Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/760

 708

BOLIVIA

pupils. For secondary instruction there were 21 colleges (14 national), 5 clerical institutions, and 5 private lyceos with, in all, 180 teachers and 2,598 pupils. For superior instruction there are 19 establishments with 78 professors and 1,291 students. At Sucre and La Paz are the only two universities which possess more than one faculty ; at both degrees may be obtained in law, medicine, and theology ; at La Paz there is also a faculty of commerce. In some departmental capitals are schools of commerce, ; at La Paz the national conservatory, the school of applied arts, the military college, and the school of war for officers, the latter founded in 1917 ; at Cochabamba the school ot arts and offices and another of commerce and of surveying land ; at Potosi the institute of languages ; at Oruro the national school of mining and engineering." At some places are rural schools for natives, and a normal college for training teachers of Indians at La Paz, and the superior normal institute for teachers in secondary schools. There is a normal school for training teachers generally at Sucre, and had 157 students in 1915. In all depart- mental capitals there are public libraries ; at La Paz there is a museum, and at La Paz, Oruro and Potosi are mineralogical museums. The State spent 3,020,672 bolivianos in 1918 for educational purposes.

The judicial power resides in the Supreme Court, in superior district courts, and in the courts of local justices. The Supreme Court sitting in the Capital of the Republic has 7 judges ; the district courts (one in each department except El Beni, which has a 'Inez superior ') have each 5 judges ; local tribunals have judges of party, of instruction and parish alcaldels. Public justice is directed by an Attorney-General and by district and local attorneys. The administration of justice is free.

Finance.

The revenue of Bolivia is derived mainly from customs duties, spirit duties, tin, silver, gold, wolfram, antimony and other minerals, rubber export, patents, and stamps. From Jan. 1, 1912, onward, a tax of 3 per cent, is imposed on the liquidated profits of all mineral enterprises the gross value of whose 'production and exportation' exceeds 8,000/. yearly. The chief branches of expenditure are finance, war, and public works. The ordinary revenue and expenditure for 6 years (budget estimates) were as follows (12^ bolivianos = 11.): —

— Revenue

Expenditure

_

Revenue

£

2,(i0li,!)50 3,809)801 3,957,638

Expenditure

£

1914 1,840,000

1915 1,358,864

1916 1,282,760

£

1,840,000 1,716,315 1,805,867

ma

1919 1920

£

2,891,620 3,077,748 4,280,887

The public debt of Bolivia on June 30, 1919, amounted to 68,869,161 bolivianos, of which 38,933,525 bolivianos were external debt, 19,456,165 bolivianos internal debt, and 10,477,471 bolivianos floating debt. The foreign debt included the followiug items :— Morgan loan outstanding, 378,730/. ; French loan of 1910, 1,354,840/. ; French loan oi 1913, 946,280/.

Defence.

The territory of the Republic is divided into 3 military districts, the Northern, the Central, and the Southern, and 3 ' military commands ' formed of the departments Sauta Cruz, El Beni, Tarija, and the Territories.

The law of December 15, 1915, provides for a permanent force of 8,577 men.