DEFENCE — PRODUCTION AND INDUSTRY 1249
is stipulated that the sums thus received shall be devoted to the construction and operation of railways in the Siamese dominions of the Malay Peninsula. A British officer occupies the position ot Financial Adviser, and there are numerous other British officers holding high positions under the Government, more especially in the Finance and Audit, Revenue, Forests, Survey, Police, Justice, Customs, Mining, Mint, and Education departments. There are also several Europeans of other nationalities in various Departments. The financial position of the kingdom is extremely favourable, the revenue is steadily increasing, and the expenditure is less than the revenue, and well under control. Some revenue is derived from gambling, for the abolition of which measures are being taken throughout the country. There remain now to be abolished only the gambling houses in the Capital, The suppression of these awaits the consent of the Treaty Powers to a revision of the existing Customs Tariff, whereby it is hoped to make up the loss in revenue occasioned by the extinction of the gambling farm.
Defence.'
Universal liability to military service on the European model is now in force in all the provinces including Bangkok. The legal exemptions are, however, rather numerous, and personal service is not enforced in the case of the uncivilised tribes. Chinese settlers pay a tax in lieu. The period of continuous service in the ranks is 2 or 3 years. The army is organised in 10 mixed brigades, each comprising 2 battalions of infantry, a regiment of cavalry of 2 squadrons, a battalion of artillery, a company of engineers, &c. The total peace strength is about 25,000 of all non-commissioned ranks, with 1,200 officers. The troops are armed with modern weapons. Con.siderable reliance is noAv placed upon the newly constituted force of marine infantry mentioned below.
The navy consists nominally of 21 vessels, all of small size and no fighting value. The largest is the royal yacht Maha ChalcrTcri, of 3,000 tons. The rest are very small gun-boats. There are 5,000 men available for service afloat, besides a reserve of 20, 000. A destroyer and three torpedo boats, obtained from Japan, were added to the Siamese navy in August, 1908, and a second destroyer, also built in Japan, was added in June, 1912.
The marine infantry, recruited from the inhabitants of the maritime provinces, between 18 and 40 years of age, numbers 15,000 in six shifts, besides a 1st and 2nd reserve of 3,000 and 2,000 respectively.
At the mouth of the Menam River are the Paknam forts. The bar prevents ships of more than 13 feet draught from ascending to Bangkok. The naval arsenal dock has recently been reconstructed.
Production and Industry.
The economic development of the country has been retarded by the institutions of forced labour and slavery, but these hindrances are now being removed by the substitution of a poll-tax for the corvee and by the gradual abolition of slavery, hastened by royal decree of 1900 which liberated all slaves born after December 16, 1897, and reduced the redemption fee of all others. The cost of labour is probably higher than in any other Oriental country. Chinese coolies do the chief part of both skilled and unskilled labour in the south, especially in the mills and in mining ; while in the north forest w^ork is confined almost entirely to Burmese, Karens, and Khamus. To the north of Bangkok, large tracts of land, formerly lying waste, have been opened up by an Irrigation Company, which has connected by a canal the Menam and Bangpakong rivers, and has constructed numbers of smaller canals. The chief produce of the country is rice, which forms the
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