New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-09-03
ETcyIrIcayT BRIrTsH STATISTICS.

T5e animated and sometimes acrimonious
controversy over the lending finance bin r
tie Tinted Kingdom involves consideration of
To recent rislal history ~ -he British govern
--eut and q the tendencies Of revenue and a.
rer6itc7e. and thus makes timely the stats
teal sbs,rsc; which the Board u Trade Ess
just issued covering TIE last fifteen years. from
1875 20 Ieis--Ca. This abstract reveals the
Impressive fact that e that period tie expeudi-
lures of tie kingdom have increased from lssS
than So. 10000 year 70 ,no-e than $751;
oss1drn % more tazn - PEI cent IL 6freea
yezrs That : probably an unprecedented rate
q increase a. least il tine Of peace, n Gr~st
Britain. Z not IN any country. II the preceding
Qcrtod of fifteen years Ire Increase wgs 0nly
. per cent. and In the twenty yezrs from
1sG0-6l % -SS0-'S1 i was only - pc- cent
These former rates were fully a. great as, and
perhaps little greater tan. that q the In
crease q population. which IN TIE last h2.t
century has ranged from So 20 los Ter cent 81
ten years. = recent years. therefore. eIpendi-
tI-es have increased about three times IS faSt as
population.
il VII be instructive % observe u Mat d.
Tectiols this unexampled increase q expeEdi-
tures j. being made. There are three depart
Denrs II government which are charged with
about nlne--enths % the total expendltures-to
or these the army g. might he supposed. is
the least responsible fo- tie increase q the
last fifteen years. while the other two are about
equal n responsibility. The cost % the army
has increased from SS9JD0Esss 20 Si34-2D1O0p.
o- about - Ter cent while that 81 the navy
las risen from So. 90 20 Sltyeiot'S, OF
II per cent. and that % the civil services from
So $1,000 % SlGl G-,DPr. or = per cent Or
ths last named increase tie P1-tnttlce Depart
ment j. charged with the major part the growth
o. fs cost having been SfoClo.Dy. though in
justice il should be added that its receipts IN
TIE same tine have increased 70 the extent o.
S45Dp0po. Meantime tie national debt
funded and unfuDded. has increased from So
2a5vJspo 10 S3770gpo0c0. an increase %
more than a Per cent
The SOURCES q revenue and the increases de-
rived from them are also worthy 81 note. The
most productive source j. the Internal revenu.
tax. though it does not show tho greatest IN
crease- having risen IN fifteen years from
Ss-g.7s5.plg q Sis1. 1000 or - per cent The
second largest stem. aud that which shows by
fa- the largest increase. + the lncome and
property tax which has risen from S7spstso
70 Sl696l0Da0 cr III per cent, a result which
!, uarrly due 20 tho Increase - the rate 81
income TAX from "a cents % - cents in TIE
pound There has been great Increase in the
S5s.30p"oo 20 81. Spo.Oy. or a. pr cent: and
also IN receipts from The Postotfice Department.
from Sg5. 10000 20 Sill jg1cDn or 90 per cent.
on tho other hand. customs receipts from duties
on imports which stood second in the LIST fifteen
years ago. are now third and on the way %
fourth place. having increased from SOL
CyDGCO 20 oaly SIssO1oDDo. % only ~ per
cent A. for the land tax. II has been almost
a negligible quantity. amounting % only 81
O75.GDO IN ls9f-aj and falling % S3.GJoO1o IN
1850
Analysis ~ the income tax shows tbat the
total u incomes on which tax Is paid has IN
creased from s26s5CcOGo % S32S0OooG1o.
o. - per cent The greater part 81 this in
crease j. that derived from businesses and pro
fessions. which has increased in fifteen years
from 81 80 0p1pyb 70 S1.970ps0O0o. or II per
cent while the second largest item. income from
lands and houses. has actually decreased from
SSlSnyy1gss0 10 S7SoOSClo. or more than 5 per
cent income from Occupancv II land has also
decreased. from 100000 10 S20OoOJ0. OF
~ rer cent. while that from government secli-
rifles q al kinds has risen from SIS5ccOC00
20 S2I5opoOyo o. IS per cent and that from
salaries a. officers in public corpora ton employ
from SIS0crO.Gpc 20 S2To.0poDp9. or - per
cent.
The decline in income from land affords
ground for arguments against the imposition
OF z new land tax such as is now proposed by
the government. The contrast between customs
receirts and other items 81 revenue also sug-
cests the pertinent inquiry whether - per cent
l. q large enough share for foreign coIgmerce
10 contribute 10 the national revenue. and il
the revenue from that source ought not 10 have
increased more than ~ per cent, seeing that
the revenue from domestic incomes increased
By III per cent With the revenue from duties
on imports increasing less rapidly than that
fr6n other sources. II Is argued that either Brit
ish foreign trade is relatively declining. which
II true would be a condemnation Of the free
trade system or is not paying It's inst share Of
taxation
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