48
THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — UNITED KINGDOM
The following statement shows for the year ended March 31, 1912, the net amount estimated to be contributed by England. Scotland, and Ireland, to the revenue expenditure on English, Scottish, and Irish services : —
England
Scotland
Ireland
From other Sources
Total
Net Revenue as contributed :—
£
£
£
£
£
Customs ....
26,926,000
3,463,000
3,207,000
— 33,596,000
Excise
29,738,000
5,164.000
3,348,000
— 38,250,000
Estate, (fee. duties
21,251,000
2,684,000
930,000
311,000 25,182,000
Stamps ....
8,530,000
644,000
353,000
37,000 9,564,000
Land tax ....
716,000
32,000
—
— 748,000
House duty ....
1,980,000
130,000
—
—
2,110,000
Income tax ....
38,421,000
3,949,000
1,504,000
460,000
44,334,000
Land value duties
419,000
74,000
1,000
—
494,000
Total revenue from taxes
127,981,000
16,140,000
9,349,000
808,000
154,278,000
Postal service
16,821,000
1,808,000
947,000
19,576,000
Telegraph service
2.618,000
286,500
197,500
—
3,102,000
Telephone service
2,558,500
313,000
62,000
—
2,933,500
Crown lands
484,500
22,500
22,500
—
529,500
Receipts from Suez Canal
Shares and Sundry Loans
—
—
—
1,281,500
1,281,500
Miscellaneous?
887,500
73,000
110,000
1,527,500
2,548,000
Total non-tax revenue
23,319,500
2,503,000
1,339,000
2,809,000
29,970,500
Aggregate revenue .
151,300,500
18,643,000
10,688,000
3,617,000
184,248,500
Expenditure (Exchequer
Issues) : —
Debt, Army and Navy .
—
—
—
95,222,000
95,222,000
Civil Government Charges :
(o) On Consolidated Fund :
(1) Civil Lif't and Miscel-
laneous charges
354,000
149,500
135,500
839,000
1,478,000
(2) Development of road
improvement funds
—
—
—
1,710,000
1,710,000
(3) Payments to local tax-
ation accounts, &c.
6,995,000
1,174,000
1,467,000
—
9,636,000
(6) Voted ....
28,651,500
4,455,000
8,197,000
4,697,500
46,001,000
Total Civil Government
charges ....
36,000,500
5,778,500
9,799,500
7,246,500
58,825,000
Customs and Excise and
Inland Revenue
3,189,000
493,000
269,000
—
3,951,000
Post Office services
16,439,000
2,040,000
1,465,000
603,000
20,547,000
Total expenditure .
55,628,500
8,311,500
11,533,500
103,071,500
178545,000
III. National Debt.
The expenditure on account of National Debt is now nearly six times the amount paid in 1775, at the beginning of the War of Independence of the United States. The total charge for interest and management was then only a little over 4^ millions sterling ; but at the end of the war it had risen to 9^ millions. The twenty-two years' warfare with France, from 1793 to 1815, added 23 millions sterling to the annual charge of the debt, making it over 32^ millions, decreased by slightly more than a million in 1817, in the year of consolidation of the English and Irish exchequers. Since this date, the aggregate gross liabilities of the State have on the whole been steadily decreasing, excepting for the years of the Russian and the South African wars. In 1854 the gross liabilities stood at 802 millions, and in 1857 at over 837 millions. In 1899 they had decreased to 635 millions, but in 1903 amounted to 798 millions ; in 1912 they stood at 725 millions.
