Struma (3,500 H.P.), and the falls of Niausta (4,000 H.P.) and Verria (Kara Feria) (2,000 H.P.). '
Mines. The output of iron fell (in thousands of metric tons) from 377 in 1912 to 68 in 1918, of lead from 175 to 18, of zinc from 40 to 4$. On the other hand the production of lignite rose from 20 in 1914 to 214. The gross output of the mines fell from 806 to 408 thousand metric tons. In 1918 the output of gross ores sold was valued at 20,920,000 fr., of roasted and dressed ores at 5,124,000 fr., the output of quarries at 7,715,000 fr. ; and the net profits (for Old Greece only) amounted to 5,533,000 fr. ; 8,350 men were employed and 852 women, including 4,424 underground workers (all men). There were 65 accidents. The enterprises that made the largest net profits in 1918 were the Societe financiere de Grece (lignite) with 2,425,592 dr.; the Compagnie francais des Mines de Laurium (various) 776,945 dr. ; L. Depian, N. Raphael (magnesite) 676,883 dr. ; Apostolides Brothers (chrome) 304,998 dr. ; and the Anglo- Greek Magnesite Co., Ltd., 260,728 drachmae.
Labour. Greece only became conscious of a labour question within comparatively recent years. In 1917 and 1918 a certain amount of unrest was met by the Government with temporary measures. In 1919 the Government succeeded in settling in a friendly manner more than 200 strikes. Labour conditions at the ports have been improved by the organization of the workers in cooperative associa- tions dispensing with the intervention of contractors. At the Piraeus alone three such associations handled in 1919 work estimated to exceed 10,000,000 drachmae. In 1920 the discontent was less pro- nounced ; but the working population, except to some extent at the Piraeus, voted against the Government of M. Venizelos at the elec- tions, as a protest against the suspension of popular liberties during the war. (On June 18 1921 the leaders of the Communist party, MM. Demetratos and Sideres, with two others were arrested and imprisoned for printing and publishing certain Tolstoyan pamphlets.) At the end of 1918 there were 918 cooperative associations of various sorts, with 45,070 members; 820 of these associations were agricul- tural, with 32,648 members.
Greece was the first state to ratify the resolutions of the Inter- national Labour Conference held at Washington after the war (with regard to the 8-hour day, unemployment, employment of women and children, etc.). In 191 1 a department of labour and social welfare had already been established at the Ministry of National Economy; in 1912 an inspectorate of labour and in 1915 a Superior Council of Labour. The employment of women and children was elaborately regulated in 1913 by legislation which was extended in 1915 to the new provinces. A series of laws provided for the health and security of workmen, especially in mines, bakeries and printing shops. A law of 1914 regulated compensation for accidents; another dealt with wage disputes (1911); and a law of 1918 secured for workmen in private employment that they should keep their places when called up for military service. Further legislation established special relief funds for miners and regulated the hours of labour; sea labourers also have their own pension fund. The employment of children under 12 years of age is forbidden, and the maximum day of six hours is fixed for children between 12 and 14 years of age. The employment of women and children in mines and quarries is forbidden; and a compulsory leave of eight weeks is accorded to women workers during maternity. Women workers (employed in currant packing and mills) organized themselves as a union and on Sept. 27 1920 de- manded a uniform wage of 10 drachmae.
TABLE 7. AVERAGE PRICES IN DRACHMAE OF CHIEF COMMODITIES,
1914-20
1914
1915
1916
1917
1918
1919
1920
Wheat
(100 kilos.).
32-11
49-82
71-76
175-94
133-06
105-2
iti-54
Flour
(100 kilos.).
38-90
55-77
67-32
Bread
(the kilo.) .
38
5i
60
-76
99
88
98
Potatoes
23
30
5
96
1-19
96
81
Beef
1-41
i-55
1-97
3-45
5-7i
5-5
5-91
Fish (fine)
2-57
2-76
3-64
5-69
8-00
6-89
7-06
Butter (cow)
3-92
3-99
5-32
9-04
14-76
I3-76
14-14
Butter (sheep)
4-13
4'23
5-12
9-35
14-84
13-40
14-40
Oil
1-18
1-38
i -60
2-27
3'8i
4-19
5-66
Milk
51
54
70
1-05
i-Si
1-35
1-47
Cheese .
1-61
1-67
2-26
3-35
5-02
4'43
4-81
Olives .
-69
.76
97
1-36
1-83
1-98
2-57
Coffee .
2-68
2-81
3-10
4-34
5-26
5-14
5-38
Sugar
85
I-IO
1-65
2-58
2-84
2-67
4-19
Rice
76
93
1-18
1-89
1-96
2-15
3-15
Charcoal
(the metric
quintal) .
16-12
15-50
21-57
30-18
45-75
50-26
50-58
Cost of Living. From Table 7 it will be noted that oil, olives and charcoal rose in price without intermission in 191420 to an extent of between 300 and 400%. Bread, beef, fish, butter, milk and cheese, after attaining their maximum prices in 1918 (from 300 to 380% above those of 1914) fell in 1919 only to rise again in 1920, beef
rising 420%. Wheat attained its maximum price in 1917, and potatoes in 1918. In June 1920 prices were between three and four times greater than those of the pre-war period; and in June 1921 the cost of living was estimated to have been five times what it was in 1914. This increase after the war was mainly due to the fall in the foreign exchange value of the drachma.
Economic Conditions. In 1910-12 there was a marked economic improvement throughout the country largely due to good harvests, better relations with neighbouring states and the stability of the exchange (drachma at par), due to reforms in the administration, and resulting in extension of trade, increased railway traffic and development of the merchant navy. This general improvement was interrupted by the war period, which began in Greece in 1912 and continued practically without intermission up to 1921. Greece suffered very severely from the Allied blockade of 1916-7 and the prolonged mobilization; but the many large fortunes accumulated during the war period by Greek ship-owners enabled the country to begin a quick recovery in 1919. Already in 1918 the annual returns of the wealth of the country were estimated at more than 1, 600 million drachmae (agriculture 628; forests 38; industry 825; minerals 49; merchant navy 60 millions). The national capital was at the same time valued at nearly 3 milliards of drachmae (capital value of agricultural productions, 1,756,000,000; of forests, 320,- 000,000 ; of industrial enterprises, 341 ,000,000 ; of mining enterprises, 69,000,000; of merchant navy, 218,000,000; total 2,704,000,000). This is manifestly a very incomplete inventory; and, if the potential wealth of Thrace and Ionia be taken into consideration, it is clear that, with a progressive administration capable of ensuring peace at home and abroad, the country might expect a period of great prosperity. Unfortunately, the recovery begun in 1919 was again interrupted at the end of 1920 by the revolutionary restoration of King Constantino, resulting in the " economic blockade," the sus- pension of credits in the Allied countries and the consequent inter- ruption of trade. There were large issues of paper money, and the drachma fell rapidly to 60 and finally (May 1921) to too, after which the Government, by restricting all transactions to a syndicate or " consortium " of leading banks, artificially fixed the rate of ex- change at between 60 and 70 drachmae to the pound sterling.
POLITICAL HISTORY, 1910-21
First Venizelos Ministry. In Jan. 1910 the Military League, embarrassed at the completeness of their success, had called Venizelos from Crete as their political adviser, and Venizelos, immediately assuming the effective leadership, had by the end of March arranged for the dissolution of the revolutionary league on the convocation of a National Assembly, which should conciliate the necessary reforms with the usual procedure of constitutional government. When the National Assembly met on Sept. 21, Venizelos, who having himself been elected a member had in deference to the protests of Turkey resigned his position in Crete, again took the less revolutionary course, and insisted that it must be only a revisionary and not a constituent body. The dispute led to the resignation of the premier Dragoumes, and on Oct. 18 King George asked Venizelos, who had won the enthusiastic support of the Athenian populace, to succeed him in the Government. The old party leaders, more alarmed by the rise of a new and popular man than by the proposals of the revolutionary officers, now combined to leave him without a quorum; thereupon Venizelos dissolved the Assembly and ap- pealed to the people. New elections were held (Dec. n), and without the help of any party organization he was returned with a tremendous majority, winning 300 seats against 64 retained by his opponents.
The second revisionary National Assembly met on Jan. 22 1911, and inaugurated a period of energetic reform. The administration was freed from corruption, partly by the hard work of Venizelos, and partly through the fact that his electoral triumph had shattered the old party machinery in the provinces. By the beginning of June the Assembly had settled the following revisions of the constitution: foreign officers were made eligible for service of State, and accordingly foreign missions were at once summoned to Athens to reorganize the services English officers for the navy, Italians for the gendarmerie and French for the army, in which the Crown Prince was reinstated as Inspector-General. Elementary education was to be free and compulsory. The official language was declared to be that of the constitution, without prejudice however to literature, while, after a violent recrudescence of the agitation " to defend the purity of the language " under the leadership of a certain Professor Mistriotes, who finally had to be suppressed by the
