Money, Weights and Measures.— By a decree of the Cortes in 1868 a new monetary system was introduced into Spain, according to which accounts are kept in centesimos and pesetas: 100 1 peseta =40.19; or one franc. The gold coins are pieces of 100, 50, 25, 20, 10 and 5 pesetas; the silver coins are pieces of 5, 2, 1 pesetas and 50 centesimos. The bronze coins are pieces of 10, 5, 2 and 1 centimos. The weights and measures are pre cisely the same as those of France, with no other change than a slight one of names, the metre becoming the metro, the litre the litro and so on. The old system is still in use in many places. Its chief weights are the Quin to/ -=220.4 pounds; the libra = 1.014 pounds; liquid measures are the arroba=3/2 gallons for wine and 2g gallons for oil; the square vara=1.09 vara =1 yard; dry measure, the fanega = imperial bushels.
Communications and Shipping.— Trade labors under great disadvantages from the want of proper means of communication. The roads, except the royal roads (caminos reales), are generally wretched; the rivers, though numerous, are ill fitted for navigation; and though in recent times much has been done in constructing railways and tramways, much more is still required. Hence the foreign trade is almost necessarily confined to such articles of raw produce as are raised in greatest abun dance and can be most easily conveyed to a seaport. The length of railways in Spain is 8,993 miles (14,988 kilometres), of which 6,880 miles are of 5.48 foot gauge (1.67 metres) and 2,106 miles of varying gauges, but mostly of 3.28 foot gauge. About seven miles are cogwheel and funicular lines. About 71,000, 000 passengers were carried in 1917 and 35,500, 000 tons of merchandise. All roads are in the hands of private companies, but nearly all are subsidized by the government. The receipts of the Post-Office Department in 1916 were $7,599,760 and the expenses $3,910,655. In that year it handled 190,733,150 letters and post-cards and 280,351,621 printed papers, samples, etc. There are 6,792 post-offices. Spain has 64,832 miles of telegraphs, which in 1916 carried 16,705,945 messages. The system has 2,43.5 offices. There are 141 urban telephone systems and 202 interurban circuits, with a total of 48,410 telephone stations. There are 10 wire less stations controlled by a single company.
The Spanish merchant marine consists of 495 steam vessels of 749,548 tons net and 85 sailing vessels of 31,209 tons net. In 1918 there entered with cargoes at Spanish ports 5,857 vessels of 5,060,937 tons and 6,618 vessels in ballast of 3,684,747 tons. In the same year the total clearances were 13,836 vessels of 7,203,843 tons of which 12,595 vessels of 6,700, 452 tons were with cargoes. Of the vessels entered 9,699 of 5,607,185 tons were Spanish; of the clearances 11,120 of 4.093,436 tons were of Spanish registry.
Government.— Up to 1868 the government of Spain, which was that of a hereditary con stitutional monarchy, was regulated by a con stitution adopted in 1837, and subsequently modified in 1845. After the deposition of Isa
bella II a new constitution was drawn tip by the Cortes, elected by universal suffrage. This constitution bore date 1 June 1869, and modi fied considerably the previous one. According to it, ((all powers emanate from the nation. The power to make laws resides in the Cortes. The sovereign sanctions and promulgates the laws. The executive power resides in the sov ereign, who exercises it by means of ministers. The tribunals exercise the judicial power." After the abdication of King Amadeo in Febru ary 1873, Spain changed its form of govern ment to that of a federative republic, until the proclamation, as king, of Alfonso XII., 31 Dec. 1874, when the constitution of 1869 was again brought into force. A new constitution, however, was proclaimed in 1876, when certain amendments were introduced. According to the enactments at present in force Spain is governed constitutionally, the executive power residing in the king, the legislative in the king and Cortes (or parliament) conjointly. The Cortes consists of two independent bodies or bodies of equal authority, the Senate and the Congress. The members of the Senate form three classes, namely, senators in their own right, not to exceed 80 in number; life senators nominated 'by the crown, 100 in number; and elected senators, 180 in number. The senators in their own right include royal princes who have attained their majority; grandees of the kingdom who are in possession of an income of 60,000 pesetas or about $12,000; captains general in the army, admirals of the navy; the archbishops, the patriarch of the Indies, the presidents of the council of state, the su preme tribunal and several other similar func tionaries. The elective senators are chosen by the corporations of state, such as provincial leg islatures, universities, the ecclesiastical bodies, etc., and the citizens who are the largest payers of state burdens, and this portion of the Senate is renewed by one-half every five years or altogether when the body is dissolved by the sovereign. The Congress or second legislative body, is to comprise at least one deputy to each 50,000 of the population. The Cortes must meet each year, and its sessions are to be convoked, suspended or closed by the king. No project can become law until after it has been voted in both bodies. Projects of finance or taxation must he presented to the Congress before being submitted to the Senate. Voting is compulsory for all males over the age of 25 with a few exceptions. All such voters must be registered on the voting list and must possess full civil rights. Members of Congress must be 25 years of age and are re-eligible indefinitely, the election being held quinquennially. There are 417 deputies. Neither senators nor deputies receive any compensation.