Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/1041

 FINANCE — DEFENCE— PRODUCTION AND INDUSTRY 989

The Judicial power resides in the Supreme Court with five judges chosen directly by the people for 4 years ; four Appeal Courts, and departmental and local judges.

Finance.

The revenue is mainly derived from customs, and from spirit, explosive*, and tobacco monopolies. For the years stated, ending July 30, the revenue and expenditure are given as follows (the silver peso is legally fixed at one-half the value of an American dollar).

-

UU

191*. -It"

1 M v"

1519-20 1

Revenue Expenditure

£

■ . 3S,45«

£

4 '.7,37 1

£

400,481

iu, m

1 Estimates.

!

i'n December 31, 1920, the external debt of Honduras consisted of four loans contracted a«? follows: 1867, 78,800/. and 900,700/.; 1869, 2,176,570/.; 1870, 2. 21 J. .00/. ; amounting to 5,398,570/. The arrears of interest to January 1, 1921, amount to 22,326,112/.; total, 27,724,682/. Xo interest has been paid since 1872. The bonds of this debt were floated to build a Trans-oceanic railway, but the scheme ended in a complete failure. Afterwards the- Government took over the railway.

The internal debt on July 31, 1920, amounted to 3,555,982 silver dollars, an increase of 132,989 silver dollars over the preceding year.

Defence.

Every itizen of Honduras belongs to the regular army from the age of 21 to 35 ; to the reserves from the age of 35 to 40. Foreigners are exempt from service, naturalised citizens being exempt for 10 years. The troops on July 31, 1918, consisted of 46,106 fighting men and 21,505 reserves, making a total force of 77,611. The country is divided into rive military zones.

Production and Industry.

The chief culture is that of bananas, mostly on the Atlantic coast, where coconuts are also grown. In 1920 there were expotted 11,524,149 bunches of bananas. The coconut groves of Puerto Sal extend from the Ulna River to the Cuero River, a distance of about 60 miles, and are said to contain over 28,000 fruit-bearing trees. The export of coconuts in 1920 was 3,862,612. Rubber is produced in decreasing quantity; coffee of fine quality is grown, and the industry is increasing. Tobacco too is grown. While the Department of El Paraiso has become noted for its fine quality of tobacco, the Department of Copan still leads in quantity, producing 75 per cent, of the total amount raised in the Republic (about 1,717,500 pounds annually). This finds a market in the neighbouring Republics and also in Peru. In 1915-16 there was produced 1,644,521 quintals (of 100 pounds) of corn, 187,227 quintals of beans, 407, 82S quintals of maicillo (Kaffir corn), 76,935 quintals of rice, 4,963 quintals of wheat, 67.119 quintals of coffee, and 6,069,379 bunches of bananas. The cultivation of indigo is being revived round Camasca, where 6,373 acres were cultivated in 1917. Henequen is being widely planted, the government having offered a subsidy Attention is also being paid to the planting of the castor oil plant.