DEFENCE 8G9
bonds amounted to 300,000,000 at 4 per cent. There is a debt of 593,000,000 marks free of interest, and the 'Reiohs-Kassenschcine,' or Imperial Treasure- bills, amount to 120,000,000 marks.
As a set-off against the debt of the Empire there exists a variety of in- vested funds. The war treasure fund, 120,000,000 marks, is not invested, but preserved in gold at Spandau.
Defence.
I. Fp.ontier.
Germany has a total frontier length of 4,570 miles. On the north it is bounded by the North Sea (293 miles), Denmark (47 miles), and the Baltic (927) ; on the south well-defined mountain-ranges and the Lake of Constance separate it from Austria (1,043) and Switzerland (256 miles). On the east Germany is bounded by Russia for 843 miles ; on the west by France (242 miles), Luxemburg (111 miles), Belgium (70 miles), and Holland (377 miles).
Some of the coast defences and batteries have been placed under the jurisdiction of the admiralty. The empire is at present divided into ten ' fortress districts' (Festungs-Inspectionen), each including a certain area with fortified places. The following is a list of these districts, and the names of the fortresses in each, the fortified places of the first class, serving as camps, being distinguished by italics, while those specially designed for railw.ay protection or obstruction are marked by asterisks (*), and coast fortresses by u dagger (f) :—
1. KoNiGSBERG : Konigshcrg, Danzig,^' Pillau,t Memel,+ Boyen. 2 PosEN : Posen, Glogau,* Ncisse, Glatz. 3. Berlin : Spandau, Magdehurg, Torgau,* Kiistrin. 4. Mainz : Mainz, Ulm, Rastatt. 5. Metz : Metz, Dieden- hofen,* Bitsch.* 6. Colognte (Koln): Cologne, Kohlenz, Wesel,* Saarlouis.* 7. Kiel: Kiel, Friedrichsort,t Cuxhaven,t Geestemunde,t Wilhelmshaven,+ Swinemiinde.-i" 8. Thorn: Thorn, Graudenz, Vistula Passages (Weichseliiber- gange), Dirschau. 9. Strassburg: Strasshurg: New Breisach. 10. Munich (Miinchen) : Ingolstadt, Germersheim.*
These fortresses are all connected with each other by means of underground telegraphs, while strategical railway lines lead from the principal military centres towards the frontiers.
IL Army.
Military service in Germany is compulsory and universal with the usual exemptions. Liability (Wehrpflicht) commences at the age of 17, and ends at 45, but actual service (Heerpflicht) begins at 20. The term of service in the First Line, or active army, is 7 years, 2 in the ranks, and 5 in the reserve, except in the cavalry and horse artillery, in which the periods are 3 and 4. During the period of reserve service the soldier is regarded as belonging to his corps, and is obliged to join it twice in the 5 (or 4) years for training. The duration of training is limited by law to 8 weeks : it is usually 6 weeks, or perhaps only a month.
The next stage is 5 years (cavalry and horse artillery 3 years) in the first
- ban ' of the Landwehr, or Second Line Army. The Landwehr men are twice
called out for exercise during this period, for 8 to 14 days on each occasion. Landwehr cavalry, however, are not called out for training in time of peace. After 5 years in the first ' ban ' of the Landwehr, the soldier passes to the second ' ban,' and remains in it until he has completed his 39th year, i.e. for 6 to 7 years (8 to 9 in the case of the cavalry and horse artillery). There is no training during this period.
Finally all soldiers are passed into the Landsturm (second 'ban' ) in which
