Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/976

 924 GERMANY

In three universities, namely, Freiburg, Miinchen, and Wurzburg, the faculties of theology are Roman Catholic ; four are mixed, both Protestant and Roman Catholic — Bonn, Breslau, Miinster, and Tubingen ; and the rest are Protestant. Cologne, Frankfort, and Hamburg have no theological faculties.

Justice and Crime.

A uniform system of law courts exists throughout Germany, though, with the exception of the Reichsgericht, all courts are directly subject to the Government of the special State in which they exercise jurisdiction, and not to the Imperial Government. The appointment of the judges is also a State and not an Imperial function. Germany possesses uniform codes of commercial and criminal law.

The lowest courts of first instance are the Amtsgerichte (1,955 on January 1, 1919), each with one or more judges, competent to try petty civil and criminal cases. The Landgerichte (176 on January 1, 1919), exercise a revising jurisdiction over the Amtsgerichte, and also a more extensive original jurisdiction in both civil and criminal cases, divorce cases, &c. In the criminal chamber five judges sit, and a majority of four votes is required for a conviction. But in the courts with appellate jurisdiction only three judges sit. Jury courts (Schwurgerichte) are also held periodically, in which three judges preside ; the jury are twelve in number. The first court of second instance is the Oberlandesgericht. In its criminal senate, which also has an original jurisdiction in serious cases, the number of the judges is seven. There are twenty-nine such courts in Germany. The total number of judges on the bench in all the courts above mentioned was 10,569 (Jan. 1, 1919). In Bavaria alone there is an Ober.ites Landcsgcricht, with 22 judges, with a revising jurisdiction over the Bavarian Oberlandesgerichte. The supreme court is the Reichsgericht, whish sits at Leipzig, and has 100 judges. The court exercises an appellate jurisdiction over all inferior courts, and also an original jurisdiction in cases of treason. It has 5 criminal and 7 civil senates.

In 1915-16, 4,944 men and 477 women, total 5,421, were sent to prison, as compared with 4,297 in 1914-15.

Pauperism.

Since January 1, 1916, the general principles as to poor-relief in all the German States are laid down by the Imperial law of May 30, 1908. According to this law, there may be formed local unions (Ortsarmcnverbdndt) and pro- vincial unions (Landarmenverbande). Usually a local union is a commune (Gemeindc), while a provincial union consists of a large administrative division such asacircle (Kreis), aprovince, or a whole State. For the purposesof poor- relief a settlement is acquired by one year's continuous residence (after the age of 16), by marriage, or by descent. A German in distress must be relieved by the local union in which he becomes destitute, and the cost must be refunded by the local union in which he has a settlement, or by the appropriate pro- vincial union. In rural communes poor-relief forms part of the ordinary local business of the district councils ; in urban municipalities the actual administration is carried out by a special committee under the presidency of the burgomaster. Poor rates are usually not levied. In most large towns the Elberfeld system of unpaid district visitors is in force. Statistics of pauperism are not published regularly ; the last issue related to the yearl885.

Compulsory Insurance.

Social insurance has existed in Germany since 1880. It comprises com- pulsory insurance of workmen against sickness, insurance against accidents by employers, and the insurance of workmen against old age and infirmity.