Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/714

 ^o8 AtrStklA- FT ANGARY

Political Relation between Austria and Hungary.

Austria and Hungary or, as in international relations they are officially called, the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, consists of two States, the Austrian Empire and the Hungarian Kingdom. The relation between the two States in its present form was fully regulated by the so-called Compromise of 1867. According to this agreement the two States are perfectly independent of each other, possessing each its own constitution, its legislative power and its executive departments for most branches of State aifairs. There is, however, a close political connection between them through the identity of the Sovereign and the community of cer- tain departments of State affairs.

The common head of the monarchy is the Emperor (Kaiser) of Austria and King (Kiraly) of Hungary. The crown is here- ditary in the Habsburg-Lothringen dynasty, passing by right of primogeniture and lineal succession to males and (on failure of males) to females. The monarch must be a member of the Roman Catholic Church. He is styled ' His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty,' being ' Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, &c., and Apostolic King of Hungary.'

Affairs common to the two States are : — (1) Foreign affairs ; (2) military and naval affairs, but excluding legislation con- cerning the army ; (3) finance relating to common affairs; but each State provides separately for the assessment, collection, and transmission of its contribution. The two States, moreover, form one commercial territory, having the same system of coinage and of weights and measures, a joint Bank of issue, and the same commercial (as well as political) representation abroad, while the monopolies and taxes connected with industrial pro- duction (salt, tobacco, spirits, beer, sugar, and mineral oil) are the same in both. This commercial union, unlike the political connection, which has a permanent character, depends on a Compromise renewable every ten years.

Legislative power relating to common affairs is exercised by the Parliaments of both States, but the voting of money to be applied to common purposes, and the control of the official action of the common ministries, belong to the so-called Delegations. Of these there are two, each consisting of 60 members, of whom 20 are chosen from each of the Upper Houses (the Austrian Herrenhaus and the Hungarian Forendihdz), and 40 from each of the Lower Houses (the Austrian Abgeord- netenhaus and the Hungarian Kepviselohdr). The mem- bers are appointed for one year. The Delegations are