Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/788

 660 BELGIUM

2^ per cent, old deht. The debt charge amonnted to 125,954,858 francs (4,998,208Z.)in 1912.

The total debt amounts to about 498 francs per head, and the annual charge to about 16| francs per head ; but the interest is more than covered by the revenue from railways alone. The total exports of home produce in 1911 were 478 francs per head.

Local Finance.

In 1909 the total revenue for all the provinces was 31,566,253 francs, expenditure 26,872,836 francs ; provincial debts, 1910, 35,563,988 francs.

Defence.

Maritime frontier, 42 miles ; Dutch frontier, north and east, 268 miles ; German frontier, in the east, 60 miles ; Luxembourg frontier, in the east, 80 miles ; French frontier, south and west, 384 miles. The chief military arsenal of the kingdom is Antwerp, the fortifications of which, designed to shelter the whole army in case of need, are now being remodelled at enormous cost. There are also fortifications at Liege, Huy, and Namur on the Meuse, where there is a strong line of defence.

The Belgian army was till recently recruited partly by voluntary enlistment and partly by conscription of the old type with many exemptions, but in De- cember, 1909, a law was passed substituting "personal service "for conscription with substitution, and greatly reducing the number of exemptions. Voluntary enlistment is retained (for those who desire to make the army a profession), first engagements being for 5, 4, or three years, according to whether the recruit is 16, 17, 18, or over 18 on enlistment. The young men of the contingent (compulsory recruits serve for 1 year and 8 mouths in the infantry, 1 year and 10 months in the garrison artillery and engineers, 2 years and 4 months in the field artillery, and 3 years in the cavalry. These terms will however be reduced, after 1912, to 15 months in the case of the infantry, engineers, and garrison artillerj'", 1 year and nine months in the case of the field artillery, and 2 years in the cavalry.

The total length of service is 8 years in the first line, or "active army," and 5 years in the second line, or reserve forces. The first line reservists will be liable to be called up for training for 4, 6, or 8 weeks, according to the arm to which they belong, in the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th years of service, and the training period may be divided between the two years.

The authorised peace strength of the Belgian army is 42,800 (exclusive of oflttcers), and the number of men available in war, including depots, should be about 180,000 ; but the actual peace strength in 1910 was only about 41,000.

The field army consists of 4 divisions, and 2 cavalry divisions. The former are composed of two brigades of infantry (each consisting of two regiments of 4 battalions), a brigade of artillery (12 field batteries of 4 guns each), a batta- lion of carabineers, a company of cyclists, a squadron of gendarmes, a company of engineers, &c. The strength of a division is about 22,000 combatants. The cavalry divisions each contain 2 brigades of 2 regiments and 2 batteries of horse artillery. Strength about 4,000 combatants. The total strength of the field army should be close on 100,000 men, leaving 80,000 for the fortresses and fortified positions, depots included.

The Gendarmerie is a semi-military corps of about 3,500 of all ranks, nearly half of them mounted. It furnishes a squadron to each field division as divisional cavalry.

There is also a Garde Civique of 46,563 officers and men, organised on