The Times of last Saturday published an account of the
Turkish Budget from its Constantinople correspondent. The revenue is estimated by the Budget Commission at £T26,015,191, and the expenditure at 2T35,693,083. There is therefore a deficit of 2T9,677,892. The deficit was originally estimated at only £T4,421,912. The Reporter to the Com- mission explained that the increased deficit was due to military expenditure and an extraordinary credit for roads of £T1,000,000. He foresaw that during the year it would be further increased by £T830,000. He argued, however, that, owing to unexpended credits of the last Budget and an increasing revenue from the trade of the country, the deficit would not actually be more than £T5,000,000. So long as the chief reforms are connected with the Army, and so long as the Army resents a scrutiny of its accounts by any civil Department—the correspondent believes that the Army still maintains a separate caisse—it is impossible for the Finance Minister to be truly responsible for his Budget. That is bad; but, on the other hand, there are demonstrable results from the money laid out on the Army, and in Turkey of all countries no money spent on roads is wasted.
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