286 



GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 



of the total exports, and the duty of Is. a ton 

 is not expected to diminish the export of Welsh 

 coal, which goes all over the world, or of coal 

 from the north country, which goes to Baltic 

 ports, because English coal is the best in Europe 

 for steam-engines, and is nearest to seaports. If 

 any diminution of exports results the country will 

 retain so much of the wealth on which the pros- 

 perity of England depends. Coal will either be 

 sold more cheaply to the consumer or will be hus- 

 banded for future consumption. Mines which can 

 be cheaply worked are being exhausted rapidly, 

 and though the coal-fields are not likely to be 

 totally exhausted in any measurable period, dear 

 coal has come already/ The expenditure for the 

 year ending March 31, 1901, amounted to 198,- 

 240,000. In five years the growth of expenditure 

 had been 28,000,000 exclusive of the war in 

 South Africa, and the growth of revenue only 

 10,000,000. The war-taxes yielded in 1901 about 

 12,000,000, and were expected to yield 11,000,- 

 000 in 1902. The debt raised for war expenses 

 requires an expenditure of over 3,000,000 a year 

 for interest. The war debt w r as already 13,000,- 

 000 of treasury bills, 10,000,000 of three-year 

 and 14,000,000 of five-year exchequer bonds, and 

 a war loan of 30,000,000. An additional debt of 

 00.000,000 was authorized, to be raised by the 

 issue of consols, etc., making the war debt 127,- 

 000,000. This was more than the actual deficiency 

 caused by the war. The war expenditure in 1901 

 amounted to 68,620,000, one-third of the total 

 expenditure of the exchequer, which was 183,- 

 592,000. The war in South Africa cost during the 

 year 65,120,000 and the Chinese operations 3,- 

 500,000. Of the war expenses 15,413,000 were 

 paid out of revenue and the remainder was raised 

 by borrowing. The total revenue collected by the 

 Government in 1901 was 140,019,000, of which 

 9,634,000 went into the local taxation, leaving 

 the revenue of the exchequer 130,385,000, being 

 2,865,000 more than the estimate, but 55,000,- 

 000 less than the expenditure. The budget esti- 

 mate of expenditure was 150,061,000. The esti- 

 mated expenditure was augmented by 30,704,000 

 of supplementary estimates for the wars in South 

 Africa and China, 578,000 for interest on new 

 debt, large additional expenditures due to wars in 

 Ashanti and East Africa, and 2,519,000 for naval 

 guns, ammunition, and stores, offset by 1,586,- 

 000 of savings on the original estimate. Includ- 

 ing the sum contributed in relief of local taxation 

 and 4,915,000 borrowed from the national debt 

 commissioners for capital expenditure on naval 

 and military works, the Uganda railroad, tele- 

 phones, etc., the total disbursements amounted to 

 198,246,000. The excess of revenue beyond the 

 estimate was due to forestallments on dutiable 

 articles, which exceeded those of 1900, amounting 

 to 3,250,000. The receipts from customs were 

 26,262,000, exceeding the estimate by 2,642,000, 

 the duties on tea being 1,050,000, and those on 

 tobacco 1,680,000 more than the estimate. The 

 duty on wine yielded 1,492,000, a decrease of 

 238,000 compared with the preceding year. The 

 revenue from beer was 13,500,000, which was 

 470,000 less than the estimate, the vendors hav- 

 ing recouped themselves for the increased tax by 

 diluting both beer and spirits. The death duties 

 yielded 17,090,000, of which 12,980,000 went to 

 the exchequer and 4,453,000 to the local taxa- 

 tion fund. The total capital value of estates pay- 

 ing death duties in 1901 was 262,000,000, a de- 

 crease of 30,000,000 compared with 1900. The 

 yield of stamps was 7,825,000, falling off 675,- 

 000, business on the stock exchange being 

 checked by the war. The yield of the income tax 



was 26,920,000, which was 1,120,000 above the 

 estimate. The income tax first began to produce 

 2,000,000 for each penny in 1889. Since then 

 1,440,000 a year has been given away in abate- 

 ments to the poorer taxpayers, and yet in 1901 

 a penny of income tax produced over 2,400,000, 

 and the total amount of income assessed has in- 

 creased 120,000,000 in twelve years. The total 

 receipts from customs in 1902 are estimated at 

 30,800,000; excise, 33,100,000; death duties, 

 14,000,000; stamps, 8,000,000; land tax and 

 house duty, 2,500,000; income tax, 33,800,000. 

 The total taxation revenue is estimated at 122,- 

 200,000, and non-taxation revenue at 21,055,000, 

 making a total revenue of 143,255,000. Suspen- 

 sion of the sinking-fund brings the estimated ex- 

 penditure down to 182,962,000, to which 1,250,- 

 000 must be added for interest on new debt. 



The amount of the funded debt on March 31, 

 1900, was 552,606,989; the capitalized value of 

 terminable annuities was 60,238,885; and the 

 unfunded debt was 16,133,000, making a total 

 of 628,978,783, not including 10,186,000 for 

 reproductive services, of which 277,305 were bor- 

 rowed under the Russian Dutch loan act of 1891, 

 95,335 under the imperial defense act of 1888, 

 2,810,014 under the barracks act of 1890, 1,- 

 456,145 under the telegraph act of 1892, 693,528 

 under the naval works acts of 1895 and 1899, 

 3,060,368 under the Uganda railway act of 1896, 

 454,903 under the act of 1895 for the acquisi- 

 tion of sites for public offices, 515,294 under the 

 Whitehall public office act of 1897, and 823,590 

 under the Royal Niger Company act of 1899, 

 which sums increase the total indebtedness to 

 639,165,265, against which may be offset 24,- 

 312,000, the value of the Suez Canal shares pur- 

 chased from the Khedive, 868,461 of other assets, 

 and 3,517,047 of exchequer balances in bank. 

 The total debt on March 31, 1901, was 687,932,- 

 000, not including 14,731,000 for reproductive 

 services, the debt having been increased 59,000,- 

 000 as the result of the war. The funded debt out- 

 side of war debt was increased 1,425,000 by the 

 operation of life annuities, which can not be sus- 

 pended when the sinking-fund is, and the ter- 

 minable annuities were increased in capital value 

 1,378,000 through the fall in consols. 



The Army. The regular army of the United 

 Kingdom in the year ending March 31, 1901, was, 

 according to the estimates, composed of 9,365 

 officers, 1,290 warrant officers, 19,145 sergeants, 

 4,382 drummers and musicians, and 178,267 rank 

 and file; total strength, 212,449 of all ranks, being 

 27,596 men above the strength for the preceding 

 year. There were 354 officers and 136 men at- 

 tached to the general staff, with 209 accountants, 

 86 chaplains, 96 surgeons, and 77 veterinarians; 

 551 officers, 1,336 non-commissioned officers and 

 musicians, and 12,351 men in the cavalry; 1,473 

 officers, 3,281 non-commissioned officers and mu- 

 sicians, and 34,231 men in the royal artillery; 683 

 officers, 1,525 non-commissioned officers .and mu- 

 sicians, and 7,749 men in the royal engineers; 

 3,382 officers, 8,208 non-commissioned officers and 

 musicians, and 103,547 men in the infantry; 350 

 officers, 798 non-commissioned officers and mu- 

 sicians, and 11,042 men in the colonial corps; 243 

 officers, 1,107 non-commissioned officers, and 1,296 

 men in departmental corps; 490 officers, 1,303 non- 

 commissioned officers, and 5,311 men in the army 

 service corps; 550 officers, 485 non-commissioned 

 officers, and 2,560 men in the medical corps; 613 

 officers, 6,101 non-commissioned officers, and 22 

 men on the staff of auxiliary forces; 36 officers, 110 

 non-commissioned officers, and 129 men instruct- 

 ing in gunnery and musketry; 102 officers, 280 



