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Leader (1850-1860), 6th August 1859, Edition 1 of 2, Page 904, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      904 THE LEADEB . fNo . 489 . Aug . 6 , 185 Q . 1

      Untitled Article

      IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT . , Monday , Avgust 1 . ¦ In the -House of Loeds , Lord Tjsynham inquired whether in proposing any measure for Parliamentary Heformthe Government would take into consideration the expediency of not proposing : any property or pecuniary qualification to entitle a person to be registered as a voter . —Earl Gkanvjlle declined to give any premature explanation upon a subject which was , he observed , still under consideration by her Majesty ' s ministers .

      The Divorce Court Bill was considered as amended in committee , and after a slight discussion on an ^ amendment of Xord Redesdale to limit the power of the Court to sit with closed doors to suits of nullity of marriage , and which was carried on a division by a majority of 13 , the report was adopted , and the bill xead a third time and passed . Lord Derby , in opposition to the Municipal Corporations Bill , said that the object of it was to reduce the Church of England to a level with all the Dissenting sects in the country .

      BRITISH SAtT IN CHIXA . Lord Stanley of Alberley , in calling the attention . of her Majesty ' s Government to the admission of British salt into China , stated that the suppl y of salt to a population of 300 , 000 , 000 had been hitherto a monopoly . in the hands of the Chinese Government . It would be only fair in asking permission to import salt into China to make some compensation equa l to the revenue that would be : thereby lost to the Chinese Government , He concluded by asking what steps had been taken by the Government for the purpose of bringing the question for admitting British salt into China before the Court Of Pekin . —Lord Elgin said he concurred with all that had fallen from Lord Stanley of Alderley , but it was not so easy to make the Chinese Commissioner entertain the views the entertain tne views

      same . < jninese tjommissioner same . The monopoly of salt was a very ancient one in China , and would on that account be difficult to overthrow , and , in addition to that , it was a very productive : source of revenue . With respect to the appointment of a Russian ambassador at Pekin , he thought it-would be as well for this country not to press at first with too great stringency on the . Chinese Government our right secured by treaty of permanent residence . Should , however , other nations insist on that right he presumed we should not fail to do the same , —Lord Wodeiioctse stated the instructions which had been given to Mr . Bruce , and explained the steps which had been taken by Russia . Their lordships adjourned at eight o ' clock .

      THE NEW PUBUO OFFICES . In the House of CoanjcoNs Lord John Manners recapitulated the proceedings taken under the late and preceding Governments regarding the designs for the new Foreign and Indian offices , with especial reference to an answer recently given by Lord Palmeraton to a deputation , and expressed a hope that during the recess nothing would be done to the prejudice of a design which he thought admirably calculated for its purpose .

      CORRUPT PROCEEDINGS AT ELECTIONS . Lord It . Cecil , adverting to the hardship to which candidates at elections were subjected by being made responsible for acts of their agents of which they knew nothing ( adverting particularly to the decision of the committee on the Gloucester election ) , asked the Secretary of , State for the Home Department ¦ whether it was the intention of the Government to issue commissions to inquire- into the election proceedings of those constituencies in which committees

      have reported that extensive bribery prevails ?—* The Howxa Secretary observed" that t hat d u ty did not properly belong to the Government . When the evidence taken before the committees was printed , the House , if it judged proper , mi ght add r es s th e Crown , asking for tho appointment of a commission respecting the late proceedings in either or both the inculpated boroughs . —Sir J . V . Shbllmt stated that he should move a resolution providing that in all similar cases tho issue of now writs should bo postponed .

      flUrPLT . The House then wont into committto of supply , The vote foe tho expenses of the Statute Law Commission underwent much discussion , on tho ground that tho comnaissioners had been at work since 1804 , and had produced no result in tho way of consolidating tho law . —Tho Home Skokmtaby j ustified the yote , but consented to reduce tho ampunt by 1 , 000 / ., as the chief commissionership , latoly hold by Mr , Bollenden Kor , was now vacant . —The opposition was , however , pressed , and on a division the vote was altogether negatived by a majority of 91 to 80—11 .

      ture 21 , 000 , 0002 ., the difference being 9 , 000 , 000 ? ., there was room for a very large reduction upon this item of expenditure , and he thought the reduction' might extend to 3 , 000 , 000 / :, or 4 , 000 , 0002 . It was impossible , however , to say how- soon this reduction could take place , but the utmost care would he taken to keep down this branch of the expenditure . With regard to the augmentation of the revenue , authority had been sent to the Government of India to raise the salt duty in Madras , Bombay , and the North West Provinces , and to impose stamp duties and a tax upon licenses ; and possibly a succession duty . He could not , of course , form : an estimate of the probable

      amount which these duties would produce ; but when all was done that we could hope to do , there must still be for a year or Jtwo a considerable deficiency that must be provided for , and 5 , 000 , 0002 . or 6 , 000 , 0002 . would have to be provided for by Parliament . Remarking upon the vicious and wasteful system of India finance which had hitherto existed , Sir Charles announced that a commissioner , of wisdom and experience was to be sent out to that country to investigate the question , and suggest means for placing the revenue and expenditure of India upon a sounder basis . Observing that during several years before the mutiny the revenue of India had evinced extraordinary elasticity , he felt justified hi

      anticipating a renewal of prosperity , industrial and fiscal , when tranquillity was restored and . the resources of the country developed . Adverting to the new loan of five millions , he stated that the amount would be called for by small instalments , and a large proportion need not be paid up until April next . —Alter some remarks from -Mir . Ckawford , Lord Stanley recognised the difficulties by which the Indian Government was beset . The India of 1850 differed essentially from the India of 1856 , and years would probably elapse before all the . traces of the late revolt were entirely effaced . Entering at large into the financial question , the noble lord maintained that no increase of taxation was

      possible in India to any great , more probably that half a million a year , and expressed his disapprobation of the proposal to give an im--perial guarantee for the Indian debt . . Nevertheless , he believed that something m the nature of imperial assistance to the Indian revenue would before long become a matter of necessity . Why , indeed , he asked , should India be required to pay the whole expenditure incurred in its defence , while other colonies were , to some extent , defended at the cost of the home exchequer ? Respecting retrenchment he agreed that not much could be effected immediately , but pointed out many ways for saving expeases in future , suggesting especially for this

      pur-EAST INDIA LOAN . In the evening , the House having resolved itself into a committee upon the East India Loan , Sir C . Wood called attention to the state of India with reference to its finances , —a subject , he observed , of vital importance , and requiring the most anxious consideration . The prospect , discouraging as it was , was not hopeless . If we surmounted the difficulties of the next two or three years , he saw no reason why India should not recover the prosperity it enjoyed before the mutiny broke out . Premising that it was impossible to bring down the financial statements to a late period with precision , as the accounts since April , 1858 , were

      only estimates , and that he should deal "with the sums in round numbers , converting the rupee at the uniform rate of 2 s ., he proceeded to state that on the 30 th April , 1857 ( before the mutiny ) , the Indian debt" amounted to 59 , 462 , 0002 ., the interest to 2 , 525 , 000 / . The military expenditure , ordinary and extraordinary , was 12 , 561 , 0002 . In 1857-58 the general expenditure of India amounted to 40 , 226 , 0002 ., the revenue to 31 , 706 , 0007 ., the deficiency of revenue being 8 , 520 , 000 / . In 1858-59 , the expenditure was 48 , 500 , 000 / . ; the revenue 33 , 800 , 0002 ,, leaving a deficiency of 14 , 700 , 0002 . The total deficiency to be provided for in . the two 3 ears amounted , therefore ,

      to 23 , 220 , 000 / . The sums borrowed m India in 1857 . 58 and 1858-55 amounted to 10 , 556 , 0002 ., and in England to 11 , 562 , 000 / ., making together 22 , 118 , 000 / ., the differende' of 1 , 102 , 0002 . being made up by the diminution of balances . This-was the state of things ^ up to the 30 th of April last . The debt o f India , there and in England , was 81 , 580 , 0002 ., the interest being 3 , 564 , 000 ? . The military expenditure in the year ending the 30 th of April last was 25 , 849 , 000 / . The expenditure on India for the year 1859-60 was estimated at 38 , 380 , 000 / ., the charge at home at 5 , 851 , 5002 ., the interest on railway capital he took at 900 , 0002 ., and the compensation for losses in India at 1 , 000 , 000 / ., making the total

      estimated charge 46 , 131 , 500 / . The revenue for the same year was estimated at 35 , 850 , 0002 ., including the additional taxes ; deducting this sum from 46 , 131 , 5002 ., and adding to the deficiency 2 , 000 , 000 / . on account of further demands , there would remain 12 , 500 , 0002 . to be provided for . The loans in India had produced much less than had been expected , but he hoped to receive in . India 2 , 000 , 000 / ., arid this , added to 4 , 800 , 0002 ., the produce of the 5 , 000 , 0002 . of debentures issued under the authority given by Parliament to raise 7 , 000 , 0002 . ( making together 6 , 800 , 0002 . ) still left 5 , 700 , 0002 . to be provided for to make up the 12 , 500 , 0002 ., and he proposed to take power to borrow 5 , 000 , 0002 ., in addition to the

      pose a larger employment of natives in the civil service of India . —Mr . Bright believed that the Indian difficulty was becoming annually more intractable . For twenty years the finances of that country had presented a chronic deficit and continually augmenting pile of debt . This fact was in itself aproof that the government must be extravagant and bad . Much of this debt was , he admitted , unjustly fixed upon the Indian exchequer , the fifteen millions spent in the Affghan war in particular being exclusively required for a purpose supposed to be imperial . At p r esent , he observed , the whole net revenue of India was swallowed up by its military outlay , a state of things which no state could long endure without

      2 , 000 , 0002 . under the former power , it being necessary that he should have a margin of 7 , 000 ^ 0002 . in order to meet the expenses of the year . At the end of I 860 the Indian debt would be 95 , 836 , 0002 ., and the interest upon the debt 3 , 900 , 000 / . In the course of the year 1860-61 it would be unnecessary to provide a sum for compensation for losses ; on the other hand , the interest on the debt would have increased , so that he could nofc take the expenditure of that year at less than 46 , 000 , 0002 ., and the revenue ho took at 36 , 000 , 0002 ., which left a deficiency of 10 , 000 , 0002 . How the expenditure and the receipts could be balanced was an embarrassing question ; it must be effected either by a reduction of tho former

      coming to ruin . Yet it was stated that the army would not be reduced , while it appeared that tho sources of income were almost altogether unolastic , The ultimate issue of this System could not be cont e mp lated without alarm , Tho hon . member proceeded to denounce the policy of annexation , whicli had led to a profitless and unwieldy extension of out empire . The civil service in India was , he cont ended , susceptible of large retrenchment , all the salaries being extravagantly large ; and ovon if no money was saved , more moderate payments would enable the Government to augment tho number of European functionaries , and so improve the administration of tho country . In the army , again , largo reductions w , ore possible . Before tl ^ o mutiny , it wv « said that tho native force was too large . It was that force which caused the revolt . Yet at this moment

      or an addition to the latter . Tho reduction of expenditure depended upon the state of India . The first item of expenditure was the Civil establishments , ' and ho should deceive the House , he said , if he held out a hope of any considerable reduction in this item . He did not think it just or fair to reduce the salaries of civil servants now in office , though a reduction might be made on new appointments , but , considering the demand for European supervision , he did not think there cpuld bo a material diminution of the civil expenditure . The next item was public works , and some saving might be made in this item , though not large , and soino reductions might be made in the home expenditure . But the great item in which a saving might be made was the military expenditure . Tho

      whole military force in India , and including depdts at home , Europ ea ns , nativ es , a nd mili ta ry police , at the present time consisted of 431 , 600 men . It was clear , he thought , that we must maintain a larger European force in India than we had hitherto dono . It was dear , too , that the mutiny had been almost entirely a military mutiny , prompted by religious feelings , the native population , generally speaking ( except in Oude ) , having taken little or no part in it . Jb > om this fact wo might learn , ho observed , t w o thi n gs "—^ flrst , that wo should caro-) EuUy avoid giving the natives any reason to believe that there was a design to nttaok their religious prejudlces ; secondly , that wo ought not to maintain so largo a native foree as before . . The question as to tho amount of force required In India -was a very difficult one . Tho military expenditure before the mutiny bolng 12 , 000 , 000 / ., and tho present

      expondlthere wore 50 , 000 native soldiers in our pay moro than before , although the mutiny was suppressed and large provinces altogether disarmed . By a j uater policy and humane treatment of tho natives wo could dispense with a largo portion of our army , both European and native , save an enormous expenditure , and place tho finances of India iii a satisfactory position . In every branch of administration thora was , ho insisted , no responsible government , and oxtorisivo reforms , some of which ho indicated , wore Indispensable before tho country could be rescued from its prosont abyss of debt and ombarrassiriont , — Mr . T . G . Bamno . ( Under Secretary for India ) gave some further explanations touching finance—Mr . Danmy Sbymouk complained of delays in ino the transaction of business , and tho accomplishment of . tho most necessary reforms in India . —Tho discus-

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  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 6, 1859, page 904, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2306/page/4/