Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/1326

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Adviser and Legal Advisers of various nationalities important progress has been made in the administration of justice in the native courts and in the International Court in which British and French Advisers assist in the trial of cases brought by Siamese against subjects of Treaty Powers and vice versa. The Penal Code has been completed, and came into force on September 21, 1908 ; work on other codes is being proceeded with. The Consular Courts exercise jurisdiction over their nationals, subject, in the case of Great Britain, France, and Denmark, to the Treaty modifications. The police administration of the Provinces is entrusted to the Provincial Gendarmerie, a force which includes a body of Danish instructors. The Provincial Gendarmerie and Metropolitan Police Forces have now been amalgamated and placed under the supervision of one central department at Bangkok. The European officers, both British and Danish, are no longer employed in an executive, but only in an advisory, capacity. For commercial purposes English is in general use.

Religion and Instrnction.

The prevailing religion is Buddhism, and in the country districts education is chiefly in the hands of the priests, of whose services the Government intends to make more effective use. All public schools are now, however, under the control of a Department of Education ; and in Bangkok a number of normal and technical schools have been established, all with English head- masters or assistants. In 1911-12 there were 6,972 Buddhist temples, with a total of 173,560 priests.

The Siamese language is firmly established as the official language over the whele country. The Minister of Public Instruction and Ecclesiastical Affairs has also under his charge several Government hospitals, which have been established by the King, besides a public museum, and all the royal monasteries in the capital. There is also a Pasteur Institute.

Schools are either Government schools, local schools or private schools. Government primary schools in Siam in 1916-17 numbered 329, teachers 828, pupils 25,798; non-Government schools 3,134, teachers 4,131, pupils 135,062 ; Government secondary schools 116, teachers 440, pupils 8,316 ; non-Government 159, teachers 516, pupils 9,220; special schools, Government 6, teachers 53, pupils 411. Besides the activities of the Siamese Government, the benevolent institutions of the American, English, and French missionaries also provide educational facilities for a large number of children. Further, in the Buddhist temples of Siam 41,317 priests assisted in teaching 154,053 resident pupils and 77,665 non-resident pupils during 1916-17. The latest census showed that there were in the Provinces of Siam, not including that of Krung Tep (Bangkok), 833,972 literate males and 88,756 literate females.

The Chulalongkorn University was inaugurated at Bangkok, in 1917, for medicine, political science and literature, and engineering and natural science.

Finance.

Revenue and Expenditure for three years

-

1918-19

1919-201

1920-211

Revenue

ttxponditure against Revenue Extraordinary Expenditure against Capital Account 2

£

7,186,344 6,900,887

77S.977

&

5,8. r i3,84« 6,850,6'J6

1,323,785

£ 5,576,923 4,317, TQS

1,227,923

1 KstiuiaUs. * Ini

sluding Expenditure from Loans.