The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1874-01-06 00:00:00

Poroet Courifti Exprtoo.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6 1574

NOTES OF THE WEEK.

Tier Majesty the Qaeen is still resident at
Osborne. Toe Prince and Princess of Wale, are
at Sindringnsua, and on Thursday, togegther
with Prince Arthur and the Prinoe and Princes,
Christian, hunted with the West Norfolk hounds.
The Duke of Edinburgh has arrived in Russia,
the happy man of Europe, to fetch home his
Royal bride. As mon as the Royal pale reach
England they are to be favoured with a similar
civic honour to that shown the Prince and
Princess of Wales on their marrisp, A markt-
, ficeut bill waive given by the lord frlayor at
the Guildhall, and the British cap tal will thus be
identified with the ceremonies at the Russian
capital, which will shortly be the talk of Europe.
'Abe New Year open. pleasantly and prosper-
ously, with a fburiahing revenue, although,
perhaps, trade is quieter than we could wish,
with an easy and tranquil money market, and
with nothing to mar our prospect, but the
anticipated famine in Bestial and the Ashantee
War, As to the former, thou4h it will be •
serious matter at the hest, the latest' tele.;rams
seem to hint that the dearth will not be so
severe as bad been fasted. The war on the
Gold Coast is being carried on successfully, and
with unprecodentedly few emulsifies. The
A thoraces are hurrying across the Praia in con-
fusion, and by this time Sir Garnet Wolealey '
has started for Coomsesie. When Ministers
resume their Cabinet Counoile, the first ques-
tion apparently that they will have to ask them-
selves will be—What are we to do with the
surplus upon the year's budget in order to turn
it to the Wet account for the general election I
This surplus is set down by ore of our Liberal
contemporaries at £4,000,000, and although that
will probably turn out to be an exaggeration,
it is clear from the revenue returns up to the
end of the year that Mr. Gladstone will find him-
calf in April in possession of a handsome sum
to reduce the Income-tax, to extinguish the
Malt-tax, or to pay off debt.
The recent financial pressure, the high pries of
money, the still higher price of labour and of all
the articles that enter into our staple minutiae-
tures--particularly, of course, of coal—promised
us anything but the plethorio• balance-sheet
which the Chancellor of the Exchequer has just
presented to us. Mr. Lowe reckoned upon an
income for the year ending the 31st of March of
£73,760,000, and the amount received at the
Exchequer up to the 31st of December is
£32,788,593. This leaves • balance upon the
quarter of E 20,973,407 ; and it will be very hard
if, with the Income Tax still to come, Mr. Glad-
stone cannot make up this sum, and perhaps •
trifle more. Mr. Gladstone will need £1,750,000
more than Mr. Lowe's estimate of revenue to
cover tht year's expeaditure, in consequence of
the payment within the year of the entire
Alabama indemnity; but the fourth quarter of
the year is always the heaviest, and every branch
of the revenue is in a healthy and flanrishing
state. The only branches of revenue which
show a decline are the Customs and the Income
Tax, and it was upon these that the principal
remissions of 1873 were made. The reduction of
the Sugar Duties involved the abandonment of
El 430,000 in the form of Customs Duties. But
the loss in the nine months turns out to be only
about £300,000. The reduction of the Income
Tax was equivalent to the uorifice of nearly
£1,500,000 more, and the actual loss upon the
three past quarters of the year is lees than
I:670.000. The principal payments have to be
made in the ensuing month; and the receipt
within the nine mouths of £1,897,000 is •
favourable augury for the remaining quarter.
The increase in Excise is £1,238,000; Stamps,
£600,000; Post-oitioe, £120,000; and Telegraph
Service, £226,000. The per oentage of increase
ranges between 5 and 7 per out. ; and the
augmentation all round amounts to within •
trifle of £2,000,000. The year's returns are apt
sometimes to produce an ; but in this
ease, so far, the returns for the year are borne
out by those for the quarters, if we take the
quarters separately. The increase even upon the
quarter is equal to £1,000,000 upon the year,
and thus alLogether we may congratulate our-
selves that we are entering upon what the Times
well calls " a prosperous and tranquil twelve-
month."

We may be doing some of our readers service
by reminding them that dog licenses expired with
the year. This means unless they take out fresh
licences they are liable to be summoned before
tho nearest bench of magistrates and fined.
Further, that the incomeit ix is now due.
The Lccal Government Board has addressed a
circular to the various Board* of Guardians
respecting the education of pauper ohildren.
Hitherto tte action of the guardians in this
respect has been regulated by Damson's Act,
which has just expired, and it is pointed out in
the circular how the instruction of these children
is provided tor by the Elementary Education
Act. Attenlion is called to the fact that the
parents of thore children have the right to select
the echool, and so long as the children are sent
to any public elementary school, the guardians
cannot object to it.
As had be-u anticipated, a Ministerial crisis
has at length occurred in Spain, accompanied by
the resignation of Senor Castelar, the sudden
dissolution of the Cortes by General Pavia, and
the assumption of the Preaidentahip by Marshal
Serrano, who, it is stated, has already formed
another Cabinet.