Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/868

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COSTA RTCA

8,170. The population of European descent, many of tlieni pure Spauish Wood, dwell mostly around the capital, the city of San Jose (31,668), and in the towns of Alajuela (6,061), Cartago (5,927), Heredia (7,761), Liberia (2,373), Puntarenas (4,709), and Limon (6,287). The government encourages immigration by the sale of land on easy terms. There are some 25,000 coloured British West Indians, mostly in Limon Province, on the banana farms.

For the purpose of public health the country has been divided into 26 districts, superintended by medical men paid by the national Treasury.

Religion and Instruction.

The Roman Catholic is the religion of the State, but there is entire religious liberty under the Constitution, The Bishop of San Jose is a suffragan of the Archbishop of Guatemala. Elementary instruction is com- pulsory and free. Elementary schools are provided and maintained by local school councils, while the national government pays the teachers, besides making subventions in aid of local funds. In 1911, there were open 356 elementary schools ; the teachers numbered l,0f>4, and the enrolled pupils 29,904, the average attendance being 25,921. For secondary instruction there are at San Jose a lyceum for boys with 315 pupils in 1911, and a college for girls with 206 pupils (including a normal section). The towns of Cartago, Alajuela, and Pleredia, have each a college. For professional instruction there is a Medical Faculty, and also schools of Law, Pharmacy, and Dentistry.

Justice.

Justice is administered by the Supreme Court of Justice, two Appeal Courts, and the Court of Cassation. There are also subordinate courts in the separate provinces, and local justices throughout the Republic. Capital punishment cannot be inflicted. In 1911 there were 11,750 convictions of misdemeanor, and 1,509 of crime.

Finance.

The revenue and expenditure for five years have been in gold colones worth about 22 '9^ (£1 = Colones 10-45) as follows : —

From April 1st to March 31st

From

April 1st to

Dec. 31st

From January 1st to December 31st

1900-7

1907-8

1908

1909

1910

1911

Revenue Expenditure

£

662,019 675,762

£

757,557 879,564

£ 498,480 579,580

£

094,860 687,400

£

777,200

847,710

£ 931,494 962,050

The revenue is chiefly derived from customs, liquors, and railways, posts, and telegraphs. The largest items of expenditure are finance, public instruc- tion, and internal development.

The Budget estimates for 1913 are as follows :— Revenue, 8,900,000 colones (851,674Z.), and expenditure, 8,874,610 colones (849,245/.).

The foreign debt of the Republic outstanding on December 31, 1910 was 1,617,200L To pay off this total the Government borrowed 2,000,000Z. (through Mr. M, C. Keith, an American financier), retaining 382,800Z. for their own needs. The bonds are payable in 1958. In November, 1911, a