Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/804

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

()82 BOLIVIA

170,936, or 9*4 per cent. Of the population not under 7 years of age, 564,000 were engaged in agriculture ; 399,037 in the industries ; 55,521 in commerce ; 49,647 in the liberal professions; 36,285 in domestic service; 12,625 in mining, and 3,106 in artistic professions. The foreign population numbered 7,425, of whom 2,072 were Peruvian. The admission and settlement of immigrants are facilitated under the regulations published in March, 1906.

The boundary disputes of Bolivia with Brazil and with Chile were settled by treaties of November, 1903 and October, 1904. That with Peru was settled b} direct negotiations between Bolivia and Peru.

The population of La Paz (the capital) estimated is 78,856 ; Cocha- bamba. 24,512 ; Sucre, 23,416 ; Santa Cruz, 20,535 ; Tarija, 7,817 ; Potosi, 23,450 ; Oruro, 20,670; Trinidad, 4,810. The temporary capital of the colonial territory in the north-west of the republic is Riberalta ; popula- tion, 2,134. The capital of the Great Eastern Chaco is Villa Montes, 1,653. In 1912, the Government founded the new town of Caraoaro in the depart- ment of La Paz.

Religion, Instruction, and Justice.

The Roman Catholic is the recognised religion of the State ; the exercise of other forms of worship is permitted. The religious orders . have 18 convents (10 for males and 8 for females) ; the male members number about 241, the fem.ale 280 ; there are about 567 secular clergy. In 1900 the non-Catholic population numbered 24,245. The Church is under an archbishop (resident in Sucre) and 3 bishops. The maintenance of the Church costs the State about 200,000 bolivianos a year, 14,000 bolivianos being devoted to the propagation of the faith among the Indians. In 1911 a law was passed that all marriages must be celebrated by the civil authorities.

Primary instruction, free and nominally obligatory, is under the care of the municipalities. In 1912 (including industrial, parish, and private schools), there were 990 elementary schools with 3,960 teachers and 81,336 pupils. For secondary instruction there were 21 colleges, 5 clerical institu- tions, and 5 private lyceos with, in all, 180 teachers and 2,177 pupils. For superior instruction there are 19 establishments with 78 professors and 780 students. At Sucre and La Paz are the only two universities which possess more than one faculty ; at both degrees may be obtained in law, medicine, and theology ; at La Paz there is also a faculty of commerce. In some de- partmental capitals are schools of commerce, and at La Paz the military college. At some places are rural schools for the natives, and in 1911 a normal college for training teachers of Indians was established at La Paz. A normal school for training teachers generally was established at Sucre in 1909, and has 60 students. In all the departmental capitals there are public libraries ; at La Paz are 2 museums ; at Oruro and Potosi are mineralogical museums. The State spent 2,434/^. in 1912 for educational purposes.

The judicial power resides in the Supreme Court, in superior district courts, and in the courts of local justices. The Supreme Court sitting in the Capital of the Republic has 7 judges ; the district courts (one in each department) have each 5 judges, except that in El Beni which has only one ; the local tribunals have judges of instruction and parish alcaldes. Public justice is directed by an Attorney-General and by district and local attorneys. The administration of justice is fiee.

Finance.

The revenue of Bolivia is derived mainly from customs duties, spirit duties, tin and silver mining, rubber export, patents, and stamps. From