On Friday week in the House of Commons the Secretary
of State for India introduced the Indian Budget in a speech which for its moderation, insight, and candour has won the approbation of men of every party. It is surely to be regretted that on an occasion of such great Imperial interest most of those who do lip-service to Imperialism should have been absent. Mr. Morley struck the right note at the begin- ning. "India holds one of the three or four master-keys of the strength of Great Britain. Whether we like it or not, we see the transformation of our policy into an Asiatic policy." He contended that the salary of the Secretary of State could not be put upon the Estimates without the most undesirable result of bringing Indian affairs into the arena of party politics. Dealing with the figures of the Budget, which he described as encouraging, he showed that the revenue of the last financial year was 248,500,000, the expenditure £46,750,000, and the surplus roughly 21,800,000. The Esti- mates for the current year gave a surplus of £800,000.
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