AREA, ETC. — RELIGION — FINANCE— PRODUCTION 917
Church in 1912 was 310,000 marks (15,500/.) to the Catholic Church 171,372 marks (8,580/.).
Instruction is compulsory. The elementary schools are maintained by the communes, but with contributions by the State. There are 986 public elementary schools with (1912) 3,417 masters, 569 mistresses, and 213,623 pupils. Continuation schools (Fortbildungsschulen) : winter, 1911-12, 27,344 pupils. Hesse has 11 gymnasia, 2 progymnasia, 3 realgymnasia, 9 oberrealschulen, 9 realschulen, 1 Agricultural College (Landwirtschaft- schule), and 32 incomplete realschulen (hohere Biirgerschulen), Avith (1911) 709 teachers, and a total attendance of 12,737 ; 6 higher girls' schools with (1912) 3,391 pupils ; and 46 private schools with (1912) 3,645 pupils. The University at Giessen had 1,350 matriculated students, and a Technical High School at Darmstadt, with 1,384 students in 1912. There are many industrial, technical, agricultural and other special institutes.
In 1910 there were 8,115 persons convicted of criminal offences in the Grand-Duchy.
Finance- — The ordinary revenue and expenditure were estimated for the year 1912 to balance at 4,009,962/.
Direct taxes are income-tax and property-tax (only to be considered as a supplementary tax) ; the direct taxes paid to the communes are an income-tax, land-tax, trade-tax, and rent-tax ; the indirect taxes are chiefly a stamp-tax dog-tax, duties on successions, &c. Public debt 21,796,596/., 1912, nearly all railway debt.
Production and Industry.— Of the area, 63-4 per cent, is under cultivation ; 31 '5 per cent, forests ; 5-1 per cent, uncultivated (houses, roads, water, &c.). Arable land occupies 916,938 acres ; meadows and pastures, 249,964; vineyards, 36,865; and forests, 596,804 acres; of the latter.' 180,169 belong to the State, 222,754 to the communes, 7,931 to other bodies, and 191,674 to private persons.
Areas and yield of chief crops, 1911 (1 hectare = 2-47 acres- 1 metric ton = 2,204 lbs.):—
Crop.s, 1910
Area
Yield
Crops
Area
Yield
Acres
Tons
Acres
Tons
Eye ...
175,479
143,209
Potatoes
169,635
639,248
Wheat ...
77,242
68,268
Oats ...
143,621
124,547
bummer-
Hay ...
231,602
338,125
bai'ley ...
123,423
118,406
31,861 acres under vines, yielding 8,527,750 gallons of wine to the value of 1,173,773/
Domestic animals, December 2, 1907 :— Horses, 61,951; cattle, 332 489 • sheep, 64,643 ; .swine, 384,815 ; goats, 131,960.
Minends to the value of 193,769/., and .salt of 34,035/. were raised in 1910. The principal manufactures are leather, cloth, paper, chemicals, furniture, wagons, railway cars and carriages, macliinery, musical instru- ments, tobacco and cigars, sparkling-wine.
British Charge d' A ffaire,9. — Lord Acton, M.V.O. Consul-General. — Sir Francis Oppenheimer (Frankfort-on-Main).
