In May 1910, a boundary treaty between Uruguay and Brazil settled several minor but long-pending questions. A treaty of May 7, 1913, since carried out, provided for delimiting the boundary. Brazil ceded to Uruguay "the waters and navigation" of Lake Mirim and the Jaguardo river, and the parties agreed not to fortify their new frontiers.
The social and educational progress of the country continued during the second administration of Jose Batlle y OrdOnez (19ii- 15), who succeeded Williman. Hours of labour were regulated, a National Insurance Bank was established and experts were brought from the United States and Europe to advance education, par ticularly industrial and agricultural training. A law of July 12, 1911, set aside 100.00c pesos for the encouragement of immigra tion. The first South American International Conference of Agri cultural Defence was held at Montevideo on May 2, 1913, and 200,000 gold pesos (I peso =$1.03) annually was appropriated for free seeds for farmers. Uruguay continued to prosper under President Feliciano Vieira (1915-19), who relied on able advisers of the young and progressive group who had studied abroad.
In 1916 a convention met to discuss a new constitution to re place that of 1830. This came into effect on March 1, 1919. There was the definite separation of Church and State. The Church was given control of those places of worship wholly or partly constructed by funds from the national treasury. The clergy were eligible for election as representatives or senators. Decentralization of the Federal Government was brought about and the executive power was divided between the president and the National Administrative Council. In the latter part of Vieira's administration, Uruguay broke off diplomatic relations with Ger many (Oct. 1917). On Nov. 9, 1917, the eight German merchant vessels in Montevideo harbour were seized by the Uruguayan Government. No military or naval aid was sent to the Allies. A credit of 15,000,000 pesos (approximately £3,000,000) was ad vanced to England by the Uruguayan Government at 5%, to be used for the purchase of supplies in Uruguay.
Uruguay's youngest president, Baltasar Brum, took office on March I, 1919. Uruguay ratified the Treaty of Versailles in 1919,
and also concluded obligatory arbitration treaties with Great Britain and Italy in that year. In 1922 Uruguay became a non permanent member of the Council of the League of Nations. A system of old-age pensions was introduced in 1919, and a total of 20,000 pensions had been granted by 1925. Jose Serrato, an engineer of Italian descent, served as president from 1923 to March I, 1927, when Dr. Juan Campisteguy was inaugurated. Uruguay was one of the few Latin American Republics to escape civil war in 1929-30. President Gabriel Terra, who came into of fice in 1931, found himself badly handicapped for dealing with the economic emergency by his Administrative Council and Congress. He finally dissolved those bodies by a coup d'etat in March 1933 and made himself dictator. The following year a new constitution strengthening the executive's power was approved by the people and Terra was reelected for four more years. Discontent with his rule, however, continued to grow. An abortive uprising oc curred in January 1935 and in June an unsuccessful attempt was made upon the president's life.
of Bureau of American Republics; V. Sam pognaro, L'Uruguay au commencement du X Siecle (Brussels, 191o) ; Anuario Estadistico de la RepUblica Oriental del Uruguay (Montevideo, annual) ; C. M. Maeso, El Uruguay al trades de un siglo (Montevideo, 191o) ; and Impresiones del Uruguay en el Siglo, X X. (London, 1912) ; "Sintesis estadistica de la Republica Oriental del Uruguay," Montevideo. Uruguay, Supplements to Commerce Reports, United States Department of Commerce Annual. W. H. Koebel, Uru guay (London, 1911) ; 0. Araujo, Diccionario Geogrcifico del Uruguay (2nd edition) (Montevideo, 1912) and El Libro de "El Siglo" (Monte video, 1913). E. Acevedo, Manual de Historia Uruguaya (Montevideo, 1916) ; W. H. Hudson, The Purple Land (New York, 1916) ; H. J. Gordon Ross, Argentina and Uruguay (London, 1917) ; W. Parker, Uruguayans of To-Day; in Hispanic Notes and Monographs, vol. vi., 2nd ed. (New York, 1921) ; Department of Overseas Trade, Reports (London, 1922, etc.). (C. L. C.; G. M. 1VIcB.)