Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/916

 794 FRANCE

The results of tlie decennial valuation of buildiugs in France show that in the fiscal year 1909-10 there were, outside of public buildings, monu- ments, &c., 9,475,786 houses and 137,676 -workshops and factories in the Republic.

The rental value of these 9,613,462 structures is given in the returns as 3,672,142,128 francs. The rental value in the Department of the Seine, which includes Paris, is 1,206,851,213 francs, practically one -third of the total rental value of the whole of France.

The real value of all structures m the Republic, exclusive of public buildings, monuments, &c., is given as 64,798.641,000 francs.

Defence.

I. Land Defences.

France has a coast line of 1,760 miles, 1,304 on the Atlantic and 456 on the Mediterranean. Its land frontier extends over 1,575 miles, of which 1,156 miles are along the Belgian, German, Swiss, and Italian frontiers, and 419 along the Spanish frontier.

The fortified places are specially administered by a ' service des forti- fications.' Paris, which is considered as the centre of defence, is surrounded by a wall which has 97 bastions, 17 old forts, and 38 new advance forts or batteries, the whole forming two entrenched camps at St. Denis and Versailles.

The strong places of first class, each of them with numerous forts, are : — On the German frontier, Verdun, Toul, Epinal, Belfort, forming an advanced line ; Maubeuge, La Fere, Reims, Langres, Dijon, Besancon, in a second line. On the Italian frontier, Briancon and Grenoble are the chief places, with Lyon in the rear. There are also a few isolated

the coast Toulon, Rochefort, Lorient, Brest, and Cherbourg are naval harbours surrounded by forts. In recent years, most second class and third class fortresses have been dismantled or at least ' declass^s. '
 * forts d'arrets ' near Nancy, Luneville, Remisemont, Nice, &c. On

II. Army.

The French Army consists of the national army, styled the ' Metropolitan ' Army, and the Colonial Army. Both are under the War Minister, but the estimates for colonial troops abroad are included in the budget of the Minister for the Colonies. The considerable forces maintained in Algeria and Tunis, however, are all regarded as belonging to the Metropolitan Army, and their cost is included in the War Minister's budget.

Militaiy service in France is compulsory, and it is universal in the fullest sense of the term, no exemptions being allowed except for physical disability. Liability to service extends from the age of 20 to the age of 45, but reservists do not join till they are 21, or nearly so. According to the law promulgated on the 21st March, 1905, the term of service in the ranks of the first line, or

the reserve for 11 years ; after which he passes to the territorial army for 6 years ; finally completing his service with 6 years in the territorial reserve. Men of the reserve of the active army are called up for training and manoeuvres twice in their period of reserve service, for 4 weeks on each occasion. The men of the territorial army have only 1 training of 2 weeks, and those of the territorial reserve no periodical training.
 * active ' army, is now 2 years, as in Germany. The soldier then belongs to

There are no "one year volunteers" in France, but voluntary engage- ments for 3, 4, or 5 years are encouraged, especially for the colonial army.