412 



NETHERLANDS. 



ders, the Ministry of the Interior 15.966,758 guil- 

 ders, the Ministry of Marine 16,657,694 guilders, 

 the Ministry of finance 25,108,117 guilders, the 

 Ministry of War 22,716,429 guilders, the Ministry 

 of Public Works 29,380,074 guilders, the Ministry 

 of the Colonies 1,317.218 guilders, the public debt 

 34,731,380 guilders, contingent expenses 50,000 

 guilders. The revenue and expenditure of the 

 provinces in 1901 amounted to 6,177,700 guilders; 

 expenses of communes, 103,287,000 guilders, in- 

 cluding 17,725,000 guilders of debt charges; reve- 

 nues of communes, 111,739,000 guilders. 



The budget for 1903 places the revenue at 156,- 

 .-)4<).000 florins and the expenditure at 164,574,000 

 florins, leaving a deficit to be recouped in great 

 part from the extraordinary budget. In order to 

 increase the ordinary revenue the excise duty on 

 spirits was raised from 63 to 70 guilders per hecto- 

 liter. 



The national debt of the Netherlands in 1902 

 amounted to 1,155,390,450 guilders, including 15,- 

 000,000 guilders of paper money, but not floating 

 debt and annuities. Of the funded debt 624,995,- 

 400 guilders bear 2i per cent, interest and 515,- 

 395,000 guilders, consisting of loans contracted in 

 1895, 1898, and 1899, pay 3 per cent. The in- 

 .terest on the funded debt was 31,088,736 guilders 

 in the budget of 1902, on floating debt, 300,000 

 Builders; annuities 95,644 guilders; sinking-fund, 

 :i.2 47,000 guilders. 



The Army and Navy. The peace strength of 

 the army on June 1, 1900, was 1,911 officers and 

 25,762 men, forming 9 infantry and 3 cavalry 

 regiments, 3 regiments of field-artillery, 4 regi- 

 ments of fortress-artillery, 1 corps of light horse- 

 artillery, 1 battalion of sappers and miners, 1 

 corps of pontonniers, and 1 corps of torpedoists. 

 For war the regular army can muster about 68,- 

 000 strong, and the first ban of the militia, con- 

 sisting of men without families, numbers over 

 42,000. Under a law passed in 1901 men who 

 have served eight years in the regular army will 

 be enrolled for seven years in the landwehr, which 

 will take the place of the militia. The yearly 

 contingent of recruits drawn for the army is 

 about 17,500, of whom 12,300 are trained eight 

 and a half or twelve months, mounted troops 

 eighteen and a half months ; and 5,200 are trained 

 four months and have to practise eight or twelve 

 weeks in subsequent years. Paid volunteers still 

 form the nucleus of the army. 



The navy contains 5 armored cruisers, 7 deck- 

 protected cruisers, and a small turret ship. The 

 Koningin Regentes and De Ruyter, launched in 

 1899 and 1901, of 5,000 tons, have 10 inches of 

 armor over their vital parts, an armament of 2 

 9.4-inch guns, 4 6-inch quick-firers, and 8 3-inch 

 and many small quick-firers. Two other cruisers 

 of this class are building and 6 monitors, 3 of 

 which, of 1,500 tons, will carry 2 8-inch guns and 

 4 3-inch quick-firers and the 3 others, of 1,400 

 tons, 1 8-inch gun, 1 4.7-inch quick-firer, and the 

 same number of small quick-firers. Twelve moni- 

 tors of early date are still efficient. There are 

 13 first-class, 15 second-class, and 28 third-class 

 torpedo-boats. 



Commerce and Production. There were 865,- 

 676 hectares under farm crops in 1899; in gardens 

 and orchards, 62,061 hectares; pasture, 1,185,366 

 hectares; forest, 250,983 hectares; uncultivated, 

 H91.558 hectares. There were 80,777 properties of 

 less than 5 hectares, 63,584 hectares between 5 

 and 20 hectares, 25,444 between 20 and 50 

 hectares, and 3,587 above 50 hectares. Of the 

 total, 56.4 per cent, were cultivated by the owners. 

 The number of cattle in 1899 was 1,646,500; 

 horses, 284.900; sheep, 755,400; pigs 1,348,500. 



There were 213,864 hectares under rye, 155,535 

 under potatoes, 128,223 under oats, 71,836 under 

 wheat, 46,465 under beets, 33,821 under beans, 

 29,028 under buckwheat, 26,501 under winter 

 barley, 25,621 under peas, 9,030 under summer 

 barley, 8,000 under flax, 4,764 under rape, 744 

 under tobacco, and 68 under madder in 1899. 

 The imports of wheat in 1900 were valued at 129,- 

 641,000 guilders, and exports at 98,215,000 guil- 

 ders; imports of wheat and rye flour at 58,679,000 

 guilders, and exports at 13,051,000 guilders; im- 

 ports of rye at 87,066,000 guilders, and exports 

 at 39,299,000 guilders; imports of barley at 23,- 

 062,000 guilders, and exports at 15,960,000 guil- 

 ders; imports of oats at 29,738,000 guilders, and 

 exports at 25,432,000 guilders; imports of potato 

 starch at 5,102,000 guilders, and exports at 17,420,- 

 000 guilders; imports of buckwheat at 1,391,000 

 guilders, and exports at 600,000 guilders; imports 

 of beets at 83,000 guilders, and exports at 2,413,- 

 000 guilders; imports of flax at 1,443,000 guilders, 

 and exports at 16,439,000 guilders; imports of 

 bulbs, shrubs, and trees at 601,000 guilders, and 

 exports at 8,210,000 guilders; imports of vegeta- 

 bles at 2,171,000 guilders, and exports at 47,416,- 

 000 guilders. 



The yield of the herring fisheries in the North 

 Sea in 1900 was valued at 7,339,375 guilders. The 

 number of Dutch fishing craft was 5,719, with 19,- 

 498 men in their crews. The coal produced in 

 1900 was 124,538 metric tons, valued at 682,060 

 guilders. 



The total value of imports for consumption in 

 1900 was estimated at 1,968,000,000 guilders; ex- 

 ports of domestic products at 1,695,000,000 guil- 

 ders; transit trade, 5,808,000,000 guilders. Im- 

 ports of iron and steel and manufactures thereof 

 were valued at 188,694,000 guilders, and exports 

 at 142,526,000 guilders; imports of textile ma- 

 terials and manufactures at 122,814,000 guilders, 

 and exports at 88,059,000 guilders; imports of 

 cereals and flour at 328,186,000 guilders, and ex- 

 ports at 191,957,000 guilders; imports of rice at 

 48,106,000 guilders, and exports at 25,901,000 

 guilders; imports of coal at 59,632,000 guilders, 

 and exports at 9,624,000 guilders; imports of 

 mineral oil at 12,103.000 guilders, and exports at 

 52,000 guilders; imports of coffee at 50,375,000 

 guilders, and exports at 33,214,000 guilders; im- 

 ports of butter at 741,000 guilders, and exports at 

 22,572,000 guilders; imports of margarine at 2'2.- 

 268,000 guilders, and exports at 44",705,000 guil- 

 ders; imports of sugar at 18,164,000 guilders, and 

 exports at 53,786,000 guilders; imports of cheese 

 at 85,000 guilders, and exports at 16,068,000 guil- 

 ders; imports of vegetables at 2.171,000 guilders, 

 and exports at 47,416.000 guilders; imports of 

 lumber and wood at 59,272,000 guilders, and ex- 

 ports at 39,575,000 guilders; imports of hides and 

 skins at 27,129,000 guilders, and exports at 2!).- 

 060,000 guilders; imports of indigo at 4,319,000 

 guilders, and exports at 3,052.000 guilders; im- 

 ports of copper at 85,486,000 guilders, and exports 

 at 88,292,000 guilders; imports of paper at 6.2.">::.- 

 000 guilders, and exports at 43.632.000 guilders: 

 imports of tallow, grease, and suet at 23,790.000 

 guilders, and exports at 12,775,000 guilders: im- 

 ports of saltpeter at 31,457,000 guilders, and ex- 

 ports at 25,336,000 guilders; imports of tin at 

 23,785,000 guilders, and exports at 19,191,000 

 guilders; imports of zinc at 11,071,000 guilder-. 

 and exports at 10,879.000 guilders; imports of 

 paints and colors at 18,033,000 guilders, and ex- 

 ports at 15.280,000 guilders; imports of oil-seed-; 

 at 30,661,000 guilders, and exports at 15,951,000 

 guilders; imports of flax at 1.443,000 guilders,. 

 and exports at 16,439,000 guilders; imports of 



