mark, the quantity of goods transported by the railways is, in contrast to the number of passengers, steadily increasing, and now amounts to about 10 million tons, or three times as much as in the coasting trade. More than half of the income of the railways is derived from the goods traffic.

The total capital invested in railways was, in 1923, about 636 million kroner, of which about 514 millions are invested in the State railways.

AUTOMOBILE SERVICES, ETC.

During the past few years traffic by means of motor vehicles, both for passengers and goods, has increased greatly. Denmark has now about 63,000 motor vehicles, of which about 44,000 are motor cars and about 19,000 motor cycles, and the comparatively flat surface of the country, and the close net of macadam highways, offer good conditions for the use of these vehicles. Motor vehicles are not only used to a great extent by private persons, but are extensively employed in regular services. The number of motor omnibus services may thus be estimated at about 400, which cover nearly every part of the country. As an example it may be stated that from Aarhus there are 31 services, from Vejle 28 and from Odense 27. In several towns motor omnibus stations have been established, with waiting rooms, petrol stores, etc.

This extensive motor traffic has naturally brought a keen competition upon the railways, and involved a very considerable increase in the cost of widening and maintaining the roads; but on the other hand it has led to an improvement of the local means of communication and a great increase in trade and in the tourist traffic all over the country. Special dues have been imposed upon motor vehicles for the purpose of meeting the expense involved by the wear and tear of the roads. It may be added here that there are 7,600 kilometres of main roads and 38,200 kilometres of by-roads.

On November 1st, 1923, seven aeroplanes were registered (apart from those of the army and navy) with a total of 1920 h.p. and a carrying capacity of 11.7 tons. During the summer of that year a daily air service was established between Copenhagen and Hamburg, and this service has now been extended to Rotterdam, changing at the latter town for Paris and London.

POST, TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE

In Denmark the postal service is solely under State management, the State having a monopoly in this respect. Mail is delivered daily to every farm or house all over the country. On March 31st, 1923, there were 254 permanent post offices.

In the financial year of 1922-23 the Danish post office delivered about 236 million letters (about 192 million of which were inland), 876,000 money-letters, about 11 million parcels and 183 million newspapers. Furthermore, there were delivered more than 9 million postal orders, C.O.D. forms, and collections, to a total sum of 554 million kroner. There were 4,326 holders of post-office (giro) accounts and the total giro turnover was 1,882 million kroner. In the summer of 1923 there was a daily air mail between Copenhagen and Hamburg. The receipts of the post office in 1922-23 were 54 million kroner.

The telegraph service, too, is carried on by the State. On March 31st, 1923, there were 937 telegraph stations and 4,193 telegraph lines, with a total of 15,298 kilometres of lines. A total of 4.4 million telegrams were dealt with, of which 2.3 millions were foreign correspondance. Denmark has a great exchange of telegrams especially with Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, and Norway, a fact which is largely due to shipping. The receipts of the telegraph service in 1922-23 were about 13 million kroner. Apart from the ordinary telegraph stations there are 294 wireless stations, 278 of which are on board ships. At the Copenhagen, Blaavand and Lyngby wireless stations about 14,000 telegrams were dealt with in 1922-23.

As regards the telephone system, the State merely attends to the inter-provincial service, while the local services are carried on by private companies with Government concessions. There are seven such companies, with a total of 225,000 subscribers and about 944,000 kilometres of lines. Through the State telephone a total of 385 million calls were dealt with.

The private companies gave a total profit of about 7.5 million kroner, of which 5.6 millions were accounted for by the Copenhagen Telephone Co. Ltd.

Denmark is exceedingly well supplied with telephones, there being a telephone for every 12 inhabitants. The United States is the only country with a better average a telephone for every eight inhabitants.

SOCIAL CONDITIONS

As in most other countries, there is a very close connection in Denmark between the general industrial and economic development and the development of social legislation. From the middle of the nineteenth Century began an industrial development which gradually created a working population under looser and more uncertain economic circumstances than before, and it was through this that the need for social legislative measures arose. In the beginning of the 1870's the trades unions made their appearance, but for a time they were of minor importance and, apart from a few workmen's protection Acts of limited scope, it was not till the nineties that social legislation began in earnest in Denmark. During the present century the legislature has taken up more and more questions, the years after the great war having especially shown a great development in this respect, so that on the whole Denmark may at present be said to be on an equal level with the most advanced countries. A brief summary of the various sections of Danish social legislation is given in the following.

PROTECTION OF WORKMEN

The first Act for the protection of workmen was passed in 1873, and dealt especially with the restriction of the work of children and juveniles in factories and workshops. In 1889 there came a special Act with regulations as to protection from machinery in factories, etc., and, by the Acts of 1901 and 1913, the various regulations in force were collected and given a somewhat wider scope, with the result that this latter Act, with one or two later amendments, contains all the regulations now in force as to work in factories, workshops, etc.

The general provisions of the Act apply to factories and workshops carried on as factories, as well as to similar establishments engaged in handicrafts and industry, in which several

workers are regularly employed (ordinary handicraft workshops are as a rule under the scope of the Act when employing at least six workers). Many more concerns than those referred to above are brought within the scope of the special regulations as to machinery inspection, as this inspection covers every piece of machinery on land, the use of which may involve danger to life or health and which is worked by engine-power, wind, water or animal power.

The Factory Act authorises the inspectors to demand good hygienic and sanitary conditions at the working places. As a rule a ceiling height of 2.5 metres and an air space of eight cubic metres per man are demanded, while sufficient lighting, warmth, ventilation and cleanliness of the premises are also insisted on. Special regulations have been drawn up for a number of the larger trades, with detailed instructions as to premises.

As to protection from machinery, the inspectors must see that the necessary measures are taken for safety and, except in agriculture, no child may be put to work on a machine.

By the Factory Act of 1873 work was forbidden for children under ten years of age. The age limit was gradually raised and, according to the regulations now in force, children under fourteen are prohibited from working in handicraft, industrial or transport trades. For juveniles between 14 and 18 years night work (from 7 pm to 6 am) is as a rule prohibited, whereas there is no prohibition against female night work in industrial workshops.

For four weeks after child-birth, women must not work in a factory under the Factory Inspection, unless there is a medical certificate to the effect that there is no danger to the health of the mother or the child. During the period when she is not allowed to work she may receive public support if she keeps the child, and this support does not involve the disabilities of Poor Law Relief.

A separate Act of 1919 introduced the eight hour day for trades with regular day and night shift. As a principal rule, work on church holidays is forbidden in industrial concerns, but otherwise legislation in Denmark contains no general rules as to the working hours of adult workers in private concerns. In practice, however, the eight hour day has been almost universal since 1919, through voluntary agreements between the organisa

tions of the employers and the men. In the preceding years the working day was generally of 9 or 10 hours. A special Act of 1920 prohibits night work in bakeries from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., although this prohibition does not apply to rye-bread factories with day and night shifts, nor to the employer's wife or children under 18 years.

The regulations as to shop closing are of importance to shop assistants. The Act of 1922 now in force prescribes as a principal rule that shops shall be closed on Sundays and church holidays. A fixed closing time is also prescribed: shops may be opened at 6 a.m., and, during the first four days of the week, must close at 6 p.m. (in the summer months 7 p.m.), on Fridays at 7 p.m. and on Saturdays and the days before church holidays, at 9 p.m. As to apprentices, there is a separate Act of May 6th, 1921, which provides for the setting up of contracts in writing and contains regulations as to training, sickness insurance (which rests upon the master) and various measures of protection for the apprentice.

The Act of May 6th, 1921, on the legal position of master and servant, has as its object the adjustment of the legal status of the parties and the ensuring of a certain amount of protection for the servant.

According to the Seamen's Act of May 1st, 1923, children under 14 years may not be employed on board ships, and persons under 18 years may not work as firemen or coal trimmers. The Act also contains various rules regarding the payment of wages and the right of seamen to medical attendance during sickness.

WORKMEN AND EMPLOYERS

At the beginning of the seventies the first trades unions were started in Denmark. During the first twenty years this movement made only slow progress, but since then development has been rapid and, at the present time, there are about 300,000 men organised in trades unions. Unskilled labour and women are also well to the fore in trades unionism, while of late years shop assistants and clerks, as well as farm labourers, have formed important organisations; the various groups of State employees have also set up organisations which are continually becoming more comprehensive and centralised. Most of the trades unions are amalgamated into a national organisation