Government--Mudirliks--Mulisarif--Cadi of Mostar--Medjlis--Its
Constitution and Functions--Criminal and Commercial
Tribunals--Revenue and
Taxes--Virgu--Monayene-askereh--Customs--Tithes--Excise--Total
Revenue--Police.
The Herzegovina is divided into fourteen districts or mudirliks, named
as follows, viz.:--
Districts Chief Towns No. of Villages in
each District
Mostar Mostar 45
Duvno Duvno 25
Gliubinski 31
Stolatz Stolatz 22
Trebigné Trebigné 51
Niksich Niksich 28
Tashlijeh Tashlijeh 16
Priepolie 22
Chainitza Chainitza 14
Kolashin 56
Fochia Fochia
Gasko Gasko 20
Nevresign Nevresign 14
Pogitel Pogitel 13
[I]Konitza 19
These districts, with the exception of Mostar (which is the seat of the
Central Provincial Government), are under the supervision of a Mudir,
who is assisted by a Council, a Cadi or Judge, and a Tax-collector. The
province is governed by a Mutisarif named from Constantinople, who is
subject in certain things to the Pacha of Bosnia. The Mudirs are
appointed by the Mutisarif, subject to the approval of the government at
Constantinople.
The Cadi of Mostar is a very important personage, and has all the
district Cadis under his orders. He is an unsalaried officer, his
remuneration consisting of the fees of office, and whatever else he can
lay hands on.
The Medjlis, or Council for the province, was selected by Kiamil
Effendi, the Turkish Commissioner in 1853, and vacancies have since been
filled up by the votes of the majority of their number, subject to
confirmation at Constantinople.
The Medjlis consists of about ten native Mussulmans, one Roman Catholic,
and one Greek, so that the Christian interests are but indifferently
represented.
Appeal can be made against its decision to the Medjlis Kebir at Bosna
Serai.
All legal matters are arbitrated by the Medjlis since the abolition of
the various tribunals, which were founded in 1857. One of these was for
the trial of criminal causes. It consisted of a President, and six
members, and another was a commercial tribunal for the settlement of
petty commercial disputes. These have both fallen into abeyance; and,
seeing that Christian evidence is not accepted in the civil causes, it
is difficult to understand how the Christian population could ever have
benefited, at any rate by the latter.
* * * * *
_Revenues and taxes._--The revenue of the province is derived from the
following sources, viz.--
_Virgu_ (income tax).
_Monayene-askereh_, or the tax paid by the Christians in lieu of
military service. It is, however, one of the grievances alleged by the
Christians, who declare their willingness to serve; but as many
Mussulmans would willingly pay the tax to be exempted from the chance of
enlistment, the hardship applies to all parties.
_Customs, tithes, excise._
The Virgu is a species of income tax, inasmuch as it is a rate levied
ostensibly on the wealth of individuals; but, instead of being a per
centage on the income, it has resolved itself into a mere capitation
tax, and is ill-adapted, as such a tax must always be, to the relative
wealth of individuals. A certain sum was arbitrarily fixed upon to be
paid by the province. The government appears to have omitted to enquire
whether the wealth of the country would enable it to pay so large a sum
as that demanded. In 1853, the tax was divided into three portions,
according to the numbers of each persuasion, and has been thus collected
ever since.
In the same sweeping manner these sums have been equally apportioned to
each household, poor and rich paying alike. Thus the Mussulmans, who
possess nearly all the land in the province, and who are generally in
affluent circumstances, but who form the smallest portion of the
population, pay least. The Virgu has been unscrupulously levied, and has
given rise to much discontent, more especially among the Latins, who are
the poorest classes.
These complain bitterly, and harrowing stories are told of women, about
to become mothers, being compelled to pay the tax on the chance of the
infant being a male. Such things may have occurred some years ago, but
the spirit of cruelty appears to have died out, or is at all events kept
in the background by the Moslems of the present day.
The Monayene-askereh was first imposed when the people were relieved
from the Haradj. It is levied on males from fourteen to seventy, and was
found so grievous, that the Porte has seen fit to direct that only about
one-half of the original amount shall be raised. This alleviation has
existed during the last three years.
_Customs._--These consist of a duty of three per cent. ad valorem on all
imports and exports to and from foreign countries, as well as the same
amount demanded under the form of transit dues for goods passing from
one Turkish province to another. This has lately been reduced from 12
per cent. to its present rate.
The next source of revenue is the amount realised by the tithes. Since
1858 these have been farmed by the government, but previous to that year
they were sold by auction, as in other provinces, to the highest bidder.
The arrangement was complicated enough, for they underwent no less than
four sales: 1st. In each district for the amount of the district. 2nd.
At Mostar, where each district was again put up, and given to the person
offering 10 per cent. above the price realised at the first sale. 3rd.
At Bosna Serai for the entire province. And lastly at Constantinople,--the
highest bidder in this fourfold sale becoming the farmer. This system
exposed the tithe payers to much oppression, for it not uncommonly
happened that the farmer found he had paid more for his purchase than
he could legally claim from the people, so that, instead of 10 per
cent., 15 or 20 per cent. could alone remunerate him; and this he found
no difficulty in getting, as the government unfortunately bound itself
to help him. None but the farmers of the tithes really knew what the
produce was, so that any demand of theirs was considered by the
government to be a bonâ fide claim, and was upheld.
The government was frequently cheated, and, further, defrauded of large
sums of money, as in the case of Hadji Ali Pacha; but it is a question
whether so much will be realised by the present system, since greater
facilities exist for roguery on the part of the agriculturalists, to say
nothing of the corruptness of its own officials.
The excise consists of a per centage on the sale of wine, spirits, shot,
lead, earthenware, snuff, tobacco, and salt; of tolls on produce brought
into the towns for sale; of fees for permission to distil, to roast and
grind coffee, and to be a public weigher; also of a tax on taking
animals to the grazing grounds,[J] and of licenses to fish for eels and
leeches: these are caught plentifully in the plain of Gabella when
flooded, and are of good quality.
* * * * *
_Revenue._--The taxes of the province produce annually about 9,135,000
piastres, taking the piastre at 2_d._ English.
This sum may be divided as follows: viz.--
Piastres
Virgu 1,700,000
Tithes 5,000,000
Monayene-askereh 1,285,000
Customs 600,000
Excise 550,000
---------
Total 9,135,000
The above shows that the province yields to the imperial treasury a
yearly sum of about 79,000_l._ sterling, from a taxation of about 8_s._
per head on the population. The amount may appear small; but when it is
considered that the taxes are not equitably levied, that the heaviest
share falls upon the poorest inhabitants, and that a great part of the
amount is in direct taxation, it cannot be considered light. The burden,
too, weighs with undue severity upon the faithful subjects of the Porte,
since they are compelled to pay the share which would fall upon those
who have rebelled against the Turkish authority.
There is one branch of the public administration which eminently
requires readjustment. This is the police force. Ill-paid and badly
organised, it follows as a matter of course that it is inefficient to
perform the duties required of it. It is divided into horse and foot,
and is paid as follows per month:--
Horse Piastres
Binbashee (or Chief Officer) 1,000 per month
Uzbashee (or Captain) 600 "
Tchonch (Corporal or Sergeant) 250 "
Nefer (Private) 150 "
Foot Piastres
Tchonch 100 per month
Nefer 75 "
The Zaptiehs have frequently duties to perform which should only be
intrusted to men of honesty and sagacity, and it is consequently of
great importance to render the service attractive to trustworthy men. To
effect this the pay, more especially in the lower grades, should be
increased, and circumspection used in the selection of recruits. At
present this is far from being the case, many men of notoriously bad
character being employed, and these are driven to peculation and theft
for the means of supporting life. The mounted portion find their own
horses and forage, is very dear in many parts of the province.
[Footnote I: Many of the villages on the Montenegrin frontier no longer
exist, having been fired by the insurgents.]
[Footnote J: These are principally on the western banks of the Narenta,
outside Mostar.]