,) he main tribunals are the Supreme Court of Justice (11 justices) and two Appellate Courts (three magistrates each). Subordinate courts are established in the provinces. In the chief towns of each canton the alcaldes are judges of petty offenses, act as committing magistrates and have jurisdiction in the less important civil cases.
Education and Elementary in struction of both sexes is by constitutional mandate compulsory and at the government's expense. The most recent statistics available (1915) show that about 35,000 children were enrolled as pupils in 419 elementary schools, controlled by local educational juntas for whose support the government had made a special loan and imposed certain taxes. In these schools there were 1,489 teachers. Higher edu cation is provided at several provincial insti tutes, and at the Liceo and Colegio Superior de Sefioritas— both of the latter in the capital. There are schools of law and medicine, a national museum, a national library, the Univer sity of Santo Tomas and the Physico-Geo graphical and Meteorological Institution. The government has made a practice of defraying the expenses of a number of young men who are sent as students to European universities. Dr. Claxton, Commissioner of Education, De partment of Interior, government of the United States, writes: a I n Costa Rica, which has made greater advance in respect to primary education than any other one of the Central American states, a very important movement in rural education has been started by the establishment of schools which are furnished with gardens, orchards, and fields, and which provide for rural industries carried on under a special pro gram of (Report for year ended 30 June 1915). By executive decree of 14 Jan. 1915 rules for the newly-established Normal School at Heredia were promulgated.
The Roman Catholic is the religion of the state, but there is entire religious liberty under the constitution. The bishop of San Jose is a suffragan of the archbishop of Guatemala.
Spanish is spoken everywhere throughout the country, even in the Indian districts.
Industry, Agriculture and Coffee raising was for a long time regarded as the most profitable form of agriculture in Costa Rica, and the decline in the price of coffee brought on the financial crisis soon after the beginning of the present century. Coffee in voiced at the American consular agency at Puntarenas for the United States during 1916 amounted to 7,718,057 pounds, valued at $939,543. The systematic cultivation of bananas has in creased during recent years to such a degree that it has become Costa Rica's leading indus try. Indian corn, rice and cocoa grow readily. The live stock consisted of 33,000 cattle, 52,000 horses, 63,000 pigs, besides mules, sheep and goats. Because of the great number of peasant proprietors agriculture is advancing and both the economic situation and political stability of the country are on a sound basis. Until the year 1915 cattle were never exported from Costa Rica, but were extensively imported from Nica ragua at the rate of from 20,000 to 30,000 head annually. During the year 1915, however, 3,151
head of cattle, valued at over $100,000, were exported to the Canal Zone, Panama, for the United States military forces stationed there. Owing to the•scarcity of cattle in this district it is not likely that they will continue to be exported to any extent. Prices of milk, butter, cheese and beef are much higher in Costa Rica than in the United States, and large quantities are imported annually. The cultivation of cacao is increasing in Costa Rica. In 1915 1,272,905 pounds, valued at $174,809, were exported. The Congress of Costa Rica, in 1917, provided for the payment of bounties to the growers of hemp, sisal and similar plants. This bounty, according to the Revista Economics, is to be in the form of 6 per cent treasury bonds, at the rate of 30 colon (colon 46.5 cents) for each hectare (2.47 acres) of land planted in a fibre crop. The total amount of bounties is not to exceed 500,000 colones, and 100,000 colones more is appropriated for machinery. The bounty will be divided into three parts, the first to be deliv ered when the fibre is planted, the second part two years later and the third when the plants are ready to be cut. When the planter has cultivated his fibre crops for 10 years after receiving the first bounty, and has marketed his crops during this time, the mortgage which he has given on his property for the proper use of the bounty money will be canceled by the government. When owners of plantations rep resenting 200 hectares of land or more wish to establish a common fibre factory the govern ment will grant them a loan in treasury bonds for two-thirds of the cost of the installation, taking a mortgage for the amount of the loan payable in 10 years at 8 per cent with amortiza tion of 10 per cent. In 1914 the imports were valued at $7,551,679, while the exports surpassed this figure by $3,310,069. In 1915 the imports were valued at $4,478,782 and the exports at $9,971,582. Exports in the last normal year before the European War, 1913, showed the following distribution: To the United States, $5,297,146; to Great Britain, $4,364,436; to Ger many, $509,804; to France, $96,665. In the same year Costa Rica imported from the United States goods valued at $4,515,871; fro& Ger many, $1,355,417; from Great Britain, $1,303,187; from France, $391,681. The following table shows the value of the leading exports for the last two years and the principal countries of destination, according to the customs statistics: Small establishments for the manufacture of saddles, harness, shoes, hats, clothing, cigars, cigarettes, candles, soap, beer, alcoholic liquors, carbonated waters, etc., exist in various parts of the country. There are officially enumerated 3,2% factories and industries in the Republic, including coffee-drying establishments, starch, broom and woodwork factories.