Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/1422

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VENEZUELA

supports also the following Institutes for special instruction : a School of Plastic Arts, another of Music and Elocution, two of Arts and Trades (one for men and the other for women), and three of Commerce. Total expendi- ture on education 1920-21, 4,328,181 bolivars (2,465,452 bolivars for ele- mentary education).

Justice.

Federal judicial authority resides in the Court (which is also Court of Cassation) and in various tribunals and courts established by special laws. The Federal Procurator-General is appointed for 3 years.

The States have each a Supreme Court with 3 members called respec- tively President, Relator, and Chancellor. Each State has also a superior court,courts of first instance, district courts, and municipal courts. The States' judicial officers hold their posts for 3 years. In the Territories there are civil and criminal judges of first instance, and also judges in the municipios.

Finance.

The revenue and expenditure for five years were as follows : —

-

1916-17

£ 2,885,060 2,321,744

1917-18

1918-19

1919-20 1

1920-21 1

Revenue. Expenditure

£ 2,338,560 2,372,254

£

8,759,700 3,085.093

£ 1,948,684 1,948,634

£ 8,960,871

2,318,860

1 Estimates.

The following table shows (in bolivars) the principal items of the budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1921 : —

Items

Customs

30 per cent, contribution

Tax of 25 per cent, oi

import duties. Transit tax Liquor tax Tobacco Salt revenue stamps Other revenue.

TrUI

Revenue

Bolivars 14,000,000 4,410,000

3,675,000

400.000

T,$O0,00Q

8,600,000 6,700,000 6,500,000 7,827,000

50,61'.!, Duo 0,8711)

Items

Department of Interior

Department of Foreign Affairs ....

Department of Prnfctice

Department of War and Navy ....

Department of Internal De- velopment

Department of Public Works ....

Department of t'ublio. In- struction ....

Bridget rectifications.

Total.

Expenditure

Bolivars 12,166,520

1,927,203 1 6, 889, 80 i

11,101,520

5,800,509

6,24G.4''0

4,328,182 518,429

58,538,600

(2.318,360.'.)

The public debt on Dec 81, 1919, was 138,306,338 bolivars (5,534,652/.). Of the total the interim I consolidated debt at 3 per cent, amounted to 49,070,832 bolivars. The « 1 e 1 > t. due under international conventions (known as diplomatic debt), amounted to 2,863,980/.

Defence.

In 1920 a law was promulgated according to which all Venezuelans have to

serve two years with the active forces of the army, and to remain in the

e until the age of 45. The active army consists of infantry, 20

battalions, eacl of '100 men ; artillery, 8 batteries, each of 200 men, and 1

naval battalion, The naval force contains one battalion distributed among