Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1874-08-28
Income of the English Royal Family.

IN Chambers Journal the following
account of the theory upon which the
incomes of the Queen and Princes are
adjusted, and the manner in which they
are taken lesfe of and paid, is given:
"Themation desires that there shall
alwaySbe harmonious cooperation be-
tween the responsible government of the
day and the members of the royal house
hold. This is effected by making the
great officers of the household-the Lord
Chamberlain, Master of the Horse, and
Mistress of the Robes, etc.-removable
with every change of Ministry. The
scandal and friction which would be oc-
casioned if Prime Minister'S conduct
were always the subject of adverse and
interested criticism from officials in daily
contact with royalty is thus avoided and
the independence of the Minister Sc
cured. Again, the nation docs not wish
so to endow monarch that, on the one
hand, his wealth may be applied as mere
caprice or tyranny suggests, perhaps to
the detrlment of the freedom of the sub
ject On the other hand, the nation
would be disgusted at the spectacle of
an avaricious sovereign, who boarded his
income, and so proved himself a dwarfed
and unworthy representative of the maj
esty of the State. To counteract both
tendencies the civil list is, as we have
seen, divided into classes, the object for
which the total of each class is to be ap-
piled being specified by act of Parlia-
ment In this way the maintenance of
the desired amount of State pageantry
and magnifcence is insured. Finally,
the actual issues in each of the
classes are subject to the eXamina-
nf ~ al ~ I'm of
the Civil List, whose business it is to see
that the prescribed total is not exceeded.
but this system, however beneficial
and constitutional, certainly imposes on
the country some correlative obligations
If the crown, after surrendering all its
landed property, receives in return an
income so divided as to place only e100,-
600 year at its absolute disposal, the
remainder being appropriated under con
ditions which render any considerable
economy impossible, it seems but reason
able that the country should make
special arrangements for special eXigen-
cies. Hence it has always been under
stood that the nation will grant a dowry
to the reigning sovereign, and will be-
stow pensions on the various members of
the royal family. There is much to be
said on other grounds for these prac
tees A royal marriage may be an adj
vantage to the State, by strengthening
national alliance already existing, or
effecting new one; or it may be the
occasion of all sorts of political combina-
tions and trouble. In either case, it is
of the last Importance that any proposed
marriage should, if suitable, have the
sanction of Parliament if unsuitable, its
veto. Now the granting or Withholding
of a Il rriu 70 nf
mons exactly the needed power. If now
we are asked to ascertain the cost of
monarchy, the task is by no means diff
cult.
Her majesty receives, as we have
seen, civil list of 1885 600 year To
this we must add e31 900, the revenue
derived from the Duchy of Lancaster,
and $4,000, the annual cost of main
tanning the places in the occupation of
the crown (such as Buckingham Palace
and Windsor Castle), which is provided
for in a vote of Parliament. These items
amount to e433,00 The Prince of Wales
has el00000 year, of which 5000 is
derived from the Duchy of Cornwall, and
$40, 900 from an annuity on the consoli
dated fund the Princess of Wales, e10,-
900; the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince
Arthur e15,000 each; the Princess Royal
or Crown Princess of Germany, 5000 f.;
Princesses Alice, Helena and Louise, &c.
900 each; the Duke of Cambridge, fl2,-
coo; the Duchess of Cambridge, $4,000
and the Princess Teck and Princess Au-
gusta of Mecklenburg-StreliH, $4,000
and $4,000 each, respectively. These an
nuities amount to e132,00 and adding
this, with the revenue of the Duchy of
Cornwall, to our former total, we reach
"a total charge of $685., 900 year Now
the crown lands produce profit of e375,-
| 600, and the other branches of hereditary
revenue about e13,000, which sums are
| carried to the eXchequer. Thus the net
result of the system we are discussing is
that royalty costs the British taxpayers
less than e250,000 year. Now, taking
| Prof Lewis estimate that the taxation OF
the working classes amounts to 12t pei
cent. of their taxable incomes, and cal
culating the proportion which the cost OF
royalty bears to the general expenditure
of the nation, we arrive at this result
that in the case of skilled artisan witt
a taxable income of e100 year, the
maintenance of royalty costs him nine
pence a year. Such, then, is the outcome
of constitutional contract the nation ha
made with its sovereign"