Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/1021

 ARMY

665

The total expenditure amounts to 68 '9 marks per head of population. Th direct taxes amount almost to 5'3 marks per head. Since April 1, 1895, only the income tax, a new supplementary tax ( Vermogensstener), and the tax " vom Gewerbebetriebe im Umherziehcn " are direct State-taxes ; the land-tax, the house-tax, and the trading-tax are received by the communes.

The expenditure for the army and navy is not entered in the budget of Prussia, but forms part of the budget of the Empire.

The public debt of the Kingdom, inclusive of the provinces annexed in 1866, was, according to the budget of 1898-99, as follows : —

Amount

Sinking Fund

National debt bearing interest :

State Treasure Bills at 3i per cent. . Consolidated debt at 3-i per cent.

„ ,, 3| per cent.

,, ,, 3 percent. State railway debt .... Debt of provinces annexed in 1866.

Total national debt.

Marks

12,419,700

3,588,190,000

1,914,100,650

834,899,600

130,343,599

5,268,520

Marks 6,171,766

2,868,363 46,537

6,485,222,069

9,086,667

The charges for interest, amortisation, and management of the debt amounted to 265,397,820 marks in the financial year 1898-99.

The debt amounts to 203 marks per head of population, and the annual charge to 8 '9 marks per head. In 1890 the total value of incomes was estimated by Dr. Soetbeer at 10,000 million marks, or 500,000,000^. sterling, and the average per head at 342 marks, or 17^. 2s.

Army.

The military organisation of the Kingdom, dating from the year 1814, is based on the principle that every man, capable of bearing arms, shall receive military instruction and enter the army for a certain number of years. The conditions of service have been already described under German Empire.

The peace strength of the Prussian contingent of the Imperial army was given as follows in the budget estimates of 1898-99 : —

.—

Officers, Surgeons, &c.

Men

Horses

Infantry ......

Riflemen, or ' Jager '. Bezirks-Kommandos ....

Cavalry ......

Artillery (field and fortress)

Engineers

Military Train, &c

Total.

11,246

364

650

2,512

3,544

694

2,861

279,617

8,856

4,196

51,554

63,874

15,142

8,623

50,642 23,127

3,489

21,871

431,862

77,258