Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/1422

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1370

VENEZUELA

supports also the following Institutes for special instruction : a School of Plastic Arts, another of Music and Elocution, two of Arts and Trades (one for men and the other for women), and three of Commerce. Total expendi- ture on education 1920-21, 4,328,181 bolivars (2,465,452 bolivars for ele- mentary education).

Justice.

Federal judicial authority resides in the Court (which is also Court of Cassation) and in various tribunals and courts established by special laws. The Federal Procurator-General is appointed for 3 years.

The States have each a Supreme Court with 3 members called respec- tively President, Relator, and Chancellor. Each State has also a superior court,courts of first instance, district courts, and municipal courts. The States' judicial officers hold their posts for 3 years. In the Territories there are civil and criminal judges of first instance, and also judges in the municipios.

Finance.

The revenue and expenditure for five years were as follows : —

-

1916-17

£ 2,885,060 2,321,744

1917-18

1918-19

1919-20 1

1920-21 1

Revenue . Expenditure

£ 2,338,560 2,372,254

£

8,759,700 3,085.093

£ 1,948,684 1,948,634

£ 8,960,871

2,318,860

1 Estimates.

The following table shows (in bolivars) the principal items of the budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1921 : —

Items

Customs

30 per cent, contribution

Tax of 25 per cent, oi

import duties . Transit tax Liquor tax Tobacco Salt revenue stamps Other revenue .

TrUI

Revenue

Bolivars 14,000,000 4,410,000

3,675,000

400.000

T,$O0,00Q

8,600,000 6,700,000 6,500,000 7,827,000

50,61'.!, Duo 0,8711)

Items

Department of Interior

Department of Foreign Affairs ....

Department of Prnfctice

Department of War and Navy ....

Department of Internal De- velopment

Department of Public Works ....

Department of t'ublio. In- struction ....

Bridget rectifications .

Total.

Expenditure

Bolivars 12,166,520

1,927,203 1 6, 889, 80 i

11,101,520

5,800,509

6,24G.40

4,328,182 518,429

58,538,600

(2.318,360.'.)

The public debt on Dec 81, 1919, was 138,306,338 bolivars (5,534,652/.). Of the total the interim I consolidated debt at 3 per cent, amounted to 49,070,832 bolivars. The « 1 e 1 > t. due under international conventions (known as diplomatic debt), amounted to 2,863,980/.

Defence.

In 1920 a law was promulgated according to which all Venezuelans have to

serve two years with the active forces of the army, and to remain in the

e until the age of 45. The active army consists of infantry, 20

battalions, eacl of '100 men ; artillery, 8 batteries, each of 200 men, and 1

naval battalion, The naval force contains one battalion distributed among