Page:The Annual Register 1899.djvu/286

 278] FOREIGN HISTORY. [1899.

punishment in such cases ; and that if the bill were passed it might have the very opposite effect, as it might be used against trade unions and other working men's organisations. Very hot debates took place in the House on the subject, in the course of which strong language was used against the Emperor, who was believed to be the original inspirer of the bill, and on No- vember 20 the bill was rejected by an overwhelming majority. Shortly after (Dec. 7) the House passed without debate a motion for repealing the laws prohibiting the coalition of societies in Germany, the Government withdrawing its Opposition to the repeal, as had been promised by Prince Hohenlohe some years back. The following was the representation of the various parties in the German Parliament at the end of the year : Centre, or Clerical party, 103 members ; Social-Democrats, 58 ; Conservative Right, 53 ; National Liberals, 48 ; Radical Left, 28 ; Free Conservatives, 22 ; Poles, 14 ; Moderate Radicals, 12 ; Anti-Semites, 12 ; Alsatians, 10 ; Guelphs, 8 ; South German Democrats, 7 ; Bavarian Peasants' League, 4 ; unattached, 18. The total number of members was 397.

In August the Pan-Germanic League held its annual con- gress at Hamburg. The main subject of discussion on this occasion was " the tottering Triple Alliance " and " the efforts of the German Government to substitute for that alliance some other grouping of the European Powers. ,, The members of the League recommended an alliance with France, which they believed was ripening for such an alliance in consequence of the Rennes trial ; an active support of the German element in Austria; and an extension of the German Navy; and they further expressed their sympathy for the Boers in the Trans- vaal. There were in 1899 168 branches of the league, including twenty-eight in foreign countries, and the number of its members increased from 17,364 to 20,010. In October the league was very active at Hamburg, Munich, and other German towns, in agitating in favour of the Boers.

The German Imperial Estimates for the financial year 1900 balanced with an expenditure of 2,058,333,551 marks — an increase of 105,678,544 marks over the estimated expenditure for the current year. The principal items of interest in the ordinary recurring expenditure were : for the Army, 541,495,663 marks (519,999,214 marks in 1899), an increase of over 21,000,000 marks ; for the Navy, 73,946,433 marks (69,051,368 marks), an increase of nearly 5,000,000 marks; for the Treasury, 519,358,715 marks (481,908,430 marks), an increase of over 37,000,000 marks. The expenditure for the interest and ad- ministration of the Imperial Debt was estimated at 77,700,500 marks (75,613,300 marks). The sums to be paid out of the general pension fund were calculated to amount to 68,164,130 marks (65,295,603 marks). The expenditure on the administra- tion of the Imperial Post Office was estimated at 342,698,379 marks (317,198,854 marks).