Congress meets at Quito every two years, usually on 10 August, for a period of 60 days, which may be extended for another 30 days. The President of the republic may also call an extraordinary session when deemed necessary or expedient. There are two chambers: the Senate of 32 members (two senators from each province; term four years) and the Chamber of Deputies of 48 members (one deputy for each 30,000 inhabitants; term, two years). Both senators and deputies are elected by direct popular vote, every citizen over 21 years of age who can read and write being entitled to vote. The President of the republic, elected for four years by direct vote of the people, cannot be re-elected until eight years have passed after expiration of the term of office. The Constitution now in force, dating from 23 Dec. 1906, is the twelfth promulgated since 1830. According to its provisions, Ecuador is a centralized republic. In the event of the death or disability of the President, the president of the Senate or of the Chamber of Deputies, in the order mentioned, exercises the executive power. The President's Cabinet is composed of the Minister of the Interior and Public Works, the Minister of Foreign Rela tions and Justice, the Minister of the Treasury and Public Credit, the Minister of Public In struction, Post Offices and Telegraphs and the Minister of War and Navy. In addition to this Cabinet, there is a council of state which is consulted by the President in all important mat ters and which represents Congress when that body is not in session. It includes members of the Cabinet, the president of the Supreme Court, the president of the Court of Accounts, two senators, two deputies and three other citizens, the last seven members being elected by Congress. Under the Constitution foreigners enjoy the same guaranties and civil rights as the citizens of Ecuador. Freedom of thought, of worship and of the press is assured. Women may exercise all the rights granted to Ecuadorians, and also have the free administra tion of their property, even when they are mar ried. Aliens may acquire property, also public lands, and may establish banking institutions under the same conditions as Ecuadorians. Public credit is guaranteed and funds set aside for the payment of public debt cannot be used for other purposes.
The local government is controlled by the central government. The local administrators, from the governors of the provinces down to the lieutenants of the parishes, are all ap pointed by the President. Chief towns of cantones have municipal councils, commonly of five members. There are rural (mounted) and urban police, with a director or chief in each provincial capital.
Ecuador's courts are the Supreme Court, at Quito (five justices, elected by Congress for a term of six years, attorney-general, two secre taries) ; Superior Courts at Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca, Riobamba, Loja and Puertoviejo, the first two being composed of six judges and the last four of three judges each, all elected by Congress for the same term as the members of the Supreme Court ; Court of Accounts at Quito (seven judges) empowered to audit and in vestigate all public accounts and expenditures, its members being elected by Congress for a term of similar length to that of the justices; municipal civil tribunals of the first instance at Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca; fiscal judges for each province; judges of commerce in large towns; judges of mines, police and parishes. In the republic there are 33 cantonal and 359 parochial justices, and 85 solicitors admitted to practice. In criminal cases, trial by jury is provided for, but only in the larger towns.
Primary instruction is gratui tous and obligatory for children between 6 and 12 years of age. Among the subjects taught beside the familiar elementary branches are morality, religion and urbanity. In the boys' schools the Constitution of Ecuador is added; in those for girls, sewing and domestic economy. In 1916 there were about 1,600
public schools of primary grade, with 98,400 pupils. Secondary instruction is provided in 37 "colleges," with 371 professors and 4,500 students, the school year beginning 10 October and ending 30 July. The University at Quito, with associate universities at Cuenca and Guayaquil, has faculties of philosophy, belles-lettres, law, medicine, physical and nat ural sciences, mathematics and There are nine schools of higher education with about 1,228 students. Schools of arts and crafts are found in the provinces of Pichincha, Leon, Chimborazo, Azuay, Loja and Guayas. Bahia has a commercial About $600,000 is expended yearly by the gov ernment on education. There are also numer ous private schools in the republic.
Jose Joaquin de Olmedo (b. Guayaquil 1780) and Juan Montalyo (b. Ambato 1833) are by Ecuadorians esteemed, the former the greatest poet, the latter the greatest prose writer of South America. Ecuador was also the birth place of Jose Mejia, the '
Commerce, Finance and Agriculture.— The value of imports in 1914, the last normal year before the effect of the European War was felt in all Latin-America, was $8,402,767; of exports, $12,464,333; and the principal exports were: cacao, 47,210 tons; coffee, 2,980 tons; gold (in bars or dust), $365,324; °Panama° hats, $972,215; cattle hides, 811 tons; ivory nuts, 8,583 tons; rubber, 147 tons. The exports in 1915 were $12,740,000. The United States took exports valued at $3,588,130; France took $4,438,226; Germany, $860,302; United King dom, $1,230,555. Ecuador imported from the United States goods valued at $2,770,599; from the United Kingdom, $2,414,662; from Germany, $1,203,566; from France, $326,770. The value of imports in 1915 was $8,422,881; of exports, $12,882,402. The principal exports were cacao, 81,712,773 pounds, valued at $9,706,981; °Panama° hats, 300,375 pounds, valued at $839, 027; gold, $530,591; ivory nuts, 20,094,925 pounds valued at $526,519; coffee, 5,116,161 pounds valued at $463,413; cattle hides, 1,971, 243 pounds valued at $289,333; rubber, 564,943 pounds valued at $196,447; leaf tobacco, 584,868 pounds valued at $89,825; leather, 163,803 pounds valued at $27,410; bananas, 3,522,475 pounds valued at $33,575. The exports to the United States amounted to $5,674,291, to the United Kingdom,669,280, to France $1,175, 972, to Spain $582,&34, to the Netherlands $982, 410, to Italy $598,590. Textiles other than silk formed the principal import item in 1915, amounting to $1,795,101. Other important arti cles imported were gold and silver coin to the value of $1,416,232, foodstuffs $1,257,294, hard ware $581,521, clothing $301,418, mineral prod ucts $327,315, machinery and parts $277,970. The imports from the United States in 1915 totaled $3,209,608, those from the United King dom $3 353,333, those from Italy $399,961, Spain $330,867, France $246,728. United States ranked first in purchases from Ecuador for 1915, with the United Kingdom second and France third; while in imports the United King dom occupied first place, the United States a close second and France a distant third. Heavy purchases of materials for the sanitation of Guayaquil from the 'United Kingdom were largely responsible for the increased value of shipments from that country. Great increases were made by the United States in the sales of cotton piece goods, laundry soap, readymade clothing, straw hats, drugs and chemicals, paper, crackers and a number of others, in cluding canned goods, which have secured a Permanent entry into this market.