Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/987

 BREMEN 681

BREMEN.

(FiiEiE Stadt Bremen.)

Constitution.

The State and Free City of Bremen form a republic, governed, under a Constitution proclaimed March 5, 1849, and revised Febmary 21, 1854, Xovcmber 17, 1875, December 1, 1878, May 27, 1879, and January 1, 1894, by a Senate of sixteen members, chosen for life, forming the executive, and the * Biirgerschaft ' (or Convent of Burgesses) of 150 mem- bers, invested with the power of legislation. The Convent is elected for six years by the votes of all the citizens, divided into classes. The citizens who have .studied at a university return 14 members; the merchants 42 members; the mechanics and manufacturers 22 members, and the other tax-paying inhabitants of the Free City the rest. The Convent and Senate elect the sixteen members of the Senate, ten of whom at least must be lawyers. Two burgomasters, the first elected for four years, and the second for the same period, direct the affairs of the Senate, through a JMinistry divided into twelve departments — namely. Foreign Afi"airs, Church and Education, Justice, Finance, Police, Medical and Sanitary Administration,;Military Aflairs, Commerce and Shipping, Ports and Railways, Public "Works, Industiy, and Poor Laws. All the ministers are senators.

Area and Population.

The State embraces an area of 99 English square miles. The population in 1880 was 156,723; on December 1, 1890, 180,443; on December 2, 1895, 196,404; on December 2, 1897, 202,465. The average annual rate of increase of population from 1855 to 1895 was 3 "02 per cent. Of the total population in 1895, 96,248 were males, 100,156 females— i.e. 104-2 females per 100 males. Marriages, 1896, 1,806, births, 6,503—204 (3-1 per cent.) still-born, 438 (67 per cent.) illegitimate; deaths, 3,581; surplus, 2,922.

Bremen, with Bremerhaven, is one of the cliief outlets of German emigra- tion. From Bremen itself the emigration was in 1893, 828; in 1894, 589; in 1895, 679; in 1896, 645; in 1897, 506. The German emigration from Bremen was in 1893, 39,852; in 1894, 17,269; in 1895, 15,160; in 1896, 12,548; in 1897, 9,559. The total emigration (including foreigners) from Bremen was in 1895, 68,998; in 1896, 67,040; in 1897, 46,798.

Religion, Justice, and Crime.

On Dec. 2, 1895, Bremen contained 184,200 Protestants (94-2 per cent.), 8,800 Roman Catholics (4*5 per cent.), 1,510 other Christians, 1,100 Jews.

Bremen contains two Amtsgerichte and a Landgericht, whence appeals lie to the ' Hanseati-sche Oberlandesgericht ' at Hamburg. In 1896, 3,007 persons were convicted of crime — i.e. 207 "5 per 10,000 inhabitants.