The Sun.
London, England, 1865-06-30 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

TlMES.—There is no more striking example of the
tendencies of the House of Commons than its man-

ner of treating the Indian Budget. Year after year
the financial statement affecting the most important
interests of a vast section of mankind is made to a

house which sometimes falls short of 40 members.

Neither policy, nor philanthropy, nor party spirit,
nor curiosity as to the progress or reverses of the
mighty populations of the far East, is able to bring

together adecent proportion of those 600 gentlemen
to listen to a debate on what is really one of the

most interesting subjects to which the attention of
a statesman can be given. We fear that in this the
House of Commons too truly represents the coun-
try. Members of Parliament will listen to exactly
the things that the public will read about. Anything
relating to domestic legislation or enterprise, any
local squabble or personal scandal, will make a
house, and even a full one, but people do not care to
undergo the exertion requisite to master details con-
nected with a distant and still comparatively un-
known land. This year the usual influences were
made more intense by the imminence of a dissolu-
tion, and Sir Charles Wood, who, in spite of indis-
position, made a long and valuable statement, spoke
to a thin house, which subsequently dwindled down
to literally empty benches. Yet there has hardly
ever been a time when it was more necessary that
the British Parliament should try to pay some at-
tention to India. The feeling seems to be that this
country performs all its duties when able officials
are appointed to the highest posts in the East ; that
the House of Commons, at any rate, cannot do
better than leave such matters to Government,
which has always placed Indian politics apart from
party consideration, and done its utmost to select
the Best men and-encourage fliselieit meaSures. To
a great extent this'view is correct. India has been
administered by a succession of most able and emi-
nent politicians, and the result of their exertions
is in every way favourable. An immense country
has been reduced to order, and is now being
animated with the spirit of industry and enter-
prise ; its wealth is increasing with rapidity, its
people have risen from the sloth and ignorance of

iiges, communications are every day extended, and
in all these things each succeeding year will see; its
rate of progress accelerated. Yet we cannot but
think that the present time is one which requires
some special attention to India. It is to direct this
extraordinary material advance of the country that
the intervention of the ruling State is desirable.
India has now recovered from the effects of the
mutiny, or, rather, the irresistibility of British power,
which was made clear to the native mind by that
event, has given stability to the institutions of the
country, and enabled governors and governed to
begin, as it were, a new career. For the present
both appear to be going a little too fast. The wealth
that has poured in on India, and the demand for one
of its great staples caused by the American war,
have given an impulse to speculation, and specula-
tion has in many cases ended in collapse.f The in-
crease of money and the enlargement of expenditure
have raised the price of food until large classes of
the community have come to suffer great distress.
Provisions are two, three, or four times as dear as
they were a few years ago. The little clothing that
the native requires has also advanced in price. In
the cities rent is higher and accommodation less,
though mansions and warehouses rise on a larger
scale than any to whichAnglo-Indians have hitherto
been accustomed. All the official people are well
paid according to English notions, and yet they com-
plain of the hardnAess of the times and how impos-
sible it is for ama with a fixed income to compete
with the grandees of trade. Thus it will be seen that
India is in many respects like England, or rather like
Europe in general. The Calcutta or Bombay resident
finds himself in much the same position as the man in
a similarposition in London or Paris, or even Berlin or
Vienna. The world is becoming richer' and expen-
diture is increasing sometimes faster than riches.
There is another point of similarity between this
country and its dependency. If individual expen-
diture rises, so does that of the Government. Sir
C. Wood last night gave a formidable list of the
estimates for the army, public works, education, and
other matters. Although the revenue had increased,
the charge for 1864-65 had increased, as compared
with 1863-64, to a more than corresponding degree—
by no less than £2,262,000. Of this very large addition
,to the expenditure, £63,000 was on account of the
army for increased allowances and pay, £310,000 is
for public works, £186,000 for law and justice (that
is, for the improvement of the courts of justice
throughout the country), £143,000 for education,
and £270,000 for superannuation. Thus it will be
seen that the items in the Indian Budget are grow-
ing like our own Civil Service Estimates, and Sir C.
Wood reminded the House that as they were charges
for the improved administration of the country, it
was impossible to expect anything but a steady and
gradual increase. "It is indispensable," he said,
"to improve public works, and most desirable to
aid education and make better provision for the ad-
ministration of justice." Very true; but these things
are not accomplished without an increase of outlay
with which even an advancing country cannot always
keep up. This may be seen in the present case, for
though India has been selling its cotton and absorb.
ing our silver on an unusual scale the revenue no
longer equals the expenditure. There is a deficit,
and one with which it has proved not very easy to
deal. We need say nothing of the year 1863-4, the
small amount of the surplus in which, compared with
the year before, is attributed to the diminution in
the opium returns. But in the last year there was
an absolute deficiency. " According to the Budget
estimates there would be a surplus of £823,000, but
according to the regular estimates there was a deficit
of £263,000, the calculations being, in fact, worse
than the reality by £1,086.000." Yet the revenue was
better than was estimated. The Budget estimate
was £46,163,000 ; the regular. estimate £46,284,000,
giving an increase of £120,000. The Budget for
next year has to be framed with due consideration
for the influences which. are here at work. It is
evident from Sir C. Wood's statement that especial
care must now be taken to balance national ac-
counts which are equal in importance to those of
great European Kingdoms. The history of the
removal of the Income-tax shows what influences
may be brought to bear upon statesmen in India,
and how suddenly they may 'act. The result of the
calculations in india and at home is that the revenue
for next year will be. £46,548,000. The actual ex-
penditure in India, excluding interest on railways,
was, in 1862-3, £36,800,000 ; and in the Budget of
1865-66 it was estimated at £4o,4B7,ooo—being an
increase of £3,687,000, of which £1,000,000 is due
to the army. With respect to this last item we
think there is some reason for the question asked