On Wednesday in the House of Commons Mr. Buchanan, the
Under-Secretary for India, who performed well the clifficuit task of standing in Lord Morley's place, made the annual statement on the Indian Budget. His speech was on the whole optimistic. He pointed to the succession of
surpluses, in spite of the increase of expenditure and the reduction of taxation. Three consecutive reductions of the Salt-duty, for example, had meant a loss of revenue of three and a quarter millions. The increase in military expenditure had already been vindicated by the swift and triumphant expeditions against the Za.kka Khel and the Mob wands. Formerly such expeditions would have taken months instead of weeks. A slow but steady decrease of military expend'. ture might be expected. The present famine would probably cost the Government more than five millions. Referring to the employment of bombs by native agitators, Mr. Buchanan said that the Government would stamp out this hateful form of political disease "by every means in their power." So far the Explosives Act and Press Act had been deterrent, and they had not been put into force. The Government meant to go forward fearlessly on the lines of Constitutional progress, but they were waiting for the Report of the Decentralisation Commission before framing a whom°. Lord Morley hoped to make a statement on the subject in the autumn Session.
Previous page
