Mexico

Political Organization.

According to the new Mexican con stitution, promulgated on Feb. 5, 1917, Mexico is a federated republic of 28 States, each with a considerable degree of home rule, having its own governor, a legislature and judiciary, elected by popular vote. Besides the States, there are two territories and one Federal District, the administration of which is in the hands of the central Government. The States are generally sub divided into distritos or partidos, and these into municipios, but some have adopted special divisions with other names. The State of Nuevo Leon has municipios only. The Federal legislative power is vested in a Congress, consisting of a Chamber of Deputies, elected for two years, on the basis of one for each 6o,000 inhabi tants, or fraction of more than 20,000, and of a Senate of 58 members, two for each State and the Federal District, half of which number must be renewed every other year. The president is elected for f our years (six years, 1928) and is not eligible for immediate re-election. He appoints a cabinet composed of seven secretaries. He must be a Mexican by birth, as well as son of a Mexican by birth, and he shall not have taken part, directly or indirectly, in any military uprising, riot or coup. Each State has but one representative body which is called Camara de Diputados.

The new Constitution contains a large number of provisions touching education, religion and the exploitation of the mineral resources of the country—matters that will be treated elsewhere. There are some laws protecting workmen against undue exploita tion; for example, no man can be forced to work more than eight hours in daytime or seven at night ; he may claim a share in the profits of his employer and he has the right to strike. The number of clerks, or officers, employed by the Federal Government was 38,212 in 1924, instead of 32,693 in 1923. Public expenses have been, however, reduced a great deal, largely through a diminution of military expenditure, as shown by the total amount paid for salaries to Government employees and soldiers, which in 1918, 1922 and 1926, respectively, was $137,889,386, $199,730,670 and Mexican pesos. (The peso is worth about so U.S. cents.) The judicial power is exercised by district and circuit courts, and a Supreme Court composed of 11 judges elected for life.

Educational System.

Education is supposed to have been compulsory since 1867 but in spite of efforts to enforce the law, only a small percentage of children have attended schools until recent years. In 1892 and 1896 laws were enacted which vested in the Government the direct control of education in the terri tories and Federal District, and established a High Board of Education to supervise primary education in the States and to provide a uniform programme. The different States remained in

charge of secondary and higher education. Much more attention has been given to the school system in recent years, and progress is evident everywhere. Education is free and compulsory from 6 to 16 years of age and is under Federal control, each State appro priating for schools as much as it deems proper or possible and the Federal Government adding subventions when necessary. Considerable attention is also given to vocational instruction, es pecially in agriculture, and much further development along this line may be expected in the future. According to the new Consti tution, no religious corporation, or minister of any religious creed, shall establish or direct schools of primary education. The total number of public primary schools in Mexico was 9,299 in and the total number of children who attended them was given as 727,227—actually only one-fourth of the children of school age in the country. On the average it may be said that there is one for every 30o registered children. Of these schools 8,388 were partly supported by the Federal Government. Besides these schools there are 46o public schools for workmen, 46 kinder gartens and 1,822 private primary schools. The total number of teachers in 1925 was of which 4,104 had graduated from some normal school.

There are two universities in the republic, at Merida, Yucatan, and Mexico City, respectively, the latter having been founded in 1553 and reorganized in 1910. The University of Mexico City holds a summer session that is attracting a large number of American students every year. Several scientific institutions, some attaining world reputation, are located in the capital, such as the National observatory (Tacubaya), the Geological Institute, the National Museum of Archaeology, Ethnology and History and the School of Mines. To these must be added the National Con servatory of Music, the School of Aviation, the Military academy (Chapultepec) and a number of other establishments doing re search along many lines of human knowledge. The Escuela Pre paratoria can be compared to the best European secondary schools. In Mexico City one also finds the headquarters of the leading learned societies, the best known ones being the Society of Geography and Statistics, the Antonio Alzate Scientific Society, the Academy of Medicine, the Academy of Law and Jurisprudence, the Mexican Geological Society and the Society of Natural History. The National library has 400,000 volumes.