The total is a little over 77,500,000%. The cost of collection of the Revenue is about 5,000,000l., and appears below under the head of Expenditure. The ordinary Expenditure of the country is distributed under the following chief items :— The Interest and Management of the £ 26,000,000 1,500,000 Army The whole amounts to about 74,000,000l. The general mode in which the Direct Taxes are collected is as follows:-At certain times in the year (now generally the beginning of the year) a printed paper is left, by a subordinate officer for collecting the Revenue, with everyone who is liable to pay any direct taxes. The person so charged is requested to "make a return," that is, to give 2 written statement of all the objects of taxation for which 66 he deems himself liable to be taxed. This paper has to be sent back to the officer from whom it issued by a given day ; and within a short time a fresh paper is left with the person so charged, stating the exact sum of money which he is liable to pay, and mentioning when and where it is to be paid. If the person charged has any complaint to make on account of the amount of taxes imposed, or of the principle of their assessment," he may appeal to the Justices of the Peace for the District, sitting for the purpose, at a "Special Session." If the person charged makes no return, or is proved to have made a false return, he is liable to pay a heavy fine. In the case of all incomes paid by Government, as in the case of all Dividends paid by way of interest on the National Debt, a proportionate part is deducted, or "stopped," as Income Tax. In the case of Indirect Taxes, besides the method of purchaseable "Stamps," two kinds of machinery for their collection, or for the prevention of frauds, are employed. One is that of licenses; by which only those persons who have bought a permission or "license" from Government are allowed to sell or to use the things the sale or use of which is taxed. The other method is that of inspection; by which a vast number of Government officials are appointed for the sole purpose of watching and testing processes of manufacture, and also of estimating the value of things imported. It is obvious that the latter method of indirect taxation involves the use of very severe laws for preventing evasion of the Revenue Laws, and also very complicated machinery for detecting illicit traffic and smuggling. GOVERNMENT STATISTICS. An important function of the Government in its Administrative aspect is concerned with the collection of accurate and exhaustive statistics on all the subjects with which Government is conversant. The subjects of these statistics and the most characteristic modes of collecting them are here given. The principal subjects of statistics collected by Govern ment are :— I. Population. II. Army and Navy. III. Police. IV. Inquests. V. Civil Law. VII. Births, Deaths, and Marriages. VIII. Education. IX. Revenue. X. Religion. XI. Medical and Sanitary Matters. XII. Emigration. XIII. Poor Law. XIV. Trades. XV. Currency. XVI. Post Office. XVII. Diplomatic, Colonial, and Indian Affairs. XVIII. Exports. In respect of each of these subjects, the statistics sought fall under a variety of heads, as— I.—1. Number of population. 2. Proportion of the sexes. 3. Area of each county. 4. Inhabited houses in each county. 5. Occupation of each person. 6. Age of each person. 7. Condition of each person. 8. Distribution of population in towns and country districts. 9. Number of army, navy, and merchant seamen abroad. Classification of. Distribution of. Rate of disease and death in. Educational and other establishments for. Cost of administration of military law in respect of. Religious classification of. Numbers of Volunteers. Classification of Volunteers. Distribution of Volunteers. Rate of disease and death among Volunteers. Cost of Volunteers. Numbers of Militia. Classification of Militia. Distribution of Militia. Cost of Militia. Number of ships, dockyards, and victualling and transport stations. Classification of ships, dockyards, and victualling and transport stations. Cost of ships, dockyards, and victualling and transport stations. Distribution of ships, dockyards, and victualling and transport stations. (From the War Office and Admiralty.) III.-Population, police establishments, and total cost, in each Police District, with the proportion paid by the Treasury. Number of known offenders and suspected persons at large in each Police District, and of the houses they frequent. Number of crimes committed in each Police District (as far as is ascertainable), number of persons apprehended, and modes in which the charges against them were severally disposed of. Nature of the crimes committed. Number of persons whose cases were determined summarily" by Justices. Result of the proceedings in "summary" cases. Classes of persons in each district who were proceeded against. Number of appeals from Justices' convictions. Number of persons bailed. Proportion of males and females apprehended. Objects of theft. Number of each class of verdicts. Nature of punishments. Number of appeals, and of consequent reversals of sen tence. Proportion of criminal classes to population. Proportion of crimes to town and country districts, and to different classes of towns and districts. Increase or decrease of crime in town or country. IV. Inquests.-Number of. |