The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-08-09 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COU3I4)NS-31OSOAY.

At the morning Fitting,
Lonl IL Vr.c: 1., adverting to the hardship to which
candidates at elections were sul,jected by being made
res”onsible for acts or their agents of which they ha,:w
nothing (adverting particularly t, the decision of the
Committee on the I,loce:ter elt,ctioni, asked the Secre-
tary of State for the Ilome I:;pai :Anent whether it
was the intention of the GovernitimA to issne Calllll.is-
sions to inquire into the election pr ceeflings Of Goo,:
constituencies in which committees have reported that
eatensive bribery prevails?
Sir G. I,mvitt replied that tho Government, as a
Government, had no peculiar or special function in
relation to the matter.
_

The House then went into Committee of Supply, and
resumed the discussion of the Civil Service Estimates
and Civil Contingencies.
In the evening, the House having resolved itself into
a lin 1111 l itteu upon the East India Loan,
Sir C. Wimp 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. Mu prospect, discouraging as it was.
Wad not hopeless. If we sunuounted the difficulties of
the next two or three years, he saw no reason wily
India should not recover the prosperity it enjoyed
before the mutiny broke out. Premising that it was
impossible to bring down the financial statement to a
late period with precision, as the accounts since April,
1858, were only estimates, and that he should deal with
the SOWS in round number', converting the rupee at
the uniform rate of 25., be proceeded to state that on
the 30th of April, 1857 (before the mutiny), the Indian
debt amounted to £59,462,000, the interest to £2,525,000.
The military expeuiliture, ordinary and extraordinary,
was £12,561,000. In 1857-58 the general expenditure
of India amounted to £40,226,000, the revenue to
£31,700,000, the deficiency of revenue being £8.520,000.
In 1858-50, the expenditure was £18,500,000 ; the
revenuel:33,Soo,ooo, leaving a deficiency of 114,100,000.
The total deficiency to be provided for in the two years
amounted, therefore, to 1223,2X1,000. The stuns bor-
rowed in India in 1:4.17-58 and 18704-59 amountAal to
130,536,000, and in England to I:11,562,000, making
together r-'2,118,000, the difference of £1,102,000 being
made up by the diminution of balances. This WAS the
state of things up the 30th of April last. The debt 44
India, there and in England, was tsi,rgiu,ooo, the
interest being C 1.564.000. The military expenditure in
the year ending the :Itath of .Ipri: last WAS 4:25.819,15ka.
The expenditure on India for the year 1859-60 was esti-
mated at t38,:480,000, the charge at houme at E.5,:•151,500.
the interest on railway capital he took at E9U0,000, and
the compensation for hisses in India at £l,tltlo,ooo,
making the total estimated charge £46,131,500. The
revenue for the same year was estimated at 1:35,850,001U,
including the additional taxes ; deducting this suns
(non 1A0,131,500, and adding to the deficierey
11,000,000 on account of further demands, there would
remain M 2,500,000 to be provided fur. The loans in
India had produced much less than bad been expected,
but he hoped to receive in India £2,000,000, and this,
added to /4,800,000, the produce of the :2.1,000,000 of
debentures issued ler the authority given by Parlia-
ment to raise 4.7,000,000 (making together .C6,8(X,000),
still left £5,700,000 to be provided fur to make up the
£12,500310% and he rimmed to take power to borrow
£5,000,0011, in addition to time £2.oom.timio under the
former power. it !wing necessary that lie should have a
margin of 17,01.10,000 in order tam meet the expenses of
the year. At time end lof 1860 the Indian debt would be
04,830,000, awl the interest upon the debt r,v,,ouu,oou.
In the course if the year 1800-61 it would he unnec:es-
sary to provide a sum for compensation for limes ; on
the other hand, the intent st on the debt would have
increased, so that he could not take the expenditure of
that year at less than £46,000,0110, and the revenue lie
took at rso,ouo,ooo, which left it deficiency of
£10.000,000. Iluw the expenditure and the receipts
could hi, balanced was an embarrassing question ; it
iimmt be effectual either by a reduction of the former sir
an addition to the latter. The reducti 111 l of expenditure
depended upon time state of India. This first item of
expenditure was time Civil establishments, and be
should deceive the House, he said, if lie held out a
hope of any considerable reduction in this item.
did not think it just or fair to reduce the salaries of
civil servants now in office, tilting!' a reduction might
he made en mow appointments. The next item v.: s
euldie works, and some SAVin Delight be made in this
Item, though uot large, and DI:111C DAlllCtiulla might 1/0
made in the home expenditure. lint the great item
in which a saving might be made era., tile military
expenditure. The %% bole military force in India, and
incite:tug &pas at humane, Europeans, natives, and
military police, at the pretent time consisted of
men. The military expenditure hire the ioutiny
twins: 1:12,n00,i.t.mm mid the pr.. emit expend:two
21,000,Cui1, the 4.l:ffi r. nue L mm thu.re Wad
room for a very lerm,e rs,l;ml,i apin this item • f
expenditure, and he tight miglit I I
AO E 3,10.40.10 mr I:l,otiiL4ash With regarl to the aug-
mentation of the revenue, autherity bad been sent to
the Government of helix to raise the salt duty in
Madras, Bombay, and the North West Provinces, awl
to impose stamp duties and a tux main licenses; and
possibly a succession duty. Ile could not, of course,
farm an estimate of the probable amount which these
duties would produce ; but wlns, all was done that we
could hope to do, there must still be for a year or two
a considerable deficiency that newt be provided for, and
kii,lital,ooo or EG,000,00) would have to be provided fur
by Parliament. It was the intention of the Cloven'
anent to select A person versed in finance to be sent to
India, to take the revenue and financial department
under his charge. In conclusion, he showed that there
had been a progressive improvement in the revenues."(
India, and declared he by no means despaired of its
Future. lie moved a resolution enabling the Govern-
ment to raise in the United Kingdom for the service of
the Government of India 1:3,0110,000, to meet the
demands of the present year.
After some discuss.ion, Sir C. WOOD having replied,
The resolution was agreed to, and ordered to be
reported.
The report of the Committee of Supply was brought
up and agreed to.
Leave was given to bring in certain Bills, and, the
remaining business having been disposed of, the house
adjourned at half-past 1 o'cluck.