The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-14 00:00:00

EXPENSE OF COLLECTING THE

BEVENUE.

( Front the Times of this day,)

The country has hitherto boon content to pay
its taxes without inquiring very minutely into
the cost of collection. In our fits of economy we
have narrowly scrutinised every item of expendi-
been higgling over shillings and
ture ; there has
pence, pensions have been denied, the army has
been reduced to the lowest limit, the artillery was
so neglected that it had almost to be created ; the
navy, too, had fallen so low- that at the commence-
ment of the war we had to mean it hastily with raw
lads and rheumatic coastguardsman, and had fallen
so far behind the exigencies of the time that not
until this year are we provided with the vessels best
adapted for our purpose. But, while
grumbling
over our disbursements, we paid little attention to
the expenses of collecting oar enormous revenues.
The returns presented to Parliament gave simply
the net results after all the charges Of collection
had been defrayed. These charges amounted to
millions of the public money ; but the Treasury
had the most absolute control over all the salaries
and charges ; Parliament never hoard of the gross '
receipts, and took no account of the percentage
expended in realizing the public income. The esti-
mates for the Revenue departments, which are
now published for the first time, have therefore an
unusual interest. We are about to know for the
first time the true amount of our taxation. In the
estimate for the Customs, for the Inland Revenue,
and for the Post-office, we find that the service of
the ensuing year requires more than 5,000,000/. ;
the net revenue of these departments, according
to the last returns, was 38,500,0001. ; and the
gross product of these taxes may easily be ascer-
tained by adding together those figures. The esti-
mates are very minute, and give the most interest-
ing details reg,arding4o,ooo persons engaged in the
civil service of the country—from the chairman
who gets 2,500/. a-year to the charwoman who gets
251. ; from the Postmaster-General, who receives
501. a-week, to the lettercarrier at York who gets
his 2s. 6d. ; from the London Post-office, that
costs 355,0001. a-year, to the post-office at
Cloghran that costs Si. It is true that these esti-
mates do not give all the expenses. About three-
quarters of a million, for example, are required for
the packet service of the Post-office, but that sum
is charged in the estimates prepared by the Naval
Department. On the other hand, the 5,000,0001.
which we have mentioned is not all spent in -sala-

ries ; about hale a million or it goes to charges fr-'l'
superannuations and compensations.
The Ctistoms employ 11,292 persons, and the pro•
posed expenses of the department, exclusive of
superannuation; amount to 1,326,000/. Of this
sum 840,0001. gees to the Customs proper ; the re-
mainder to the Coastguard. In London alone more
than 2,000 men are employed in the service of the
formerdepartment, and the expenses of the different
establishments amount to 383,0001. Ia Liverpool
844 men are required, and the charge is 115,000 C
After Liverpool, the port that employs the greatest
number of men is Hull; the numberis 170, and their
expenses are 18,0001. Exclusive of London and
Liverpool, the number of Custom-house officers at
the different ports and creeks of the United Kingdom
is 2,584 ; their salaries are 267,0001. ; and, includ-
ing salaries, the whole expenses of the establish-
ments are 326,0001. Inclusive of London and
Liverpool, the number of Custom-house officers is
.5,564. The Coastguard employs a still greater
:number--5,728, at an expense of 486,000/. Of tbis
sum the annual charge for 51 revenue cruisers is
70,000/., or 1,5001. a-piece, if we include some
minor charges, such as 3001. for a superintendent
of cruisers' repairs. On the whole, then, if we add
t..') the last returns of the Customs, which were
20,987,000/., the charges for working the depart'
m‘?.nt, it would appear that the gross receipts are,
more than 22,500,0001., and that the expense 01
collecting this revenue is about 7 per cent.
The expenses of the Inland Revenue depart-
merr. t are (excluding superannuations) 1,522,0001.1
and the service employs 6,987 men. Of course, a
great part of this sum is expended not in salaries,
but in rent, in buildings, iu postage, in rates. The
new buildings at Somerset-house 60,000/. Our
tax-gatherers pay rents, rates, and taxes, amount'
ing to 12,000/. The postage and carriage of books
parcels come to 23,000/. The expenses of the cube
of London are 11,000/. Printing and gumming the
little rec eipt and draught stamps, together with the.
price of the paper, cost 10,0001. Copies of wills cost
10,0001., and if they cost the Board of Inland Revenue
that sum—query, what do the public pay ? State-
carriage plates and allowances for checking state-
carriage journeys amount annually to 2,000/. The
Excise returns for the last year were 16;389,000/.1
and, adding these charges together with the super'
aunuation allowances, the gross receipts amount t?
18,130,00 W.; and this is collected at a charge °I
about 10 per cent.

But a far more interesting department than either
of these is that of the Post-office, which gives eel'
ploymeut to 22,748 individuals, which requires en
outlay of 1,740,4831. (exclusive of superannua:.
tions), and which affords a clear revenue 0'
1,137,000/. The General Post-office in Loud°
costs 355,8001.; in Dublin, 37,300/.; in Edinburgh,
25,4271.; and then, descending still lower iu the
scale, Liverpool costs 20,9001 ; Manchester,
16,8001.; Glasgow, 13,8001.; Birmingham, 10,30;•
London employs 1,879 sorters, letter-carriers
messengers, at an average pay of 69/. ; Dtibliet
178, at an average pay of 67/. ; Edinburgh' gas
141, at an average pay of 60/. The clothing re'
the London letter-carriers cost last year 3,6001:0,
and is to cost in the current year 5,000/. The
ference in Dublin is not so great ; it cost last year
2561., and de new estimate is 307/. But ie
Edinburgh the difference is very extraordi.
nary. It cost last year 32/. (surely a mistake),
and the new- estimate is 500/. In °tilt
words, the clothing of 141 letter-carriers
in Edinburgh is to cost considerably raode
than that of 178 in Dublin. To prooee
however, the Money-order office in London cos
23,0001. ; 13 Edinburgh (including the aceell. -
ant's office), 5,837/. ; in Dublin (including a aleft
lar office), 6,8571. All is mentioned with gre'''
minuteness. The policemen and firemen in Lam'
don receive 1,157/. ; and those who are curious
know how much the stamper at Norwich is pall
how much the clerks at Belfast get, and how maul
s
letter-carriers they have at Cork, may very wenn,"
satisfied by dipping into these estimates. 2-1-
London and North-Western Railway Com Pall
obtains 56,5001. a-year for the conveyance of 'nal
—the largest sum given to any one railway eV::
party. The Great Southern and Western in
land seems to receive the next largest elan
33,000/. In all, 348,000/. are given for the or:
veyance of mails by railway through Euglaaa2
and, as a sign of the times, it is interesting w
compaie this sum with the charge for conveyance
of mails by mail coaches-2,092/. See the differ
once in a single year ; last year it was 2,4971.
Another interesting item is that of the manufacture
of postage stamps. The total amount required for
this manufacture is 30,0001.—a little
The cost of the paper alone for labels and etire;
lopes is 13,500/. • the printing and gumming
4,500/. more. ihe superintendent of the perforE
tien gets 100/. a-year. In all, adding together
the net revenue and the expenses of working
the department, the gross receipts of the P_ 0*
office would appear to be 2,900,000/., and. Of
revenue to be collected at a charge of 60/. per
—a very large percentage, no doubt, if we'rNut
rt
the Post-office simply as a source of revenue ;
it is much more than a source of revenue ; it
is;
the-instrument of a great public service and
would 'become intolerable if it sought the en°r.,
mous gains of a public tax.