FINANCE — DEFENCE

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In all the courts of first instance there were in 1906, 3,972 convictions. At the end of 1907 the 3 penal establishments contained 3,471 prisoners (3,344 males and 127 females).

There is,, no pauperism in Servia in the sense in which it is understood in the West ; the poorest have some sort of freehold property. There are a few poor people in Belgrade, but neither their poverty nor their number has necessitated an institution like a workhouse. There is a free town hospital.

Finance.

State receipts and expenditure (estimated for 1911) as follows : —

Year

Revenue

Expenditure Year

Revenue Expenditure

1906 1907 1908

£ 3,650,820 3,844,500 3,832,930

£ 3,493,430 1909 3,472,880 1910 3,830,490 19M

£ ' £ 4,205,222 i 4,153,254 4,663,245 i 4,474,461 4,805,458 ! 4,803,262

For 1912 the estimates were in 1,000 dinars: —

Sources of Revenue

1,000 dinars.

Branches of Expenditure

1,000 dinars.

Direct taxes ....

30,613

Civil list

1,440

Customs

14,500 1

Debt charge ....

32,394

Excise

9,007 1

National Assembly-

668

Taxes

8,402 1

Pensions and dotations

4,807

Monopolies ....

31,655 1

Ministries:

Domains

2,729 ,

Justice

3,043

Posts and Telegraphs

4,100 !

Fo]-eign Affairs .

2,929

Railways (State)

16,000

Finance

4,366

Various

2,703

War

30,116

Instruction, vporship .

9,630

Extiaordinary revenue .

8,241

Interior

5,802

Public Works

16,125

Commerce and Agriculture

5,480

Miscellaneous

Total ....

1,406

Grand Total .

127,950

117,706

(£5,118,000)

(£4,708,240)

On January 1, 1913, the public debt of Servia amounted to 26,362,240Z. ; debt charge in 1912, 1,295,782Z,

Defence.

In Servia military service is compulsory and universal. Liability is from 18 to 50 years of age, but recruits join at 21, and complete their military service at 45. The National Army has three * bans.' The first is the active army? and its reserve, constituting the first line. The second ' ban ' is supposed to provide reserve troops. The third is the territorial army. There is also the levee en masse, which contains all those who have passed through the National Army, and all other males between 18 and 50, Continuous service for the infantry is for IJ year only; for artillery and cavalry 2 years. Service in the reserve is for 9^ or 8 years (to complete 10 years in the first 'Ban '). After this the Servian soldier passes successively to the Second 'Ban,' in which he remains 6 years, and to the Third * Ban ' for 8 years.

The Kingdom of Servia is divided into 5 divisional areas, each supplying a division of 2 infantry brigades of 2 regiments of 4 battalions, a field artillerv

regiment of 9 batteries of 4 guns, and a regiment of divisional cavalry. The