210 REPORT — 1875. 



ment of public works, whilst at the same time allowing for the total aboli- 

 tion of the taxes on salt and opium. 



2ncl. That immediate steps should be taken to cover India with a network of 

 railway's. 



3rd. That for the construction of the railways and working their traffic a new 

 organization is required, as the existing system is not adapted for the 

 special requirements of a country like India. 



Before proceeding to consider these propositions, the author gave a few statistics 

 of the Indian empire. 



The total area of country under the administration of the Imperial Government 

 is 1,558,254 square miles (or 997,282,560 square acres), of which 948,254 square 

 miles (or 606,882,5(50 square acres) belongs to the British provinces, and about 

 010,000 square miles (or .390,000,000 square acres) to the native states. 



The population, according to the last census returns, is about 240,000,000, of 

 which about 193,000,000 belong to the British provinces, and 47,000,000 to the 

 native states. 



The density of the population in the whole empire is about 154 persons per 

 square mile ; or if the more important provinces only are taken, which form about 

 one half of the whole area, the density would be about 234 persons per square 

 mile ; but in the North- West Provinces the average is 378, in Oude 465, in some 

 of the Bengal provinces 500 to 573 persons per square mile, whereas in England 

 the density of the whole population is 422 per square mile. 



In Ireland the density is 166 persons per square mile. 



The Indian railways opened and in course of construction at the commencement 

 of 1873 were about 7722 miles, or one mile of railway to every 200 square miles 

 of country, whereas in England there is one mile of railway to every 4j square 

 miles of country, and in Ireland one mile of railway to every 16^ square miles of 

 country. 



The "Indian railways, as above, have cost about £97,000,000, or £16,536 per 

 mile. 



The Irisli railways have cost about £16,000 per mile ; and by a curious coinci- 

 dence the gross receipts per mile per annum on the Indian and Irish railways are 

 almost identical. 



In India the gross receipts are about £1148 per mile 

 In Ireland 1142 „ 



The total receipts on the Indian railways for the financial year of 1873 were 

 £6,742,789, the net revenue £3,185,000, which gives a percentage of about SJ 

 per cent, per annum on the outlay ; or, if the railways had been made, as they 

 might have been, upon a cheaper and more economical system, or for, say, abovit 

 £8000 per mile, the percentage upon the outlay would have been 6i per cent, per 

 annum. 



The gTOSs revenue of the Indian Government for the financial year ending 

 March 1873 was £50,110,215, or nearly £2,000,000 in excess of the normal 

 expenditure. 



Of this revenue £44,449,000 were realized as follows : — 



From land, and contributions from native States . . £22,000,000 



From salt .... c 6,165,000 



From opium _ 8,084,000 



From Customs, Stamps, and Excise 7,600,009 



But the cost of collecting the salt and opium duties is about £2,290,612 ; so that 

 if these two taxes were abolished the amount derived from them, viz. £14,819,000, 

 would have to be reduced by this sum of £2,290,612, which would leave 

 £12,528,388 to be provided for. 



Assuming the population of India, as per last census returns, is 240,000,000, 

 and that every person, including rich and poor, expended upon an average, on their 

 food and clothing, one penny per day, this would give a sum equal to £365,000,000 

 per annum ; would not this amount give us approximately the value of the produce 

 raised ofi"the land per annum 'i For may not the value of tlie exports, amoimting 



