Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/1143

 FINANCE 787

read nor write. Primary instruction is mostly at the expense of the states and municipalities, but the Federal Government makes frequent grants, and many schools are under the care of beneficent societies. Higher education is carried on in secondary schools and seminaries, and in colleges for pro- fessional instruction, including schools of law, medicine, engineering, mining, Hue arts, agriculture, commerce, arts and trades, music. In 1896 the nuniber of schools supported by the states was 5,852, and by the munici- palities, 3,218 ; the number of teachers in both was 13,352 ; there were 666,301 enrolled pupils, and an average attendance of 413,790. The cost of these schools for the year was 5,463,350 dollars. The private and clerical schools numbered 2,442 with 101,641 enrolled puoils and an average attendance of 76,956. The total nuniber of schools was thus 11,512, with 767,942 enrolled pupils, and an average attendance of 490,746. Of the average attendance, 300,272 were boys and 190,501 were girls. There are also one military and one naval college. The number attending the higher schools is stated at 21,000.

In 1896 there were in the Republic the National Library, with 159,000 volumes, and 102 other public libraries. There were in that year 17 museums for scientific and educational purposes, and 3 meteorological observatories. The number of newspapers published was 531, of which 7 were in English, 5 in Spanish and English, 2 in French, and 1 in Germ n.

The judicial power, which is entirely ilistinct from and independent of the executive, consists of the Supreme Court, with 15 judges chosen for a period of six years, Circuit Courts, with 3 judges, and District Courts, with 32 judges.

The Ordinary, Civil, Criminal, and Correctional Courts are controlled by the Department of Justice and Public Instruction.

State Finance.

Of the revenue in recent years about 40 per cent, has been derived from customs, 45 per cent, from internal taxation, and 15 per cent, from other sources. Of the expenditure about 44 per cent, has gone to the administration of the government, over 46 per cent, to the service of the debt, and nearly 10 per cent, to railway subventions.

The receipts and expenditure for five years have been : —

1893-94.

1894-95.

1895-96.

1896-97.

1897-98.

The receipts include (besides ordinary revenue) loans on cuiTent account, and sums raised for special purjioses, e.g., the money obtained by the issue of bonds for payment of railway subventions.

The following are the budget estimates of revenue and expenditure for the year ending June 30, 1900 : —

3 E 2

Receipts

Expenditure

Dollars

Dollars

48,319,766 . 50,991,560 . 50,521,470 . 51,500,629 . 52,748,712.

. 48,644,525 . 50,740,976 . 45,070,123 . 48,330,505 . 51,815,286