five_chief items: the agricultural budget properly'so called, the
Agncultural College, veterinary matters, the allotment authorities
and the Royal Society for Norway’s Welfare.
«nnnni6, H M l8 budSet I Glanced with an expense of
800,000 kroner, including the salaries of a staff of state functionaries
grants in favour of agricultural, dairy, and horticultural
schools -laboratories of different kinds, contributions to the agri-
cultural societies of the counties, etc.
The Agricultural College, since its establishment in 1859 has
been connected with the model farm at Aas near Kristiania.’ Up
o the year 1897, advanced instruction was here given only to
agriculturists, but in the above-mentioned year the school was
enlarged so as to become also a college for gardeners, dairy
farmers, surveyors and foresters. The Agricultural College is managed
by a director, and the staff of teachers consists of nine
professors and ten instructors and assistants. The annnal state
contribution on the ordinary budget amounts to about 100 000
kroner.
Civil veterinary matters are also managed by a director who
is at the same time the manager of the veterinario-paithological
laboratory of the state. The state and county veterinarians are
under his guidance, as also the public tuberculin examinations,
the courses of mstruction for veterinarians, quarantine stations, etc.
Norway has not as yet a separate veterinary college, but the
establishment of such an institution is under discussion. The
annual government grant to veterinary institutions amounts to
about 130,000 kroner.
For the advancement of the public allotment there have been
appointed 44 chief surveyors with a staff of assistants. The whole
salary and travelling expenses of the staff are paid by the state
and thus the expenses for the interested lot-owners become relatively
small. As it is often necessary, as a consequence of an
allotment, to remove houses, there is on the annual allotment
budget a standing grant of 50,000 kroner, for the purpose bf
rendering assistance to needy lot-owners; while the total amount
of the budget is 250,000 kroner.
The Royal Society for Norway’s Welfare is the central agricultural
society of the country, while all the county agricultural
societies are its subordinate branches’ under whose direction the
parish or district societies in their turn are working. The purpose
of the society is to advance agriculture and kindred pursuits, and
to defray the expenses connected therewith, it has the interest of
its capital, which at present amounts to about 270,000 kroner,
membership subscriptions to about 3000 kroner, and an annual
government grant of from 30,000 to 40,000 kroner. The society,
among other things, furthers its object by publishing a monthly
periodical.
Furthermore, there are certain minor public funds intended
for the advancement of agriculture. Among these we may mention
the fund for buying land, amounting to 500,000 kroner, out
of which loans are granted to the municipalities for the purpose
of buying large estates to be assigned to people without means,
at the purchase price, in plots of not more than 12 acres of
tillable soil; and for the purpose of being granted as loans on the
security of parcels of the same size, which people without means
intend to acquire as freehold property. The interest paid on these
loans, which may not be made to any single community to a larger
amount than kr. 25,000, is 38A %, which percentage, in the case
of loans granted to purchasers of the parcels, may be raised to
4 %. The time'of payment is up to 25 years.
Out of the cultivation fund, which amounts to kr. 1,000,000,
loans are granted for the purpose of cultivating and draining soil,
at an annual interest of 2Va °/o, and the time of repayment is up
to 20 years, including five years in which no instalments are
required. These loans are granted either on the security of mortgages,
or on the guarantee of the municipality.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
Norges offidelle Statistik, et especially No. 217, 244, 314 et 315.
Aarsberetning angaaende de offentlige Foranstaltninger til Landbrugets Fremmc.
Kristiania 1875 sqq.
Norsk Landmandsblad. Kristiania 1882 sqq.
Tidsskrift fo r det norske Landbrug. Kristiania 1894 sqq.
J . S m i t t . Norges Landbrug i dette Aarhundrede. Kristiania 1883.
G. T a n d b e r g . Kortfattet Veiledning i Bygningsvcesen paa Landet. 2 Udg.
Kristiania 1890.
A. H e l l a n d . Jordbunden i Norge (Norges geologiske Undersogelse No. 9).
Kristiania 1893.
Forslag f r a den parlamentariske Landbrugskommission til Ordning a f den lavere
Landbrugsundervisning. Kristiania 1898 (Sth. Forh. 1898—99 D. 5, No. 44).