Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/846

 794 CZECHOSLOVAKIA

with the Ministries and is independent of them. Its president is nominated, at the request of the Government, by the President of the Republic.

Defence. — The organisation of the Czecho-slovak Army is only pro- visional. The system prevailing in the Austro-Hungarian army at the mo- ment of the collapse of the Monarchy was temporarily adopted. Within this framework and with the aid of voluntary formations as well as the co-opera- tion of the Czecho-slovak army serving abroad, in France, Italy and Russia, units were formed for the defence of the frontiers against invasion and for the maintenance of internal order. On March 20, 1920, Parliament adopted a Bill to establish a militia and the setting up of an army of 150,000 men. In accordance with the decision of Parliament and the Statutes of the League of Nations the strength of the different categories of troops and arms will be laid down.

Production and Industry. — The Czecho-slovak territory is one of the richest in Europe, both as regards natural resources and industrial development. Agriculture is highly developed and intensive farming is carried on.

For the years 1914 and 1919 the area and for 1919 and 1920 the yield of the crops were as follows : —

Cropt

Area (in 1,000 hectares)

(in

Yield quintals)

1914

1919

1919

1920

Wheat

Bye

Barley

Oats

Potatoes

sat

811 521 759 491

337 733 361 554 360

2,859,639 5,769,347 2,791,778 4,608,339 23,500

2,858,016 4,6S\114 9,717.460 4,089,087

In 1920, 471,274 acres were sown with beets. The beetroot contains 17-20 per cent, sugar and is the foundation of an enormous sugar industry. There are 196 sugar factories in the country, which in 1913 produced 1,215,100 metric tons of sugar, about half of which was exported. The exports for 1919-20 amounted, however, to 259,323 tons only. Hops of excellent quality are also grown, both for export and beer production (Pilsener). In 1914 Bohemia produced 14,432 tons of hops. The agri- cultural industries include also flourishing beer, spirit, malt and foodstuffs industries. In 1914 the country had 639 breweries producing 11,372,447 hectolitres of beer, 1505 distilleries with an output of 1,161,147 hectolitres of spirits. Before the war the production of malt amounted to 230,000 tons, of which 190,000 tons were exported.

The number of livestock, which has also been reduced by the war, was in 1910 .-—cattle, 4,793,247 ; horses, 740,462 ; pigs, 2,676,525 ; sheep, 1,640,372, and goats, 717,669.

Large quantities of fruit are being exported. In 1912 the fruit crop yielded 414,533 tons of apples and pears and 428,687 tons of stone fruit.

As regards forest wealth, Czecho-Slovakia ranks among the most richly wooded countries in Kurnpe. The foresti comprise 32 per cent, of the whole area (about 12,500,000 acres). In Bohemia there are 3,753,838 acres; in Moravia, 1,557,874 acres; in Silesia, 444,312 acres ; in Slovakia,