, 1865-02-07

SAO AASEN'' FIFA ~@S $3.50 "ASH AAo w
be expended on objects Of public utility.
An extensive rural ommun in the fertile
island Of Eubel contains about $500 inhabit-
ants dispersed in more than 90 villages. Some
Of these villages are four hours distant from
the village hat is the Seat of the local admins
tration. The president of he communal coun-
Gil is a prosperous farmer in the village Of
Achmetaga, situate on the only mule tract that
forms a line Of communication for all these
who travel southwark FROM
"Th' Isteian fields for generous wine renowned
ITO fair Karystos and the Sturian ground,'
if | may borrow from Pops H,mrg until Lord
Derby's reaches Athens.
The approval of he Monarch or Project Of
Eubel is required to give validiy to the COM
munal bu lget, and in the month Of November
the budget Of this rural commune for the wear
1865 was submitted TO the Monarch who re-
sides at Cha'cis on Euripus to obtain his sane
ton. The revolution Of 1862 embroidered the
Greeks to mako some efforts to reform tue
worst abuses in their local administration Tho
debates in the Natioaal Assembly on the value
of selfgovernmont and the increased liberties
conferred by the municipal law have also given
the rural population courage to reduce their
local taxation and prepare for dividing the
large communes into more manageable parts.
The commune in question, without 10 any way
diminishing the eff :icncv of the local administra-
ton or subtracting a ,insIe penny from any o.
j.ct of public uti ity, reduced the commuua
budget nearly one third, and to k measures to
have always a sum of nearly $500 drachmas
III hand. Hitherto mmu have been gene
rally involved in debt, and by that means held
IN a state Of subserviency TO the central govern
ment. But the high price Of cotton and resin
has led the peaSar ,ry to think of Obtaining
money to expend on roads as a sure means Of
increasing their profits by diminishing The cx-
pense they now incur in carrying their produce
to market.
But when the Nomarch Of Eubna +, ceivcd
the reformed budget he saw that Capitalization
was in danger, and the cry has already been
raised that republican principles are spreading
among the peasantry. He refused to s"ancti,n
economy, aud sent back another budget model
Id on the ~strictest principles of Capitalization
The a>pirants of self.g0vernment were ordered
to raise their local assessment SO per cent, or
to the amount of % dracbmas on each family
in a community that does not include a single
village containing more than 100 families. The
salaries OF the secretary, the collector, and the
doctor Were ali raised to render the places val
liable aud increase tho patronage of the Minis
ter of the Interior, as well as to enable the Go
vernment to Influence the coming elections.
But not one farthiug was allotted to road
making or any object Of public utility.
In this particular case il is probablc that the
necessary reforms will b. efrc cd, because the
British Minister, who takes great interest in
the institutional, as we'll as the political, 60
vernment of Greece, was Informed of the facts
by two Eng}ishmen who possess large estates
in the commune Mr.. Erskioe brought tho
case Immediately to the knowledge of the Greek
Government, and from him the Minister of the
interior (~hether to his own satisfaction or
otherwise | do not pretend to say learnt what
was going on in Eubea some six weeks sooner,
and will feel himself obliged to decide the ques-
ton some six months sooner than would have
happened in the ordinary course of business.
Taking this commune as a fair average of the
amount Of local taxation in the rural districts.
for in some the rate is % per cent. higher, it
appears that about four millions of drachmas
are raised annually, and that the central Co
vernment is now striving to retain in its own
hands the whole power and patronage which it
can derive from the expenditure of this large
sum, without allowing any portion of it to Be
devoted to public improvements. The direct
expenditure of the Ministry of the Interior ex-
ceeds 5 5000 900 SO that with the control of
this indirect expenditure of an additional
1000, 900 it disposes of a sum equal to one
third of the revenues of the Hellenic kingdom
since The annexation Of the ToniaD Islands, Yek