Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/1403

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FINANCE—DEFENCE
1047
Years ending
June 30
Amortisation Growth Interest Amount at the
end of the year
  Kroner Kroner Kroner Kroner
1893    591,160 3,959,330 124,950,005
1894    681,948 39,675,733[1] 4,201,574 163,943,791
1895 19,630,351 4,430,230 144,313,440
1896    532,407 13,572,000 4,957,772 157,353,033
1897  1,458,582 25,444,233 5,894,671 181,338,684
  1. Of this amount 19,131,560 kroner were applied to the redemption of a former loan.

The unredeemable debt, 10,837,410 in 1885, is now 245,472 kroner.

The taxation for communal purposes amounted for the rural communes to 11,967,620 kroner, and for the towns to 11,813,513 kroner in 1896.

Defence.

The most important fortresses of Norway are Oscarsborg and the new fortresses by Agdenes, Bergen, Tönsberg, and Christianssand S.; the other fortresses, Fredriksstad, Fredriksten, Carljohansvaern, Akershus in Kristiania, Trondhjem, and Vardö, are of little importance.

The troops of the Kingdom are raised mainly by conscription, and to a small extent by enlistment. By the terms of three laws voted by the Storthing in 1866, 1876, and 1885, the land forces are divided into the troops of the Line, the Landvaern, the Landstorm or final levy. All young men past the twenty-second year of age are liable to the conscription. The young men in the line raised by conscription have to go through a first training in the school of recruits, extending over 48 days in the infantry, in the fortress and mountain artillery, 50 days in the engineers, and 70 days in the field artillery and cavalry. They are then put into the battalions, which in the second, third, and fourth year in the artillery, cavalry, and engineers, and the second and third year in the infantry and train, under ordinary circumstances, have an annual practice of 24 days, after which the men are sent on furlough, with obligation to meet when ordered. The Landvaern of the sixth year has a 18 days' practice, in which also the recruits take part. The train has a school of recruits, extending over 50 days for the engineers, and 18 days in the other arms. The nominal term of service is 13 years, divided between 5 years in the Line, 4 years in the Landvaern, and 4 years in the Landstorm. The Landvaern and Landstorm is only liable to service within the frontiers of the Kingdom. Every man capable of bearing arms, and not placed in one of the said