2. The department of justice and police. Besides controlling
the judicial magistrates the head of this department superintends
the general administration of the'prisons and the medical matters
of the kingdom. I t is also this minister who grants certain concessions
and dispensations, chiefly in the matter of legal procedure.
3. The department of the interior. I t would be too long to enumerate
all the branches of this department; it superintends the administration
of the municipal authorities, .except public assistance and the affairs
that are under the charge of the minister of public works. A special
division of this department controls commercial and consular affairs.
4. The department of agriculture is charged with the affairs
of agriculture proper, with those of forestry, and with the public
measures against epizootic diseases'.
5. The department of public works has the charge' not only,
of public works properly so called, but also the administration of
the posts and telegraphs, and of the funds of the mutual fire insurance
common to the whole kingdom.
6. The department of finance has the financial administration
of the state, the collection of customs duties and of the other
public imposts and contributions ; it makes up the state accounts :
the national bank is the general treasury of the state.
7. The department of public defence. Besides the military affairs
of the army and navy, it has the superintendence- of lighthouses,
the company of pilots, and the schools of navigation for the employees
of the merchant marine.
8. The department of revision verifies and audits the accounts
of all the functionaries and establishments of the state.
For administrative purposes Norway is divided into 18 counties
(amter) besides the cities of Kristiania and-Bergen, which are
separate counties. The chief of the administration of the county
is the prefect (amtmand), nominated by the king and representing
the central power. The prefects of Kristiania and Bergen besides
those residing in the other diocesan cities (Hamar, Kristiansand,
Trondhjem,. Tromso) all have the title of «stiftamtmand» (prefect
of diocese), and with the bishop form what is called the diocesan
administration (stiftsdirektion) for each of these districts. This
administration is invested with extensive, powers in several matters
pertaining to the ecclesiastical department.
The administration of the towns of Kristiania and Bergen doés not
materially differ from that of the othertowns which form part of a county.
The authority representing the central power in the towns is
called «magistrate» and is nominated by the king. The magistrates
of the capital and of Bergen are composed of three burgomasters,
while, the functions of the magistrate in the other towns are performed
by one person.
The 18 counties are divided into 56 subdivisions (fogderier)
under magistrates (fogder). appointed by the king. By an act of
July 21st, 1894, however, their offices are going to be gradually
abolished. They perform the administrative functions corresponding
•to those of the French sub-prefects; they also administer the rural
police and 'are even public prosecutors in the case of a great number
of offences punishable by fines; finally they have the collection
of the direct public imposts with the public funds and treasury
accounts for their district. In the collection of the imposts, etc., the'
fogder will be replaced Jby treasurers of counties (amtskasserere),
■and at the head of the rural police will be placed special chiefs
(politimestre). The towns have always had their chiefs of police.
The functionaries for the local rural police (the «lensmsend») are
subordinate to the fogder, and like these they have a variety of
functions. Generally there is one in each rural municipality. After
the abolishment of the offices of foged, they will have more important
functions. According to the act of June 30th, 1884, the lensmsend are
appointed by the prefect, who, however, is generally restricted in
his choice to the three candidates proposed by the municipal council.
Certain expenses of the rural municipalities are entirely or partially
defrayed by the whole county. On the funds and general councils
of the counties, see the special article on municipal organisation.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
F r e d r ik St a n g . Systematisk Fremstilling a f Kongeriget Norges Gonstitutionelle
— eller grundlovbestemte Met Kristiania, pg.833.
T. H. As c h eh o u g . Norges offentlige Met. Kristiania. 1 .1866. II. 1—3. 2. Edition.
1'891-^93.
» Das Staatsrecht der vereinigten Königreiche Schiveden und Norwegen. (Handbuch
des öffentlichen Rechts der Gegenwart, hg. von H. Ma bq u a rd se jt .
B. V2/2. Freibnrg i B. 1886).
Nordisk Metsencyklojpcedi. Fase. 6—8. Kjobenhavn. 1885—87.
B. Mo r g e n s t ie r n e . Lcerebog i den norske statsforfatningsret. Kristiania. 1899.
(In conrse of publication).
A. F acrden. Almenfattelig Udsigt over Norges.Statsforfatning. Kristiania. 1894.