Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/850

 798 DANZIG

secret on the basis of proportional representation, suffrage being granted to all men and women belonging to the State of Danzig, who had attained 20 years of age, and who had been domiciled within Danzig territory on or before January 10, 1920.

The proclamation of the Freedom of the City and adjacent territory, as well as the coming into force of the Danzig-Polish Treaty, took place on November 15, 1920. According to this Treaty Danzig aud Poland form a single customs territory.

The Constitution (approved by the League of Nations on November 17, 1920) provides for a Volkstag or Diet of 120 members elected for 4 years, and a Senate. This consists of a President, as Chairman, a Vice-President, and 20 Senators, the President and 9 Senators in main office being elected by the Volkstag for 6 years, the Vice-President and the other 11 Senators for the duration of the Volkstag. Election is by majority of votes. Any citizen over 25 years of age is eligible. Senators in main office may not accept any other public or professional appointment. They are also not allowed to become directors of any trading concern. The President of the Senate directs and supervises the whole routine of the Administration. The Senate is the highest State authority, and its meetings are not public. Plebiscites take place if demanded by a 20th of the voters. Any alteration of the Constitution by the Volkstag can only be effected by a two-thirds majority, with at least two-thirds of the Deputies present.

After the approval of the Constitution, the Constituent Assembly pro- claimed itself the Parliament of the Free City of Danzig, with powers to enact legislation until 1923.

Area and Population. — The area of the Free City of Danzig is about 709 square miles, and population 351,380 on October 8, 1919, of which about 7 per cent, are Poles.

The territory contains a total of 325 localities, of which 251 are rural communes, 69 estate districts, and 5 cities. In addition to Danzig, whose administrative district has a population of 194,953, the following localities are cities : — Zoppot, 18,397 inhabitants ; Marienburg-Kalthof, 1,791 ; Neuteich, 2,395 ; and Tiegenhof, 2,834. Several centres classed as rural communes or otherwise are considerably larger than most of the ' cities,' as appears from the following list :— Ohra, 12,347 ; Oliva, 11,706 ; Praust, 3,070 ; Emaus, 2,321 ; Biirgerwiesen, 2,324 ; Stutthof, 2,337 ; Brentau, Langenau, Steegen, Lichtenau, Liessau, and Schbneberg, between 1,000 and 2,000. The number of households in the territory is 82,798.

The Free City will have the following bathing resorts :— Zoppot, Oliva- Glettkau. Bibsen, Neufahrwasser, Westerplatte, Weichselmiinde, Heubude, Bohnsaek, and Steegen.

The Free City has a total boundary line of 147 miles, of which 35 miles are on the sea. To the west the ne est Polish territory is but 5 miles from Danzig, as the crow flies. al

Instruction.— In 1919 Danzig had the following municipal schools:— 3 higher schools for boys, with 46 classes and 1,436 pupils : 2 higher schools for girls, with 35 classes and 1,028 pupils j 3 intermediate sobools, with 44 classes, 46 teachers, and 1,858 pupils; and 38 common schools, with 517 classes, 322 male and 218 female teachers, and 24,288 pupils.

The Technical High School had in the summer term of 1920 65 teachers and 864 students.

Finance.— For 1919 the Budget of Danzig balanced at 42,850,000 marl's.