Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/1109

 PAUPERISM — FINANCE

Statistics of persons convicted of offences of all kinds : —

987

Convictions

Year

Total

Before the Pretori

1906 1907 1908 1909 1910

451,563 343,829 410,876 486,242 436,438

376,196 269,572 337,497 410,378 363,277

Before the

Tribunal!

(first instance)

73,069 72,149 70,990 73,663 70,936

Before the Corti d' Assise

2,298 2,108 2,389

2,201

2,225

In 1911 (January 1) there were 45,328 males and 3,925 female prisoners. At that date there were 180 central and arrondissement prisons, 72 penal establishments, 41 reformatories, and 8 colonies for persons under domi- ciliary restraint. There were, besides, 1,302 cantonal prisons.

Pauperism.

In Italy legal charity, in the sense of a right in the poor to be supported hy the parish or commune, or of an obligation on the commune to relieve the poor, does not exist. Public charity in general is exercised through the permanent charitable foundations, called 'Operepie,' regulated by the law of July 17, 1890. The general results of an inquiry in 1900 were : — Leaving out of account institutions intended for lending, or for the encourage- ment of saving (that is, monti di pieta, monti frumentari, casse di prestanze agrarie), there were 27, 078 opere pie, with a gross capital of about 2, 205, 000, 000 francs. Their net income amounted to 52,559,000 lire. Added to this net income were casual legacies, contributions from private benefactors, subsidies .from communes (for hospitals), &c., all of which receipts are spent annually, and thus the sum at the disposal of the opere pie in 1900 (last available data) amounted to 120,765,000 lire.

Finance

Revenue and Expenditure.

Direct taxes are those on lands, on houses, and on incomes derived from movable capital and labour. The tax on lands, amounts to about 96 million lire. That on houses is at the rate of 12 '5 per cent, (with three-tenths additional) of the amount taxable, which is two-thirds of the real annual value in the case of factories, and three-fourths in the case of dwelling houses. The tax on incomes from movable wealth was raised to 20 per cent, of the amount taxable. The amount taxable in the case of incomes varies from the whole income to fifteen-fortieths according to various conditions. The communes and provinces also tax lands and buildings. The State grants to the communes one-tenth of the proceeds of the tax on incomes as compensation for other communal revenues made over to the State by various laws.

The principal indirect taxes are :— the customs duties, the octroi, the taxes on manufactures, the salt and tobacco monopolies, lotto.

Total revenue and expenditure for five years (25 lire = \l.) : —