Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/1240

 1188

POLAND

chambers: 1. Civil; 2. Criminal, both for Congress Poland. 3. Civil and Criminal for Galicia. 4. Administrative which took over the functions of the Supreme Administrative Tribunal in Vienna), and 5. Civil and Criminal for Posen.

The lowest courts in Poland are County Courts (Sady okregowe) and Courts of Peace (Sady pokoju). There are 19 County Courts and 1,518 (297 urban, 1,221 rural) Courts of Peace in Congress Kingdom.

In Galicia there are 17 County Courts (Sady okregoxoe) and 170 District Courts (Sady powiatowe).

From these courts an appeal lies to the superior Appelation Courts (in WarsaWj Lublin, Cracow, Lemberg, Posen, and Thorn) in which there are sitting 3 judges for civil affairs and 2 judges with .3 puisne judges for criminal alfairs.

Pauperism and Old Age Pensions.

In the respective provinces of the Polish Republic there arc still the same regulations and the same institutions as before the war in Russia, Prussia and Austria.

There are numerous private charitable institutions, such as asylums for aged and infirm, creches for children, workhouses, eating houses for poor, etc., all over the country. In the Grand Duchy of Posen, West Prussia, East Prussia and Upper Silesia every inhabitant in distress must be relieved by the commune in which he becomes destitute ; the costs are defrayed from the funds of the commune to which he belongs. In Galicia the funds for the support of the poor are derived from endowments, voluntary contributions, etc.; if these funds are insufficient the commune to winch the destitute belongs must make provision. In the Kingdom of Poland the care for the poor is left entirely to private charity ; in cases of hospital treatment the commune to which the patient belonged was obliged to refund the costs.

Insurance in case of illness has been widened and unified by the law of January 11, 1919. It extends the obligation of insurance to all persons belonging to the wage-earning classes and establishes a uniform organisation of Illness-insurance Officers in every district.

Finance.

By a provisional agreement of the Sejm, the financial year is to begin on the 1st April of each year. The project of the Budget covers two periods, one from July 1, 1919, to the end of March, 1920, the second from April 1 to the end of December, 1920. The Budget itself is divided into two parts, one for the former Russian and Austrian Territories, the other for the former Prussian territories.

The figurts are as follows (in Polish marks) : —

Jul v 1, 1919, to March 81, 19*0

Russian A Austrian Territories

i 1,888,721,000 12,074,581,000

A ril 1 to Dec. 81, [920

Russian & Austrian Territ.

a Territories

Revenue .... Expenditure.

Deficit ....

3,0fl0,594,l>18 15,158,502,000

1'2,097,907,7S7

800,679,000

10,000 623, 'Jf

The public debt of Poland has been incurred in part by the war expenses, relief of starving populations and expenses connected with the organisation of an entirely new ad ministration of the State.