The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-06-26 00:00:00

THE BELFAST DRAINAGE BILL.

In the Housz OF CommONS, at the time of private
business, the adjourned debate on the Belfast Drainage
Bill was renewed, and, after some discussion, a clause
proposed to be inserted by Mr. Scxton reducing the
municipal franchise was carried by 128 to 98.

THE DISSOLUTION.

On the motion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
it was agreed that the House at its rising adjourn until
Thursday, and he stated that the prorogatiOn would be
on Friday and the Dissolution on Saturday.

THE APPROPRiATION DILL.
On the third reading of the Appropriation Bill, Sir
W. Barttelot asked whether any further information
could be given in regard to the action of France in the
New Hebrides, to which Mr. Byree replied that he
was not able to add anything to what had been
already stated. The Government were making further
inquiries, and they had every reason to be satisfied with
the attitude and the language of the French Govern-
ment. They considered the engagement between the
two countries binding, and had no intention of d epart-
ing frcm it, and if there had been any heisting of the
French flag the French Government did not desire it to
continue.
There was also some conversation as to the position
of the Civil Service writets and Lower Division officials
of the Inland Revenue Department, in which Mr. Pule-
ston, Mr, Gregory, Mr. Pickersgill, and Sir H. Holland
took part, and Mr. H. Fowler said, with regard to the
Civil Service writers, that certain suggestions were
being considered, and when the Treasury had given its
judgment on them they would be embodied in a
minute.

The bill wae then read a third time.
THE INDIAN BUDGET.

Mr. Stafford Howard made the usual Indian Budget
statement. At the outset he entered into an elaborate
explanation of the change in the method of presenting
the account, and passing then to the Budget and Re-
vised Estimates for 1884-5 and 1885.6, he said the
Budget provided a surplus of £647,000; but,
owing to the Afghan frontier dispute and the
Burmese war, there would be a deficit of £2,852,000,
although a recent telegram from the Viceroy
stated that this deficit would be. reduced
by about half a million. The revenue was estimated
at £72,328,000, and it would probably amount to
£73,601,000, while the expenditure, estimated at
£71,681,000, would probably be increased to £76,453,000.
The Revised Estimate was, therefore, worse than the
Budget by £3,499,000. The capital outlay on buildings
and irrigation was put at £5,516,000, giving a total ex-
penditure in excess of revenue of £8,368,000, which
had been met by borrowing to the extent of £2,924,000.
Under "political charges" there was an increase of
£464,000, due to extra subsidies to the Ameer, to the ex-
penses of the Rawul Pindi Durbar, and to the cost of the
delimitation of the Afghan frontier; and under the
Army there was an increase of £3,053,000, mainly owing
to the cost of the military preparations in connexioa
with the Afghan frontier dispute. As to the coming
year, the revenue is estimated at £75,799,000, and
the expenditure at £75,617, which was only
about half a million below that of the previous year,
both years being swelled by the extraordinary charges
due to political events. The Budget for 1886-7 is alto-
gether better than the revised Estimate of 1885.6
(Which contemplated a deficit of over two millions) by
£3,034,000. The year would close with a small surplus
of £182,000; and, in spite of the difficulties in Upper
Burmah, there was no reason to apprehend that this
would not be realised. The great increase in the esti-
mated revenue is due to the fact that the revenues of
Upper Burmah are included for the first time, and the
accounts of the Scinde Railway are also included.
Under the head of opium there is a net improvement
of nearly three-quarters of a million. As to the ex-
penditure, the most important items are under the
heads of Army and Railways. The British troops have
been increased in the last and this year, and the estab-
lishment is to be brought up to 69,764 men
of all ranks, excluding officers, and the total
cost of the additional British troops will be
£675,000 in India and £150,000 at home. The
native army is to be increased by 11,968 men, and the
total increased cost will be £360,000. In addition, a
sum of £244,000 is to be spent on coast and harbour
defences. The total expenditure on railways is
£5,336,000, of which over three millions is for frontier
railways, and the total amount spent on irrigation is
£Bll,OOO. The present amount of the debt is
£175,500,000, which is £14,500,000 more than in 1884-5.
But in the same period the debt incurred for railways
and irrigation works has increased by £22,000,000, so
that the uncovered debt has absolutely decreased by
£7,500,000. Putting assets in the shape of public
works, railways, kc., at £208,179,000 and our total
liabilities in the shape of debt at 054.556,000, our un-
covered liabilities only amount to £51,377,000. The
net percentage of the earnings of public works gives a
return of 5.79 per cent. on the £150,346,000 of capital
spent up to March 31 on railway construction, and the
net return on irrigation works is 3.42 per cent. On
the whole, he was of opinion that the financial
condition of India was not entirely unsatisfactory.
In the discussion which followed this statement,

Lord E. Churchill thought there was nothing in it to
cause grave anxiety ; the expenditure was not excessive,
nor would it be necessary to resort to extra taxation.
He complained that changes in the form of accounts
were so of ten made, and hoped that no further change
would become necessary. Dealing briefly with the
figures which had been given, he contended the increase
in the expenditure was only normal, and prophesied
that the expenditure in years to come, especially for
maintaining the army and improving the defences of
the North. West Provinces, must be still further
increased. On the other hand, he advocated economy
in the Public Works Department, and, having asked for
further information as to the petroleum wells and ruby
mines in Upper Burmah, expressed his hearty approval
of the economy shown in connection with the Burmese
expedition, which he considered was extremely credit-
able to the Indian Government.
Sir G. Campbell dealt at considerable length with
the question of Indian finance generally, and agreed
with Lord IL Churchill that the increased expenditure
would be permanent.—Mr. F. W. Maclean advocated
the preparation of the accounts in rupees instead of
in pounds, and argued that the increase in the ex-
penditure was not due to one party more than to
another.—Mr. S. Smith viewed with alarm the increase
in the expenditure' and called attention to the
extreme poverty of the majority of the Indian pop"-
littion.—Sir J. Fergusson defended the Indian ad-
ministration against some strictures of Mr. S. Smith
whose information, he said, was of the most super-
ficial character; and Mr. L. Cohen argued that the
position of Indian finance afforded no ground for
anxiety. Sir It. Fowler and Mr. Eierett also spoke;
and Mr. Howard having given a general reply, the
usual resolutions were agreed to.