HC Deb 17 April 1860 vol 157 cc1886-7
MR. VANSITTART

said, he rose to ask the Secretary of State for India which of the following Financial Estimates of the deficiency of Income as against the Expenditure of the current year ending on the 30th of April is correct, namely, £10,250,000, as per the statement made by the Secretary of State for India on the 1st day of August last; £6,449,981, as per Financial Balance Sheet drawn up in Calcutta in September last; £9,290,129, as per Estimate submitted by Mr. Wilson on the 18th February last to the Legislative Council of Calcutta; and whether he can state the cause of these discrepancies?

SIR CHARLES WOOD

said, he had not the least doubt that the Estimate of Mr. Wilson, being the most recent, was the most correct of the three; but he could not state very satisfactorily the cause of the differences between the three statements. He (Sir C. Wood) estimated last summer that the revenue would be £35,850,000, the Government of India, in September, stated it at £37,567,000; and Mr. Wilson, in February, stated it at £37,707,000. There was very little difference, indeed, between the Estimate of the Government of India in September, and that of Mr. Wilson in February. There was a very satisfactory increase in the revenue upon the estimate which he (Sir C. Wood) stated to the House last summer. He spoke from information which left India in the spring. Mr. Wilson spoke, of course, from much later information, and he was happy to say that almost every source of revenue in India showed a very considerable increase in the course of the year. In the land revenue and the customs' revenue there had been an increase, and some portion of the new taxes which were not imposed when he spoke in August had been very productive. The result was, that the revenue exceeded his estimate by about £2,000,000. In August he stated the expenditure at £46,131,000. The Indian Government stated it in September at £44,067,000; and Mr. Wilson in February at £46,996,000. There was a difference of nearly £3,000 between the statement of the Indian Government in September and that of Mr. Wilson in February. That dif- ferenee, to the extent of about £1,000,000, was accounted for by an additional military expenditure of £600,000 in Madras and of £300,000 in Bombay. The Indian Government also omitted all reference to the interest on Indian railways to the extent of between £800,000 and £900,000. They also understated the amount of home charges to the extent of £700,000, and the rest of the difference between the two estimates might, he believed, be attributed to an additional expenditure on public works; but even Mr. Wilson's lucid and satisfactory statement did not render the matter entirely clear.