New-York tribune., 1900-01-08
BOER FINANCES.

The financial status Of the two Boer States
of South Africa has become a matter of in
tereSt, partly as a study in administration,
partly as an index of the sinews of war which
those States have possessed. and partly by way
of forecasting their recuperative-and, as our
British brethren reckon, indemnity paying
power after the war. The statement has often
been made that the Transvaal is In proportion
to its population, of the richest States in
the world; thanks, of course, 10 its Oulapder in
habitants, who raised it from pauperism to
Opulence. 1t appears on examination that both
States have for years enjoyed great wealth,
though whether they have made the wisest pos
sible use of it may be called into question.
The TransvaaI was bankrupt-it had few
shings in its treasury-when the British an
nexed it, When the British relinquiShed it
after Majuba Hill it was solvent and prosper
Gus. In 1SS5-'S6 it had revenue of $1.092,500
and expenditures of 1913, 900, eminently
satisfactory budget That was before gold was
discovered on the Rand Official salaries We're
modest in SIZE and an Arcadian simplicity pre-
vailed. But with the discovery Of gold all was
changed Taxes levied upon disfranchised and
unrepresented OutlanderS poured millions into
the Treasury and the Beers soon became adopts
at making use thereof. Salaries were increased,
offices were multiplied, perquisites were sweled,
and militarsm was reSorted to upon scale
proportiOnately unrivalled in the world. In
1s95'96 the revenue had risen to $21, 100000 and
the expenditures to $50 625 000 1t is interesting
TO observe that the item of official salaries rose
from S259.155 in 1886 TO 81, ,S5O.235 in 1S96-a
tenfold increase in ten years! And in 1899
salaries aggregated more than $60OO0OO, Mill
tary expenditures in 1886 were merely nominal.
In 1894 they were only $4,000. But in 1897
IIa6
This was exclusive of the building of forts. etc,
which came under the head Of public works. an
item which absorbed in 1897 the sum of $1,000
coo We may reckon this last sum as having
gone almost entirely for military purposes. as
no other public works of Importance were con-
structed.
1t will be of interest TO observe that while the
Transvaal with 10000 white inhabitants had
revenue of nearly $50 100000 the Principally of
Bulgaria with 100000 people. had only ST.
100000: Finland. with 100000, had only Sl3,-
3OOO 900: the Grand Duchy of Baden with 1,I5O,-
OOO only Sc. 500 900; the Kingdom Of Wurtem-
berg with 100000 only $1S.500,000; and Nor
way, with 2,150OO0. only S19.500.OO0. The
Transvaal had therefore vastly larger revenue
than any of these in proportion to its population
and of course equally larger expenditures, WIN
out taking into consideration the fact that me
other countries Daneu are 1iOIt HlSHlS ClNiA
lied than the Transvaal and might naturally,
therefore, be supposed to make and spend more
money.
The Orange Free State shows more modest
figures vet has a budget which many another
State might well envy. It's revenue in 1893
was nearly 81 100000 In 1893 it rose to more
than S4500OO0 and the expenditures, on ac-
count of its great military preparations, to
something more State with only $4,000 in
habtants with public debt of only S223,OOO,
and with a revenue of $4,5OO,000 a year is GER
tainly in comfortable condition. 1t is to be
noted that there, as in the Transvaai the ten
dency of official salaries has been upward. The
Chief Justice. for example, gets $4,000, and the
Attorney General $4,000 a year, while in the
British colony of Natal the corresponding Off
GERS get only 81 500 and $4,000 respectively. The
State railway system is one of the chief sources
Of revenue paying a profit of more than $1,000
coo year.
Evidently then. in their plans for eNpelling
the British from South Africa and establishing
there a Dutch confederation. these States have
not been hampered by lack OF funds. What is
still more to the present purpose too Is that at
the close of the present war. whatever the re-
sult of it may be- there will be ample means
available for the rehabilitation Of industry and
the restoration of prosperity throughout the
land