Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/745

 DEFENCE 693

The ordinary estimates for 1920 are shown as follows (in thousands of francs) : —

" TTmTT Z 7- i"0"

Revenue fr '«.ics Expenditure, f rtne.

Property taxes. . . . 60,000 Public debt. . . . ! ?».«»

Personal taxes ... 92,000 Railways and P..»N 1 ' ■;».*«•

Trade licences 120,0"'

Justice "2.«9<5

.Supertax. lSVou Foreign Affairs

Custom* 200,110

Excise 112."-

War 606,:

Education. 147. on

Railway*. dOO.ouO Colonies <."''

Post and Telegraphs 73,792

ToUl (including all items). 1.819.113 Tota' (including all items) 2.753,096

Extraordinary receipts in 1920 amounted to 1,453,002,000 francs, (in 1921 to 1,692,074,000 francs), and extraordinary expenditure to 6,579.220,006 francs (in 1921 to 3,127,695,765 francs).

On December 31. 1919, the national debt of Belgium was officially stated to be 19,591,475,000 francs (776,823,000/.) made up as follows :— Pre-war loans (raised for the most part for works of public utility) 4,061,838,000 francs ; debts to the Allies, 1,247,438,000 francs; inter-provincial loans, taken over by the State, 2,347,800,000 francs; loan for restoration of currency, 3,040,000,000 francs: National Restoration loan, 1,559,637,000 francs ; and Treasury P.ills, 1,104,236,000 francs.

Of the loans contracted by Belgium between August, 1914, and November, 1918, she has been freed by the Allied Powers. Between the date of the armistice (November, 1918) and December 31, 1919, Belgium secured the following loans : — (li 9,000,000/ from the British Government for the pur- pose of re-construction and for the payment of goods purchased in the United Kingdom ; (2) 25, 000, 000 dollars from the Canadian Government for the same purpose, only 1,850,000 dollars of this total have been utilised ; (3) 4,000,000/. from a British banking group, for one year ; (4) 50,000,000 dollars from an American banking group; this has been repaid; (5) 1,000,000/. from a private British company; this has been repaid; (6) 17,350,000 francs from a Swiss banking group; (7) 5,000,000 kronen from a Norwegian banking group ; (8) 650,000/. from a private English company, for two years.

Defence.

According to the Military Law passed in 1913, the Belgian Army is recruited by means of annual calls to the Colours and by voluntary en- listments. Military service is compulsory for those called to the Colours.

The occupation of Belgium by the Germans having prevented the normal recruitment of the classes of 1914-1919, a special 1919 class has been formed composed of the young men of those classes, with liberal exemptions for the families of those who have suffered heavily during the war.

The young men of the contingent serve for 15 months in the infautry, fortress artillery and engineers ; for 21 months in the field artillery ; and tor 24 months in the cavalry. With the calling up of the 1920 class a return was made to normal process of recruitment. Service in the reserve, which follows on service in the active army, is for 5 years.

The Law provides for the calling out of the reserve only in the event of war or if the country is threatened. The 11th, 12th and 13th Classes are not to be mobilised except in case of absolute necessity and are to be employed in the defence of fortified places and in the non-combatant services. Reservists of the active army are subject to recalls to the Colours