NETHERLANDS. 



475 



Senate, 6; in the House, 10; Populists in the Sen- 

 ale, 9 ; in the House, 35 giving the Republicans a 

 majority of 13 on joint ballot. 



NETHERLANDS, a monarchy in western Eu- 

 rope. The legislative authority is vested in the 

 States General, consisting of a First Chamber of 50 

 members, elected by the Provincial Councils for 

 nine years, and a Second Chamber of 100 members, 

 elected for four years by the direct votes of all 

 Dutch burghers who pay 10 guilders of direct taxes 

 above the limit of partial exemption or are occu- 

 pants of separate dwellings. The reigning sovereign 

 is Queen Willemina, born Aug. 31, 1880, daughter 

 of Willern III and Princess Emma of Waldeck and 

 Pyrmont, who after the King's death on Nov. 23, 

 1890, acted as Queen Regent until her daughter 

 reached her majority on Aug. 31, 1898. The young 

 Queen took the oath of office on Sept. 6. 



The Council of Ministers constituted on July 26 

 1897, was composed as follows : President of the 

 Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. W. H. 

 do Beaufort; Minister of the Interior, Dr. H. Goeman 

 Borgesius; Minister of Finance, Dr. N. G. Pierson; 

 Minister of Justice, Dr. P. W. A. Cort van der 

 Linden; Minister of the Colonies, J. T. Cremer; 

 Minister of Marine, J. C. Jnnsen; Minister of War, 

 K. Eland; Minister of Public Works and Commerce, 

 C. Lely. 



Area and Population. The kingdom has an 

 area of 12,648 square miles. The population was 

 estimated on Dec. 31, 1897, at 5,004.204, comprising 

 2,477,118 males and 2,527.086 females. The number 

 of marriages in 1897 was 36.796; of births, 168,816 ; 

 of deaths, 91,230; excess of births. 77,586. 



Finances. The revenue in 1896 was 135,175,567 

 guilders from ordinary and 180,000 guilders from 

 extraordinary sources ; total, 135,355,567 guilders. 

 The expenditures were 39,295,234 guilders for de- 

 fense, 32,137,346 guilders for debt, 10,223,130 guilders 

 for public works, and 51,829,158 guilders for general 

 expenses ; total, 133,448,868 guilders. The revised 

 ! estimates for 1897 made the total revenue 133,924,- 

 965 guilders and the total expenditure 137,273,041 

 guilders. The budget estimate of revenue for 1898 

 I was 134,432,350 guilders, of which 44,400,000 guilders 

 j came from excise, 20,385,000 guilders from indirect 

 taxes, 12,309,000 guilders from the land tax. 8,976,- 

 000 guilders from the post office, 8,716,500 guilders 

 from import duties, 8,700.000 guilders from personal 

 ; tax, 7,000,000 guilders from the tax on capital, 4,- 

 | 620,000 guilders from the tax on incomes from trade 

 ' and professions, 3,885,000 guilders from state rail- 

 | roads, 2,450,000 guilders from domains, 1,850,000 

 i guilders from pilot dues, 1,403.000 guilders from the 

 ! telegraphs. 659,000 guilders from the state lottery, 

 ; 240,900 guilders from the tax on gold and silver, 

 I 130,000 guilders from shooting and fishing licenses, 

 5,980 guilders from mining dues, and 8,641,970 

 guilders from miscellaneous sources. The total ex- 

 penditures for 1898 were estimated at 141,743,746 

 guilders, of which 32.491.093 guilders are for public 

 lebt, 24,055,195 guilders for public works, 23,452,- 

 548 guilders for finance. 22.3-33,006 guilders for the 

 irmy, 15,533,996 guilders for the navy, 14,455,836 

 guilders for the interior, 5,643,437 guilders for 

 justice, 1,388,716 guilders for the colonial office, 

 338,436 guilders for foreign affairs, 800.000 guilders 

 for the civil list, 701,681 for the state bodies, and 

 )0,000 guilders for contingent expenses. 



The estimate of revenue for 1899 is 140.800,000 

 ?uiklers, and of expenditure 152,600,000 guilders. 



The national debt in 1897 amounted to 1,106,- 

 >41.893 guilders, consisting of 626,008,900 guilders 

 )f 2i-per-cent. funded debt, the 3-per-cent. loan of 

 |P5 for 462,819.300 guilders, 3,013,693 guilders of 

 lebts of expropriated railroads, and 15,000,000 guil- 

 lers of uncovered paper money. The interest for 



ieib (j 



1897 was 29,935,246 guilders, and the sinking-fund 

 charge 2,708,500 guilders. 



The Army. The army has been recruited to the 

 extent of two thirds by the levy of militia, of which 

 the annual contingent was about 10,400, but the 

 only thoroughly trained and disciplined troops were 

 those obtained by voluntary enlistment for six or 

 eight years. The peace footing in 1897 was 1,882 

 officers and 26,972 men, with 5,755 horses. The army 

 in India is an independent organization, recruited 

 by enlistment in Europe and the colonies. Its 

 strength in 1897 was 40,346, comprising 16,066 Eu- 

 ropeans, 55 Africans, and 22,938 native East In- 

 dians. The plan of reforming the Dutch home 

 army by introducing universal obligatory personal 

 military service has been long under discussion and 

 was one of the chief projects of the present ml min- 

 istration. The law was passed by the Second Cham- 

 ber on June 1. with 72 votes to 20, and on July 1 

 by the First Chamber with 32 votes to 13. 



The Navy. The naval force, including the fleet 

 kept in the East Indies, consists of 6 armored ram 

 turret and barbette vessels, ranging from 3,400 to 

 5,200 tons; 19 smaller rams, monitors, and armored 

 gunboats; the protected cruisers "Holland," "Zee- 

 land,'' and " Friesland," of 3,900 tons, which carry 

 two 15-centimetre and six 12-centimetre guns and 

 can steam 20 knots with engines of 9,250-horse 

 power ; 6 other first-class and 4 second-class cruisers ; 

 50 small gunboats ; and 28 first-class, 3 second-class, 

 and 6 third-class torpedo boats. Six new coast de- 

 fense vessels are. being added. 



Commerce and Production. The imports of 

 wheat in 1896 were 134,439,000, and exports 98,- 

 161,000 guilders in value ; the imports of rye were 

 77,343,000, and exports 35,430,000 guilders ; the im- 

 ports of wheat and rye flour were 48,779,000, and 

 exports 8,271,000 guilders; the imports of barley 

 were 26,092,000, and exports 18,520,000 guilders; 

 the imports of oats were 28,971,000, and exports 

 24,060.000 guilders ; the imports of flax were 1,178.- 

 000, and exports 16.298,000 guilders. In a total 

 import trade of 1,635,000,000 guilders the imports 

 of cereals and flour represent 315,624.000 guilders, 

 and in the total export trade, amounting to 1.340,- 

 000,000 guilders, they stand for 184,422.000 guilders; 

 the imports of iron and steel in all forms were 150,- 

 816,000, and exports 99,044,000 guilders; imports 

 of drugs 203,899,000, and exports 187,021,000 guil- 

 ders; imports of copper 68,044.000, and exports 

 65,367,000 guilders; imports of sugar 29,118,000, 

 and exports 52,435,000 guilders ; imports of coffee 

 40,872,000, and exports 24,434,000 guilders; imports 

 of rice 39,527,000, and exports 15.412,000 guilders ; 

 imports of timber 38,397,000. and exports 21,086,000 

 guilders; imports of oil seeds 39,565,000, and ex- 

 ports 18,557,000 guilders ; imports of butter 1,572,- 

 000, and margarine 18.240,000, exports of butter 

 17,170,000, and margarine 38,224.000 guilders; im- 

 ports of hides and skins 22,931,000, and exports 

 21,472,000 guilders ; imports of saltpetre 16,336,000, 

 and exports 22,238,000 guilders ; imports of colors 

 11,729.000, and exports 9,852,000 guilders ; imports 

 of indigo 9,649,000, and exports 6,911,000 guilders; 

 imports of mineral oil 10,840.000, and exports 80,000 

 guilders ; imports of cheese 76,000, and exports 

 11,731,000 guilders ; imports of vegetables 1,627,000, 

 and exports 27,106,000 guilders; imports of paper 

 5,026,000, and exports 27,732.000 guilders ; imports 

 of fats and grease 16,336,000, and exports 6,186,000 

 guilders ; imports of tobacco 9,374,000, and exports 

 4,511,000 guilders; imports of tin 18,569,000. and- 

 exports 17,017,000 guilders ; imports of zinc 10.- 

 954,000, and exports 10,700.000 guilders; imports 

 of gold and silver 6,353,000, and exports 779,000 

 guilders. 



The total value of imports in 1897 was 1,706,100,- 



