BELGIUM. 



ments. The total ordinary expenditure is estimated 

 at 385,278,702 francs, of which 114,152,253 francs 

 are for interest and sinking fund of the debt, 4.930,- 

 200 francs for the civil list and dotations, 21,517,990 

 francs for the Ministry of Justice, 2,797,065 francs 



I or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 26,378,070 francs 

 or the Ministry of the Interior and Public Instruc- 

 ion, 21,773,694 francs for the Ministry of Agricul- 

 ure and Public Works, 116,337,880 francs for the 

 Ministry of Railroads, Posts, and Telegraphs, 48,- 

 20,375 'francs for the Ministry of War, 19,514,515 

 rancs for the Ministry of Finance, 4,917.900 francs 

 .or the gendarmerie, 2,743,560 francs for the Minis- 

 try of Industry and Labor, arid 1,896,000 francs for 

 repayments. 



The public debt amounts to the capital sum of 

 2,328,497.322 francs, 219,959,632 francs paying 24 per 

 cent., being Belgium's share of the old Netherlands 

 debt, 20,000,000 francs of treasury bonds, and 2,088,- 

 537,690 francs raised for public improvements and 

 bearing 3 per cent, interest, which is more than off- 

 set by the earnings of the railroads, for the construc- 

 tion of which the chief part of the debt was incurred. 

 The Army. Although Belgium is perpetually 

 neutral and inviolable under guarantee of Austria, 



iussia, Great Britain, and Prussia, signatories of 

 the Treaty of London, concluded on Nov. 15, 1831, a 

 standing army is maintained and formidable defen- 

 sive works have been erected and are still being 

 erected on the Meuse, besides fortresses on the 



Drench frontier and a ring of forts about Antwerp, 

 the chief place of arms and central citadel. The 

 irmy is raised mainly now by conscription, substi- 

 tution being allowed. The annual recruit is 13,300 



icn. The peace footing in 1897 was 3,426 officers 

 and 47,876 men, 51,302 in all, comprising 1.745 offi- 



ers and 27,800 men in the infantry, 304 officers and 

 5,760 men in the cavalry, 534 officers and 8,225 men 

 the artillery, 146 officers and 1,860 men in the en- 

 gineers, 66 officers and 2.782 men in the gendarmerie, 

 ind 631 officers and 1,449 men in the general staff, 

 train, administrative services, military school, etc. 

 There are 204 guns and 9,040 horses for the army, 

 besides 1,845 horses used by the gendarmerie. The 

 war strength of the army is 3,742 officers and 135,656 

 men, with 25,666 horses. This does not include the 



ivic guards organized in the towns, numbering 42,- 

 327 men. 



Commerce and Production. Over 67 per cent. 

 if the area of Belgium is farming land. 17 per cent, 

 forest, 8 per cent, uncultivated, and the rest roads, 

 marshes, rivers, etc. About 22 per cent, of the pop- 

 ulation is supported by agriculture. The production 

 3f wheat in 1896 was 7.238,595 hectolitres ; of oats, 

 3,477,118; of rye. 7.422,135; of barley, 1,445,616 ; of 

 aotatoes, 31,679,940 quintals: of sugar beets, 9,374.- 

 " )1 ; of other beets, 9,814,386 ; of tobacco, 5,166,000 

 dlogrammes in 1895. The production of coal in 

 1895 was 20,451.000 tons, value 193.357,000 francs: 

 )f pig iron, 829,234 tons, value 40,207,000 francs ; of 

 manufactured iron, 445,899 tons, value 55,729,000 

 francs; of steel ingots, 407,634 tons, value 31,018,- 

 "00 francs; of steel rails, 367,917 tons, value 42,- 

 119,000 francs. The value of zinc produced was 

 38,496,000 francs; of lead, 4,203.000 francs: of sil- 

 ver, 3,430,000 francs. The product of raw sugar 

 was 182.178,000 kilogrammes; of refined sugar, 65.- 

 662,000 kilogrammes; of proof spirits, 028,340 hec- 

 tolitres. 



In the general commerce for 1896 the total im- 

 ports were valued at 3.037,371.700 francs, and exports 

 at 2,720.302,115 francs. The imports by sea were 

 1,444 331,105 francs and those coming by the land 

 frontiers at 1,593,040,595 francs in value. The im- 

 ports for home consumption amounted to 1,776.700,- 

 000 francs, and the exports of Belgian produce and 

 manufactures to 1,467,900,000 francs. The transit 



trade was 1,295,300,000 francs. The values of the 

 principal special imports were : Cereals, 290,903,000 

 francs; chemicals and drugs, 110,309,000 francs; 

 textile materials, 165,912,000 francs: timber, 89,807,- 

 000 francs : gums and resins, 81,102,000 francs ; 

 woolen, cotton, and silk fabrics, 63,681,000 francs; 

 oil seeds, 55,532,000 francs ; coffee, 52,260,000 francs; 

 hides and skins, 49,743,000 francs; metals, 72,353,- 

 000 francs; animal products, 36,166.000 francs; live 

 animals, 56,571,000 francs : dyes and colors, 27,660,- 

 000 francs ; wine, 39,522,000 francs ; coal and coke, 

 31,153,000 francs; linen, cotton, and woolen yarns, 

 29,629,000 francs : fertilizers, 18,203,000 francs"; ma- 

 chinery, 21,659,000 francs; butter and margarine, 

 14,603,000 francs ; tobacco, 10,012,000 francs. The 

 principal exports of Belgian produce and manu- 

 factures were of the following values : Yarns, 103,- 

 712,000 francs; coal and coke, 88,255,000 francs; 

 cereals, 65,505,000 francs ; machinery and vehicles, 

 64,826,000 francs ; chemicals and drugs, 63,334,OCO 

 francs; raw textiles, 81,781,000 francs; textile fab- 

 rics, 60,920,000 francs; steel, 62,325,000 francs; 

 skins and leather, 55,829,000 francs : iron, 66,795,000 

 francs ; glass, 78.344,000 francs ; meat, 24,758,000 

 francs ; sugar, 54,689,000 francs : animal products, 

 35,093,000 francs ; zinc, 40,148,000 francs; fertilizers. 

 20,880,000 francs ; oil seeds, 22,119,000 francs; min- 

 erals, 38,206,000 francs; horses, 31,287,000 francs; 

 bitumen, 26,712,000 francs; colors and dyes, 24,256,- 

 000 francs. 



The participation of the principal commercial 

 nations in the special commerce of Belgium for 

 1896 is shown in the following table, giving values 

 in francs : 



Navigation. During 1896 there were 7,814 ves- 

 sels, of 7,483,206 tons, entered and 7,812, of 7,487,- 

 976 tons, cleared at Belgian ports. Of the total 

 number entered, 4,259, of 2,807,683 tons, arrived 

 from English and 274, of 715,465 tons, from Ameri- 

 can ports. 



The commercial marine of Belgium in 1896 con- 

 sisted of 5 sailing vessels, of 917 tons, and 53 steam- 

 ers, of 84,822 tons. 



Communications. There were 2,839 miles of 

 railroad in operation on Jan. 1, 1896, of which 2,044 

 miles were operated by the Government and 795 by 

 companies. The number of passengers carried in 

 1895 was 76,937,198 on the state railroads and 22,- 

 662,735 on the other lines. The gross receipts of 

 the state railroads were 154,467,350 francs, and 

 operating expenses 90,436.312 francs; the receipts 

 of the companies were 42.167,600 francs, and ex- 

 penses 20,054,337 francs. The total sum invested 

 in the state railroads was 1.413,057.543 francs. 



The Government telegraph lines in 1896 had a 

 total length of 3,955 niiles, with 39,000 miles of 

 wire. The number of dispatches in 1896 was 8,668,- 

 177 ; receipts, 6,580,763 francs ; expenses, 5,872,298 

 francs. 



The postal traffic in 1896 was 110,566,990 private 



