), Saxony (16), and Hesse- 

 Nassau (9). 



The new Diet was opened on October 28th 

 by the King in person. In his speech from the 

 throne he declared the financial condition to be 

 unsatisfactory, and a new loan would be neces- 

 sary to cover the expected deficit. A bill was 

 announced providing for the application of the 

 revenue falling to the royal coffers from the 

 surplus imperial imposts toward abating the 

 class and income taxes of the monarchy. The 

 most important passage of the speech referred 

 to the railroads. The King said : " Penetrated 

 by the conviction that the resolute achieve- 

 ment of a state railway system was the only 

 way in which the national lines could be made 

 to serve the public welfare, demanded with in- 

 creasing emphasis by the interests of the coun- 

 try, his Majesty's Government had concluded 

 several agreements having for their object the 

 transfer to the state of important railways. 



