Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/222

 100 THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — MALTA

packets 627,029. There is cable communication with the Continent, Tangier, the Mediterranean Eastern ports, and England, via Eastern Tele-

grai)h Comi)any's lines. ^ . ., . o • t.

The legal currency is that of Great Britain; but Spanish money continues

to be freely current.

Books of Reference.

Oolonial Eepoit. Annual. London.

Oon-espondence respecting Admiralty Works at Gibraltar. [Cd. 655]. London, 1901. Drinkwata (J.), The Siege of Gibraltar. London, 1785

Gii6rtrrf(G. J ), Puimlar History of Gibraltar. Gibraltar, 1881. ^, ,

Lucas (C. P. ), Historical Geography of the British Colonies. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Oxford, lt)00.

MALTA.

r^orcv/ior— Lieut. -General Sir H. M. L. Riindle, G.C.B., G.C.Y.O.,

K.C.M.G., D.S.O. ^^. ^., „

Lieut.-Govcrnor and Chief Secretary to Government.— Ma^oi bir J. L.

Clauson, C.V.O., K.C.M.G., R.E.

Assistant Secretary and Clerk of the Council.— Ea^^ar L. bonavia. Malta Avas lilockaded by the British Fleet, aided by the Maltese, horn 1798 to 1800, and was finally annexed to the British Crown by the Treaty ot Paris in 1814. Malta is 17 miles long; area, §1^ miles; and the neighbouring island, Gozo, 26 miles; total area (with Coinino), 118 square miles. Popula- tion, according to Census taken on 2nd April, 1911, 228,5^4. Birth rate, 1911-12, 33-49 per 1,000; death rate of civil population, 24-42; number ot marriages, 1,016. Chief town and port, Valetta. Education— 172 public schools" with 21,983 pupils on the rolls at the beginning of the scholastic year, 1911-12; a university with 4 faculties and 149 students; a lyceum with 484 students; 2 secondary schools, one for boys with 66 pupils, and one for girls with 210 pupils; and 3 technical manual schools with 38 pupils. The cost of university and secondary schools in 1911-12, 11,845Z. There are about 70 unaided private schools with 4,100 pupils. In 1911-12, 13,863 persons were committed to prison; 72 persons were convicted ot serious crime and 25,037 summarily. ■. • xv

Malta is one of the most important ports of call m the world, and is the base and resort for repair and refitment of the British fleet in the Mediter- ranean. Its harbour, as a naval station, is too small for the fleet. A new breakwater was constructed in 1909.

The Governor is assisted by an executive council and a council ol government consisting, according to the Letters Patent of June 3, 1903, of the Governor as President, a Yice-President, the Lieut. -Governor and Chief Secretary, nine official members, and eight ticcted members. The rit^ht to legislate by Order in Council in case of necessity is provided for. The constitution was amended on December 30, 1909, two elected members of the Legislative Council having been given seats (with salaries) on the Executive Council. Italian continues to be the oflBcial language of the law courts, but parents have the right to decide whether their children shall leam English or Italian at school, and 97-5 per cent, decided in favour of the former in 1911-12.

The revenue and the expenditure in 5 years have been :—

Revenue

1908-09 i 1909-10

1907-08

438,348 457,520 ' 436,200 Expenditure. 454,669 | 445,014 i 458,012

1910-11 1911-12

£ £

441,444 i 448,114 467,373! 467,783

Chief sources of revenue, 1911-12 : Customs, 250,865Z.; rents, 45,735Z.;