Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/1416

 1364

URUGUAY

The amount of the public debt of Uruguay on January 1, 1920, is officially given as 172,005,288 dollars. Of the total 43,310,390 dollars ranks as internal, 126,559,398 dollars as foreign, and 2,135,500 dollars as international.

Defence.

The army of Uruguay consists of a small standing army, and the National Guard. Service in the standing army is voluntary, lasting from 2 to 5 years, with re-engagement up to the age of 44. It consists of 21 line battalions, 4 rifle companies, 10 cavalry regiments, 5 field artillery regiments of 3 batteries each, a fortress artillery company and machine gun company, 1 engineers' battalion, and 1 bearer company with a peace strength of 10,400 officers and men, and a nominal war strength of 50,000.

The National Guard is a militia, service in which is compulsory. It is divided into three classes, or 'bans.' The first 'ban,' or 'mobile' national guard contains all the young men fit for military duty between the ages of 17 and 30, and forms a more or less organised force of 15,000 to 20,000 men. It would take the field with the standing army. The second ban, consisting of men fit for service between 30 and 45, is the 'departmental,' or provincial, national guard. Its units do not move out of their own departments, but the men can be drafted to make good the losses of the mobile units in time of war. The third ban, containing all the men between 19 and 45, is the ' territorial ' force, and is only liable to garrison duty in its own districts. The total strength of the National Guard (all three bans) is, nominally, about 100,000 men and 120 guns.

There is also a police force, with an establishment of 5,000.

The infantry of the active army is armed with the Mauser rifle, the field batteries have either Schneider or Krupp 7 '5 cm. guns. The National Guard is mainly armed with the Remington rifle and old de Bange gnus.

The fleet consists of an armoured cruiser Montevideo, the yacht 18 dc Julio, and the Uruguay, 1,400 tons, speed 23 knots, launched at Kiel in 1910.

Production and Industry.

In Uruguay the agricultural industries are extending. The number of people engaged in agriculture in 1913-14 was 92,462; in 1914-15, 98,301 ; and in 1918-19, 93,187. The principal crops and their yield for two years were as follows : —

Area

Yield

1918-1919

1919-1920

1917-1918

1918-1919

Acres

Acres

Metric tons

Metric tana

Wheat

Barley

Oats

849,427

5,107

85,744

C.8S.407

4,010

8.1,148

855,444

2,311

58,655

187,523 1,578

18,701

b-i;z~:<

83,645

8,467

12,660

In 1916 there were within the Republic 7,802,442 head of cattle, 567,154 horses, 11,472,852 sheep. 16,663 mules, 12,218 goats, and 303,958 pigs.

Wine is produced chiefly in the departments of Montevideo, Canelones, Salto, Colonia, and Paysandii. In 1918 there were 2,822 properties (2,638 in 1917), of 17,180 acres, producing 41,888,814 kilos, of grapes, and 5,628,926 gallons of wine. Tobacco and olives are also cultivated.

In the northern departments several gold mines are worked, and silver, copper, lead, magnesium, and lignite coal arc found. The supply of elec- tricity for light, power, and traction is a State monopoly (Bill passed October 20, 1912).

There were in 1918, 16,017 industrial and commercial establishments, with a capital of 134,383,782 pesos.