Page:Economic Development in Denmark Before and During the World War.djvu/114

 the same period consumption duties rose from 46,000,000 to 71,000,000 kroner, of which duty on gin brought in 18,000,000 as against 4,000,000 in earlier years; the duty on beer, 11,000,000 as against 6,000,000. Meanwhile, the customs duties yielded during the war conditions so adverse to commerce only 30,000,000 kroner, as against a previous 32,500,000 kroner. A falling off of income is found in government enterprises, as in the state railways, which showed a deficit of 10,000,000 kroner in 1917-1918, against a surplus of 5,000,000 kroner in 1910-1911. The large incomes during the war did not prevent a great increase in the national debt, which was nearly doubled between March 31, 1911, and March 31, 1918. On the latter date it was 603,000,000 kroner, an amount which, however, a wealthy country such as Denmark can easily carry, and which is very small in comparison with the debts weighing upon the belligerent countries.

It is especially in the budgets of the Secretary of the Home Office and the Secretary for the Defence that we find the very large expenses corresponding to these figures. In 1910-1911 the expenditures of the War Office were about 20,000,000 kroner, of which between 4,000,000 and 5,000,000 were for fortifications, buildings, etc. In 1917-1918 they had increased to 86,000,000 kroner, of which 68,000,000 were for the measures of safety on account of the war. For the Navy Office, the expenses rose from 9,000,000 to 26,000,000 kroner, of which 17,000,000 were for measures of safety. The budget of the Home Office increased from 13,000,000 kroner in 1910-1911 to 124,000,000 kroner in 1917-1918; of the latter sum 18,500,000 kroner were used for purchase of corn and flour; 2,900,000 kroner for subsidies for importing maize; 1,300,000 kroner for the production of yeast; 4,200,000 kroner as compensation to the rye and wheat growers for grain surrendered. Butter producers received a subsidy of 13,900,000 kroner, a sum which will be much greater in the coming financial year. The reduction to the