Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/1227

 DEFENCE

1105

The taxation for communal purposes amounted for the rural communes to 21,183,876 kroner, and for the towns to 24,663,348 kroner in 1910,

Defence.

The most important fortresses of Norway are Oscarsborg and the new fortresses near Agdenes, Bergen, TiJnsberg and Kristiansand ; the other fortresses, Karljohansvaern, Akershus in Eristiania, Bergenhus in Bergen, Munkholmcn near Trondhjem, and Vardohus, are of little importance.

Army.

The army of Norway is a national militia. Service is universal and com- pulsory, liability commencing at the age of 18, and continuing till the age of 55. The men are called out at 23, and for the first 12 years belong to the line ; then for 8 years to the landviirn. Afterwards they pass to the landstorm, in which they remain until they have attained 55 years of age. The initial training is carried out in recruits' schools ; it lasts for 48 days only in the infantry and garrison artillery, 62 days iu the mountain batteries, 72 in the engineers, 92 in the field artillery, and 102 in the cavalry. As soon as their courses are finished the men are passed to the units to which they will permanently belong, and with them go through a farther training of 24 days. Subsequent training consists of 24 days in the second, third and seventli years of service.

The line is now organised in 6 brigades of all arms, besides which there is the garrison artillery. There are 49 baitalions of infantry, 5- companies of cyclists (skiers), 3 regiments of cavalry, 27 four-gun field batteries, 3 batteries of mountain artillery and 1 regiment of engineers. The brigades are of unequal strength, according to the importance of the district in which they are recruited. In event of war, each brigade would mobilize 2 or 3 regiments of infantry (of 3 battalions), 3 or 4 squadrons of cavalry, a battalion of field artillery (of 4 or 5 batteries), a sapper company, a telegraph company, a medical company and a company of train. Each regimental (3 battalion) district also forms one battalion of landvarn of 6 companies, and the other arms would form landvarn units in the same proportion. Tke total strength of the line, on a war footing, is 80,000 of all ranks, which would be increased by means of the landvarn to 110,000.

The Norwegian infantry is armed with the Krag-Jorgensenrifle of 6 '5 mm The field artillery has Erhardt Q.F. guns of 7*5 cm.

The military budget for 1912-13 is 854,000Z.

Navy. The principal vessels of the Norwegian navy are : —

Laid down

1896 1899

Name

Armour

rH. Haarfagre. . ."I « \Tordenskiold . . ./; '

\Eidsvold. ..
 * Norge ....

900 j 7 }| 4,200 j 7

Principal Armament

H. P.

' Max. Speed

2 8in.; C 4-7in. 2 8in.; 6 6in.

4,500 I 17 5,200 I 17

Til ere are also 2 old coast service monitors, 3 gunboats, 3 destroyers, 37

4 B