CO882-(1-2) — Page 28

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :--

FEC.O. 882

سسسسساللسا

1

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON!

| ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE

BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

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the course of the year, that Mr. Anstruther him- self

says "The whole receipts from tolls would (Committee, not suffice for that purpose."

1848, 16,757.)

The receipts for tolls when Mr. Anstruther gave his evidence, he estimated at 25,0001.

The mere repair of existing roads is therefore a large and an inevitable expenditure; and as roads are increased it is unavoidably a constantly increasing charge to the colony.

But another class of expenditure which is equally unavoidably is the upkeep and completion 、 of roads in process of formation.

Once begun, a road must not only be as stea- dily but as rapidly completed as circumstances will permit; as the damage from the floods in the monsoon is something quite extraordinary.

Much of the expenditure on roads in 1845-6-7-8 took place under these circumstances; for carry- ing on towards completion works commenced by Mr. Anstruther; the past outlay on which would have been swept away had the further expenditure been suspended or deferred.

These circumstances must be familiar to Mr. Anstruther, and add much to my astonishment at the nature of his evidence, in relation to the roads of the colony and the exertions which the Government has made to provide and main- tain them.

The statements made by Mr. Anstruther on both occasions of his examination in 1848 and 1849 are to the effect, that expenditure has been NO unwarrantably and culpably incurred as to exceed the just limits prescribed by the state of the income; to occasion an excess of expendi- ture for the years 1845-6-7, to the extent of 254,2581, over the receipts from revenue (7729); and in short to involve the colony in bankruptcy, which Mr. Anstruther declared it to be within his own personal knowledge (16,705, 16706).

This is very far from being the true state of the case.

Mr. Anstruther himself declared the income of the Colony to be insufficient to meet its expendi ture in 1841-2, when he represented the Trea-

Bury to have been “completely drained."

But I have shewn to the Committee that thin

t

income of the next five years, 1843-4-5-6-7, instead of being squandered, as Mr. Anstruther alleged, by "gross extravagance and want of economy," (7732-5,) has been so prudently ex- pended as not only to meet all the demands of the Colony for those years on a greatly in- creased scale of liberality, but actually to make good the deficit of 1841 and 1842.

And so far from the Colony being bankrupt,

as stated by Mr. Anstruther, in 1848, the actual cash balances in the Treasury at the time when Mr. Anstruther spoke (the close of 1847), was 89,8361., and the nett balance to the credit of the Colony, after deducting liabilities, was 74,6971.-(Bee Blue Book, Despatch, 1848, No. 70, May 11, 1849.)

This balance is taken on the same data as those quoted by Mr. Anstruther, and does not include amongst the debits 87,5001. for Trea- sury notes in haud and in circulation. They should properly be excluded as liabilities; but neither on the other hand, does it include the

value of the assetts in buildings and stores, which would be more than an equivalent for the entire paper money of the Colony.

Expenditure of 1846.

With this general explanation of the causes which led to an inevitable increase of expendi- ture in the three years after Mr. Anstruther left Ceylon, I now proceed to show the nature and necessity for this outlay in each of these years. The expenditure of 1845 has been already exhibited.—(Ants page 32, 33.)

I was proceeding to state (page 34) that the expenditure for the fixed establishments in 1848, was taken at a great advance upon the same charges in 1846, and that the extraordi-

nary expenditure had been also estimated so as to provide for an unavoidable increase.

The socounts of the year shew that the actual

revenue of 1846 was And as compared with that of 1845, which was

There was a decrease of .........

Bet this was occasioned, not by any decline of regular revenus, but by a sudden seumpansion.

Imomne from enmit sourous.

The Ring off he Land Bains alone comuniqmed a

$416,404

484,145

427,749

Carried over

H

93

Brought over

This diminution in Land Sales was occasioned by the panic in England, the supension of planting operations, and the sudden ċessd- ‹ tion of demand for lands suitable to the cul- tivation of coffee.

Another item which exhibited a decline was the proceeds of the sale of cinnamon. The last of the Government stock bad been sold in 1845, and produced

612,850

6,479

48,371

And this source of income was then finally closed, and

appears no more in the Returns of Revenue. The only sources of regular Revenue which declined were paddy and fine grain farms, owing to an unusual drought; arrack and toddy farms, owing to a diminished resort of Malabar Coolies; and salt, owing to the suspension of the export to Bengal.

The gross expenditure of the year was

Being an apparent excess over income of Bat of this the portion of extraordinary expen

diture which took place under the special authority of ordinances to expend the sur- plus of 1843–44, was

£498,205

81,801

Expenditure, 1846,

22,594

So that the nett expenditure exceeded the actual

revenue of the year, by

59,207

As compared with the expenditure of

1845

£448,382

498,205

49,972

That of 1846

Exceeds it by

But of this excess the amount of additions to the fixed expenditure by the increase and salaries of the civil establishment, which took place on the recommendation of Mr. Anstruther

and others in 1848-4-5, and only appeared as a charge for the first time in 1848, includ- 22,687 ing arrears, wSE

There was a similar charge brought to

account in the year for a perma- ment addition to the strength and pay of the military departments, recommended in 1844-5, which, with arrears, formed an item in the expenditure of 1846, of

And an addition to the salaries of com- missariat officer recommended in 1845

1,950

521

25,148

So that the actual condition to the contingent outlay voted by the Legislative Council, and

expended by the Governor, was

24,894

And of this sum the expenditure above

that of 1846, for roads and public works, waa

7,688

[The details of expenditure on roads in

this year will be presently ex- plained.]

Medical ebarges occasioned by a fantful visitation of cholera at Jaffun and Kandy

Increased expenditure for education Revenue and micellaneous charges

2,881

1,098

4,876

16,491

£8,383