Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/1093

 971 HONDURAS.

(Republic A de Honduras.) Constitution and Government.

The Republic of Honduras, establishedJanuaiy 11, 1839, before the dis- solution of the Confederation of Central America in 1839, is governed under a charter proclaimed October, 1894. It gives the legislative power to a Congress of Deputies consisting of 42 members, chosen for 4 years directly oy popular vote, in the ratio of one per 10,000 inhabitants. It meets for 60 days on January 1 each year. The executive authority rests with a President, nominated and elected by popular vote for 4 years.

Presidc7it.— General Manuel Bonilla (1912-1916).

The administration of the Republic is carried on by a Council of five ministers, to whom are entrusted the departments of Foreign Relations Government and Justice, War, Treasury and Public Credit, Public Works and Agriculture, and Instruction.

The active army consists of about 2,000 men, and the reserve has 54,000 men.

Area and Population.

Area about 46,250 English square miles, with a population, in 1910, of 553,446 (270,722 males and 282,724 females), according to official figures, or under 11 inhabitants to the square mile. The Republic is divided into 17 departments. The bulk of the inhabitants consists of aboriginal 'Indians,' and the sparse European-descended population, mainly of Spanish origin. Of the Indians about 90,000 are uncivilised. The capital is the ancient town of Tegucigalpa, with 22,137 inhabitants in 1911-12; other towns are Pespire, 7,132; Nacaome, 8,152; La Esperanza, 11,453; Santa Rosa, 10,574; Choluteca, 8,065; San Pedro Sula, 7,820. The main ports are Amapala on the Pacific, and, on the Atlantic, Puerto Cortez (2,500), Omoa (1,000), Ulua, La Ceiba, Trujillo, Roatan, and Utila.

In 1911 there were 2,461 marriages, 20,552 births, 10,356 deaths. Excess of births over deaths, 10,196.

Religion, Instruction, Justice.

The Roman Catholic is the prevailing religion, but the Constitution guarantees freedom to all creeds, and the State does not contribute to the sup- port of any. Instruction is free, compulsory (from 7 to 15 years of age), and entirely secular. At Tegucigalpa there is a central university with faculties of medicine, and of science, law, and political sciences; at Comayagua there is a school of jurisprudence. For secondary instruction the Government maintains a Central Institute at Tegucigalpa, and subsidies colleges in the departments To these colleges five normal schools are annexed. In 1910 they had 325 pupils. For primary instruction there were 888 schools with, in 1911, 29,525 pupils, and an average attendance of 20,864. The number of teachers was 888. The expenditure on education in 1911 was 223,054 pesos, 82,514 being for primary and 78,688 for secondary.

Tlie Judicial power resides in the Supreme Court with five judges chosen flircctly by the people for 4 years; four Appeal Courts, and departmental and local judges.

Finance.

The revenue is mainly derived from customs, and from spirit, powder, and tobacco monopolies. For the years stated, ending July 30, the revenue and expenditure (in silvei' pesos) are given as follows: —