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Saragossa (111,704), Cartagena (102,542). The birth-rate varied between 2-83 and 3-08 per 100 inhabitants for the period 1914-9, 0-16 per zoo inhabitants being illegitimate. The marriage-rate fluctuated between 0-65 and 0-67 per 100 inhabitants during the war years, and made a sharp rise to 0-81 in 1919. In the same period the death-rate varied between 2-13 and 2-31 per 100 inhabitants, with an exceptional rise to 3-31 in 1918. Infant mortality is very high, being 20-20% of the total of deaths for infants of less than one year, and 16-73 between one and four.

Education. There were in 1910 59-35% people who could not read (figure including and referring to all ages). In 1919, 51,815 youths (of which 3,730 were females) were studying in secondary schools. In the same year 23,660 students were inscribed in the II universities of the country. This figure does not include numerous special and technical colleges, catering for certain professions such as architecture, engineering, veterinary science, etc., or the numerous agricultural, and arts and crafts, schools financed by the Govern- ment, municipalities and provincial councils.

Agriculture. Some progress is shown in area and production. Wheat crops oscillate near an average of 3,265,000 tons and reached their maximum at 4, 145,75 1 in 19 1 6. The wheat area averages 3,809,- 464 hectares. Barley shows greater fluctuations with an average of 1-5 million tons. Maize keeps close to its average of 0-6 million tons, while oats remain at 0-4 million tons. Vineyards suffer from parasitic trouble, and the area planted diminished gradually from 1905 (1-4 million hectares) to 1914 (1-2) then began to grow again, but without reaching its previous value. Yet the maximum crop corresponds to 1917 with over i million tons, of which 3-8 million were transformed into wine and produced 23-7 million hectolitres. The olive area grows steadily, and reached 1-6 million hectares in 1918. The maximum crop corresponds to 1911 with 2-2 million tons of olives, of which 2-1 were transformed into oil (0-4 million tons). The average figures are about half. Sugar, both cane and beetroot, is cultivated, but while cane decreases, beetroot shows an irregular increase in area (36,741 hect. in 191 1, 66,000 in 1918). This increase does not, however, correspond to a similar increase in production. The best year was 1913, with 1-3 million tons, and the worst 1918, with 0-672 million tons. While the average value of the annual agricultural production of the country in 1903-7 was estimated at 3,824,394,425 pesetas (152,975,777), it was valued at 7,975,623,025 pesetas (319,024,921) in 1916. A growing tendency is manifest towards the use of mechanical implements, of which there are several manufacturers in the country. More important machinery is imported, mostly from America.

Mining Mining was much stimulated by the war, the high price of coal having allowed the working of deposits which would not have been economically workable in normal conditions. Some Spanish products played an important role in the war; thus, pyrites were in high demand. The total value of the production of Spanish mines passed from 453 million pesetas in 1910 to 1,323 millions in 1917.

Railways. There are 14,902 km. of railway lines, of which 11,378 are normal and 3,524 narrow gauge. In 1918, the number of persons conveyed rose to 75,480,648, or an average of 206,796 daily. In the same period the transport of goods rose to 35,244,- 659 tons. Gross receipts amounted to 557,931,445 pesetas, or 37,060 per kilometre.

Pre-war and after-war traffic figures are as follows :

Persons

Goods (tons)

Pre-war average ....

50,350,000

29,090,22 }

1920

84,300,000

35.351.920

Increase

33,950,000

6,261,697

When war broke out, the Spanish railways were going through a crisis of growth, the traffic of the country having developed in excess of the railway plant, while the companies found themselves too near the date when they had by statute to revert their lines to the State, to be able to borrow money on good terms. The war aggra- vated this situation by all but stopping coast-shipping. Since then, a great increase in salaries and wages, as well as the rise in the price of coal and materials, has completely upset railway finance. An increase of 15 /o in rates was allowed after much opposition, and another is proposed which public opinion refuses to countenance. Several schemes are afoot to cope with the difficulty, all of them including a greater or lesser measure of State interference.

An electric railway line is proposed to link Dax with Madrid and Algeciras, by means of a French-gauge line, to be linked up in the luture with Moroccan lines. This scheme is subordinate to a general scheme for the harnessing of water-power in the whole peninsula, through the construction of hydro-electric stations and a polygonal distribution line. A further advantage of the scheme would be that .the numerous deposits of second-rate fuel existing in the peninsula would then be economically exploited in the production of electricity.

Merchant Marine. Despite heavy war losses, the merchant fleet was in 1920 slightly larger than in 1914. The figures for 1920 were :

Ships

Tons

Sail

more than

38

c-i 006

500 tons

less than 500 tons

516

60,639

Steam ....

more than 500 tons

379

840,007

less than 500 tons

259

52,640

Total ....

1192

1,007,192

This represents an excess of 318 sailing vessels with 81,575 tons and 10 steam vessels with 48,325 tons over 1914.

Industry and Commerce the war gave great stimulus to Spanish industries. Though many enterprises born out of the artificial condi- tions created by an exceptional Allied demand died out with the peace, progress is to be observed, particularly in Catalonia, Biscay and Astunas. Thus, while in 1905 there were in Spain 775 business corporations with an aggregate capital of 5,633 million pesetas, there were in 1916 no less than 2,435 of such corporations with a capital of 945 6 million pesetas. The average value of foreign trade for the pre-war period was about 2,250 million pesetas, or 112.90 pesetas per head. The war radically altered the regime. The commercial balance was against Spain in 1911. An excess of imports over exports, which had reached 150-5 million pesetas in 1900, fell to v6 in 1904, exceeded 100 millions in 1905 and 1906, fell to 2 millions in 1907, and varied between 16 and 75 millions in the following years while in 1912 there was a 10-6 million excess of exports. 1913 and 1914 saw high excess of imports again (229 and 170 millions), but after the war regime began in 1915 Spain registered in 1918 her maximum favourable balance, amounting to 338 million pesetas. Considerable imports of gold and silver tended to 'neutralize this figure in the total commercial statistics. The value of the peseta rose accordingly (see EXCHANGE, FOREIGN).

Banking. The Bank of Spain increased its gold reserves con- siderably. From 576 million pesetas in 1914, they grew to 2,415 million pesetas in 1919. Banks developed in all parts of the country, and, with the end of the war, a general invasion of foreign banks was also to be observed. English banking, which till then had not seemed to be interested in the peninsula, appeared in Spain, and now forms an important feature in Spanish business, not only in Madrid, but in Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, etc.

Finance. The Budget shows an increasing deficit due mostly to two causes: on the expense side, an increase in numbers and salaries of the bureaucracy; on the receipt side, a failure to reorganize taxa- tion on a sound basis of direct taxes. If 1909 be taken as a unit (100), expenditure grew steadily up to 168 in 1918, while receipts grew to 134, including Treasury bills. The actual figures in pesetas for 1920- 21 were: Expenditure, 2,403,730,313.69; receipts, 1, 842,720,570. -52: the deficit being 561,009,743.37. The Public Debt, which had dimin- ished by 2,000 million pesetas in 1910, had reached its previous amount again in 1918, and in 1920 was 11,926,295,232 pesetas.

HISTORY. The closing months of 1910 were occupied by important legislation carried on by the Canalejas Government. The " padlock " bill, forbidding the settlement of further religious communities in Spain until the negotiations with the Vatican were completed was carried in the Senate (Nov. 4) and a compulsory service bill introduced while the Chamber discussed a Municipal Taxation Reform Bill with a view to the suppression of the unpopular octroi. Meanwhile, Senor Garcia Prieto, after laborious negotiations, brought to a head the Spanish-Moroccan Agreement, which was signed in Nov. (see MOROCCO). The Agreement was well re- ceived by all political parties except the extreme Left. A bill was introduced and passed, regulating work in the mines; a moderate measure but a step in the right direction. An impor- tant political event, the breaking up of the Republican-Socialist block which had been created under the Maura-Cierva reaction- ary administration, was brought about unexpectedly by a debate on the Barcelona water supply. Senores Azcarate, for the Re- publicans, and Iglesias, for the Socialists, having expressed their disapproval of the action taken in the matter by Senor Lerroux and his radical followers, who controlled the municipality of Barcelona, a rupture ensued. Thus began the gradual weaken- ing of the anti-dynastic Left, which continued in later years. The " padlock " bill was passed by the Chamber of Depu- ties on Dec. 22.

Senor Canalejas' Cabinet ended the year greatly strengthened by its vigorous legislative policy. Yet, on the last day of the year, the prime minister being desirous of reconstituting his ministry handed in his resignation, and the King having renewed