Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/1076

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GREECE

Catholic Churcli has an Archbishop at Athens, another in the Ionian Islands, and a Metropolitan at Naxos. The two latter prelates are metropolitans with one and five suffragans respectively.

Instruction.

AH children between the ages of five and twelve years must attend school, but the law is not well enfoi'ced in country districts. Of the army recruits 30 per cent, are illiterate, and 15 per cent, can read only.

There were (1910-11) 3,551 primary schools with 4,641 teachers (of whom 990 were of the female sex) and 259,854 pupils (82,458 females). For secondary education there were 41 high schools, 284 middle schools, 6 com- mercial schools, which, with others, totalled 338, having 1,318 teachers and 31,399 pupils (30,178 boys and 1,221 girls). There are 2 agricultural schools in Greece with, together, 50 pupils. There is a Trade and Industrial Academy. The Government Trade Schools at Athens and Patras have together 126 pupils. In 1912 the University of Athens (founded 1836) had 49 ordinary professors, 100 lecturers, and 3,358 students studying medicine, law, philo- sophy, theology, and chemistry. Of the total number, 800 were from abroad, chiefly from Turkey. The Polytechnicon Mezzovion with 22 professors, and 170 students, provides instruction in painting, sculpture, and mechanics.

The cost of primary instruction is borne by the communes, with a sub- vention from the State.

Finance.

In accordance with the peace preliminaries between Greece and Turkey and the Greek Law of Control of March, 1898, the financial commission of dele- gates representing Germany, Austria- Hungary, France, Great Britain, Italy, and Russia (the mediating powers) is established at Athens in direct relation with the Greek Minister of Finance. To this commission were assigned, for the jjayment of the interest on the external debt, the revenues from the salt, petroleum, matches and playing-cards monopolies, the duties on tobacco, cigarette paper, Naxos emery, the stamp duty, and the import duties at the port of Pimeus. In their report for 1911 the Commissioners announce an income of 61,763,494 drachmai (2,470,536Z.), of which 34,520,329 drachmai (1,380, 813Z.) were derived from the conceded revenues, and 27,243,165 drachmai (1,089, 726Z.) from the receipts of the Pirreus customs.

The collection of the assigned revenues and the administration of the monopolies is entrusted to a Greek Company, called the "Societe de R^gie des Revenues atfectes au Service de la Dette Publique," which is under the control of the international commission.

The ordinary revenue (exclusive of receipts from loans, &c. ) and expendi- ture in recent years have been (in currency drachmai of fluctuating value) : —

—

Nature of results

Revenue Drachmai

Expenditure

Drachmai

1908

Estimated

136,642,783

134,042,556

1909

Estimated

129,719,358

126,708,010

1910

Estimated

141,560,607

140,026,457

1911

Estimated

136,277,463

135,094,473

1912

Estimated

143,618,645

142,448,113