ITALY. 



Mfl 



_rnor Oairoli, upholding the abolition of 

 i>t tux and tho adoption of the return) 

 t'onniiig tho programme of the Left. Signer 

 Depretis appealed to his political friends to aid 

 in ;i reconstruction of tho Left, and the Cham- 

 ber, having by 255 votes against 99 rejected a 

 motion made by Signor Minghotti, approved 

 by 241 votes against 88 the order of the day 

 moved by Signor Cairoli. This vote was gen- 

 erally considered as the sign of an understand- 

 ing between the different groups of the Left 

 and the Ministry. On May 4th the Minister of 

 Finance laid a financial statement before the 

 Chamber. Speaking of 1878, he stated that the 

 receipts for that year had been 9,500,000 less 

 than tho amount estimated, and the expendi- 

 tures 5,000,000 less. Taking these differences 

 into account, together with the increased ex- 

 penditure sanctioned by the Chambers after the 

 estimates were voted, the expected surplus of 

 11,000,000 became reduced to something less 

 than 500,000. The surplus for 1879, which in 

 the provisional budget was estimated at 41,- 

 000,000, was reduced to 12,000,000. He fur- 

 ther expected surpluses of 10,000,000 in 1880, 

 2,000,000 in 1881, 28,500,000 in 1882, and 38,- 

 000,000 in 1883. These surpluses would, how- 

 ever, be insufficient to fulfill the vote of July 

 7, 1878, of gradually abolishing the grist-tax, 

 which would involve a decrease of income of 

 18,000,000 in 1879, of 86,500,000 in 1880, 1881, 

 and 1882, and of 75,500,000 on its total aboli- 

 tion in 1883. In order to meet this decrease, 

 he proposed to increase the taxes on sugar, 

 alcohol, coffee, petroleum, and other colonial 

 goods, the registration and stamp taxes, and 

 the octroi. He estimated the total increase of 

 the revenue from these sources at 30,000,000 

 lire. If these taxes were not granted, he con- 

 sidered it impossible to proceed with the aboli- 

 tion of the grist-tax and prevent a deficit. 

 The Senate on June 24th, by a vote of 136 to 

 60, approved the abolition of the grist-tax so far 

 only as regarded maize and grain of an inferior 

 quality. This decision was of great political 

 importance, as it was contrary to the wishes 

 of the Ministry, who demanded the entire abo- 

 lition of the tax. The bill as originally pre- 

 sented, and as it had passed th Chamber of 

 Deputies in 1878, proposed that the tax on in- 

 ferior grains should be entirely remitted from 

 July 1, 1879, that the tax on corn should be 

 reduced one fourth from tho same date, and 

 that the tax should altogether cease on Janu- 

 ary 1, 1883. The Senate was willing to agree 

 to the remission of the tax on inferior grains, 

 and to the prospective repeal of the whole tax 

 in 1883 ; but it objected to the reduction on 

 corn until an equivalent impost was voted. 

 The Ministers, by the attitude which they took 

 during the debate, converted the question into 

 one of serious constitutional import. They 

 denied the right of the Senate to alter or 

 modify a money bill passed by the Chamber. 

 It might accept or reject such a bill en bloc, 

 but it had no right to do anything else. The 



Senate, however, maintained tho other side of 

 the question. 



The law for the abolition of tho grUt-tax, 

 after its modification in the Senate, again came 

 up in tho Chamber. But, before a vote mi it 

 was reached, a vote of want of confidence in 

 the Ministry was passed on July 3d, by 2/io i 

 170 votes, in consequence of which the Cabi- 

 net resigned. This result was brought about 

 by a most heterogeneous combination between 

 various factions of the Conservatives and Radi- 

 cals under the leadership of Signers Sella, N i- 

 cotera, and Baccarini. Signor Cairoli was in- 

 trusted with the formation of a n'tw Ministry, 

 which was completed on July 13th, and was 

 composed as follows : Signor Cairoli, Presi- 

 dency and Foreign Affairs; Signor Villa, Inte- 

 rior ; Signor Grimaldi, Finance ; Signor Bac- 

 carini, Public Works; Signor Vare, Worship 

 and Justice ; Signor Perez, Public Instruction ; 

 General Bonelli, War. On the 17th Signor 

 Cairoli, in presenting the new Cabinet to the 

 Chamber, said that the country needed a long 

 period of peace and industry ; that tho Min- 

 isters would devote themselves exclusively to 

 questions of internal interest, in conformity 

 with which their foreign policy would be 

 framed. At the same time he asked the Cham- 

 bers to come to an agreement on the grist-tax. 

 This was finally effected, as follows : The tax 

 on the cheaper grains was to be abolished 

 entirely, that on the better qualities reduced 

 one fourth after July 1, 1880, and all taxes 

 abolished after January 1, 1884. In this form 

 it passed the Chamber on July 19th, and the 

 Senate on the 24th. 



The Chamber adjourned on July 23d, and 

 the Senate on the 29th. 



On September 15th Signor Grimaldi sent the 

 details of his provisional budget for 1880 to tho 

 President of the Chamber, in conformity with 

 the Parliamentary regulation, hitherto neglect- 

 ed, which requires its presentation on that date. 

 The revenue was estimated at 1,402,000,000 lire, 

 and the expenditures at 1,895,000,000 lire, leav- 

 ing a surplus of 7,000,000. The report ac- 

 companying the budget, however, stated that, 

 taking into account the expenditures already 

 submitted to Parliament, there would be a defi- 

 cit of 6,000,000 lire. Differences of opinion 

 as to the budget led Signor Cairoli to resign on 

 November 18th. The Chambers reassembled 

 on the 19th, when Signor Cairoli announced 

 that the Ministry had felt themselves under 

 tho necessity of placing their resignation in 

 the hands of tho King, and that his Majesty 

 had intrusted him with the charge of forming 

 a new Administration. The negotiations to 

 that effect were proceeding regularly ; but, in 

 the mean time, be requested that the Chambers 

 would adjourn until the 27th. The Chambers 

 adjourned accordingly. The new Ministry was 

 completed by the 27th, and was composed as 

 follows : Cairoli, Presidency and Foreign Af- 

 fnirs; Depretis, Interior; Magliani, Finance; 

 Villa, Justice; Baccarini. Public Works; De 



