PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
' ' ' '
ساسا
C.O. 882
1
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
Mr. Anstruther, however, appears to have been but imperfectly informed on this point. He stated in 1848, before Lord George Ben- tinck's Committee (16,716) that "fewer roads had been made in Ceylon since he left," and that those which previously existed had been allowed to go to decay (16,752).
But in 1849, he says the expenditure on roads has been carried to an excess, and the money had been wasted (7734) with want of economy (7732) and "gross extravagance" (7738).
In 1848, Mr. Anstruther stated that less money had been spent upon roads since he left the island than before (16,714). But the public accourts tend to establish the reverse, the actual expenditure being as follows:-
Expenditure on Roads and Bridges.
1837
£39,866
1843
£26,510
1838
23,294
1844
39,112
1839
10,391
1845
67,584
1840
16,774
1846
62,627
1841
23,255
1847
49,509*
1842
21,650
1848
.47,567
It will thus be seen that the expenditure on roads and bridges in the three years after Mr. Anstruther left the colony, so far from being less than before his departure, was very con- siderably greater than the amount expended by him for similar works.
Thus what Mr. Anstruther found fault with
as an omission in 1848, he now censures as an extravagance in 1849, and declares that unless a substantial necessity, and that there was "something was done for it," which he denies, there was " gross extravagance” (7733).
I am prepared to show both that there was a necessity for it, even to an extent greater than we could possibly meet, and that there is “some- thing to show" to justity the outlay.
In fact the necessity for increased expendi- ture upon roads and bridges in the three years after Mr. Anstruther left the colony, arose in a great degree from their neglect during the three years before he left..
That neglect was not altogether attributable to Mr. Anstruther or the local Government.
• Exclusive of 4,3251. contributed by proprietors of estates.
•
21
If the Committee will look to the return which have just put in, they will see that in 1837 the expenditure upon roads was 39,8687.
This large expenditure in 1837 was justified by the fact that for the eight years preceding, there had been an annual surplus of revenue, varying from 40,000l. to 100,0001. a year.
In 1887 however that surplus was converted into a deficiency, which continued to appear in every subsequent year down till 1843.
In this dilemma Mr. Stewart Mackenzie appealed to the Secretary of State to relieve the colony from an annual payment of 24,0001 a year to the military chest, which had been imposed by the Home Government in 1837 on the faith of the large surplus in former years; bat in the very first year of its payment the surplus became converted into a deficiency, which continued for the five years that followed.
Mr. Stewart Mackenzie represented that it was impossible both to carry on public works, and to continue the payment, and prayed to be relieved from the latter. But the Secretary of State, Lord Glenelg, in communication with the Lords of the Treasury, declined to accede to this appli- cation, and directed “the Governor of Ceylon to suspend all works, the completion of which is not urgently required until the means of executing them are actually realized either from a pearl fishery or other branches of revenue.'
There has never been a pearl fishery since. The other branches of revenue exhibited a de- cline, instead of an increase from that year till 1843, and the expenditure for the repair and con- struction of roads was in consequence reduced from 39,8667. per annum in 1837, to 10,3917. in 1849, and never much exceeded twice that sum till 1843.
*
The consequence of this unfortunate measure was the utter neglect of existing roads, and 'inability to construct others which were urgently
demanded.
There were at the time upwards, of 1500 nailes of roads in the colony, the upkeep of which was expacted to be defrayed out of 10,000 per
asm will be apparent