The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-15 00:00:00

THE TRENCH BUDGET.

M. Casimir Perier has published, in the form of
a pamphlet, an elaborate and instructive article,
which appeared in the last number of the Revue
des .Peux 11Andes. It treats a subject of pressing
importance, and which causes much anxiety to
men of thought and reflection. It is entitled, Le
Budget de 1863, and passes in review the pre-
sent state of the finances, as compared with that
of previous periods. M. Casimir Perier adopts for
his text the words spoken by that greatest but most
mistaken of optimists, M. Magne, former Minister
of Finance, in the Corps Legislatif, on the 18th of
March last year,—viz., that " the finances of the
State could not be estimated but in a comparative
point of view. There was nothing absolute in the
finances of a country. One cannot know if they
are good or bad but by comparing them with
another period in the same country, or with other
countries." M. Perier follows the rule thus autho-
ritatively laid down, but he arrives at conclusions
far different from those of its propounder. " Such
comparisons," says M. Perier,—
"Are at all times necessary; they are so now
more than ever, for the new division of the Budget,
the separate classification of expenses from special
resources might countenance singular errors among
those who catch hastily at a few figures, keep them
in their memory, but seldom trouble themselves
with understanding their real meaning. For in-
stance, the ordinary Budget of 1863 presents, in
anticipation of expenditure, a tctal of from
1,729,897,877 f (over £69,000,000 sterling); and
those who remember that the last Budgets of the
constitutional Monarchy were presented at between
1,300,000,000 f and 1,400,000,000 f, settled at be-
tween 1,500,000,000 and 1,600,000,000 f, and that
the Budget of 1862 amounted to [1,969,000,000f,
must go through a double operation to find the real
amount of that of 1863. Thus, to the expenses cf
the ordinary Budget of 1863, 1,729,897,877 f, must
be added—first, expenses on special resources,
223,037,785 f; and, secondly, expenses of extraordi-
nary Budget, 138,870,000 f, which gives a total Bud-
get of 2,091,805,662 f. This total exceeds by
122,000,000 f the voted Budget of 1862, by
525,000,000 f the settled Budget of 1846, and by
462,000,000 f, the settled Budget of 1847. But a
general comparison does not suffice, for, as it will
not enable us to justly estimate the expenses nor
clearly indicate the savings that may be realised, a
tabular statement is requisite to compare the prin-
cipal elements of the Budget of 1847 with those of
1863."

M: Casimir Perier takes the Budget of 1847 "as
being the last and the highest Budget of the Par-
liamentary monarchy ;" it was not definitively
settled till after the revolution of February, and
the settlement which is taken as the basis for his
calculation showed a considerable deficit. It is
with this Budget that he compares the one pro-
posed for 1863. The settled estimate of presumed
expenditure for 1847 was 1,629,000,000 f, and the
receipts 1,372,000,000 f, leaving a total deficit of
257,000,000 f, and an excess of 97,000,000 f of ex-
penditure over that estimated and the votes of
Parliament. M. Perier remarks that the year
1847 was ant exceptional one, as there was
a triple crisis food, finance, and trade.
Yet 177,000,000 f were appropriated to ex-
traordinary works ; and es for the sinking fund,
of the 113,000,000 f, which the Treasury paid,
34,000,000 f, were employed in buying up rentes,
and 79,000,000 f were added to the funded debt.
"In order to understand how the Budgets vary in
the different phases through which they pass, the
Budget of 1860, voted at 1,825,000,000 f, was taken
provisionally at 2,167,000,000 f, with a difference
between the anticipation and the receipts of
342,000,0001; and in 1859 the difference was
432,000,000 f."
The Civil List of 1863 is 25,000,000 f ; that of
1847, 12,000,000 f. For princes and princesses in
1863,1,500,000 f, against 1,300,000 f in 1847; and for
the Chambers, Council of State, Cour des Comptes,
Ministers and the central administration o f Minis-
terial Departments, Privy Council, and Ministers
without Portfolio, the total for 1863 is 58,532,156 f,
against 31,529,606 f. in 1847—showing a difference
of 27,003,550 f. in favour of 1847.

" It must be remarked," observes M. Perier,—

" That the 1 milliard 629 millions constitute for
1847 the total of the definitive Budget, whereas the
2 milliards 91 millions of 1863 merely show what
is anticipated. Now, the Budgets of 1860 and 1861,
which are not yet settled definitively, are likely to
show between the primitive amount voted and that
of definitive expenses a difference, between the two,
of more than 600 millions. The Budget of 1860,
fixed by the law of 11th June, 1860, at 1 milliard
825 millions, figures in the provisional account of
the finance administration at 2 milliards 167 mil-
lions, showing a difference of 342 millions
between the expenses actually incurred and
the expenditure anticipated. Though the re-
sources realised to meet this excess of expen-
diture have exceeded by 200 millions the antici-
pations of the Budget, the deficit would still be
142 millions if cancelling credits did not appa-
rently reduce this deficit to 104 millions. The Budget
of 1861, on which no official information is as yet
given, will present on its first anticipations an
excess of expenditure nearly equal. M. Fould, in
his memorial to the Emperor, announced extraordi-
nary credits for more than 200,000,000 f. Notwith-
standing an overplus of 79,000,000 f on the antici-
pated receipts, the Emperor's report, R hich precedes
the Budget of 1861, anticipates for 1863 a probable
deficiency of 181,000,000 f, saving reductions which
may result from cancelling credits. It is, unfor-
tunately, too probable that this deficiency will be
exceeded, and that the excess of the expenditure
over what has been anticipated will not be limited
to the 200,000,000 f of which M. Fould spoke. From
1852 to 186!, without a single exception, the regu-
lation of the Budget exhibited a considerable excess
of real over presumed expenditure. In making a cal-
culation for the 10 years we arrive at three milliards;
a deduction being made for the years of the war in the
Crimea and the war in Italy, the annual average is
above 200,000,000 f. The definitive regulation of
the Budget of 1863 will consequently much exceed
the 2 milliards 91 millions which the Corps Legis-
latif is asked to vote. The suppression of extraor-
dinary and supplementary credits, and the substi
tution of transfers from the Budget of one Minister
to that of another, cannot suppress the causes which
compelled a recurrence to these credits, and as long
as these causes subsist we must expect to have the
results, under whatever forms or under whatever
name they appear. The obligation to present sup-
plementary Budgets will certainly be an improve-
ment, but is that a sufficient control ? What can
the Corps Legislatif do when the exercise of trans-
fers having exhausted the resources of the Budget
as it was voted, special laws are presented to it to
provide for expenses such as those of the war in
Mexico, the expedition to Cochin China, or other
enterprises already commenced ? It cannot do
otherwise than vote the funds."

The departmental expenses, which in 1847 were
86,192,uzzr, wilt amount for 1863 to 121,182,610 f,
or an increase of 35,013,588 f. " These, however,"
he adds, " are in great measure necessary expenses,
over which besides the State has no direct control.
Yet it is not the less true that the augmentation of
those expenses is an additional charge on the tax-
payer."

The army and the fleet of Algeria are estimated
in the ordinary and extraordinary budget of 1863
at 565,000,000 f; they cost 482,000,000 f in 1847—
difference 83,000,0001
But of the 482,000,000 f of
1847, 43,000,000 f were applied to extraordinary ex-
penses; while, even supposing that the sums taken
to the extraordinary budget of 1863 have and main-
tain the same character, those sums only amount to
30,000,000 f. The ordinary expenses of the army