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JAVA.

The Governor-General represents the legislative as well as execu- tive power of Government. He has the right of passing laws and regulations for the administration of the colony, which remain in force until allowed or disallowed by the legislature of the mother- country. He is also commander-in-chief of the army and navy stationed in the Netherlands' possessions. But he is bound to adhere to the constitutional principles on which Java and its dependencies are governed, and which are laid down in the ' Regulations for the Government of Netherlands' India,' passed by the King and States General of the mother-country in 1854.

Revenue and Expenditure.

Java produces, for the benefit of the Netherlands, a large surplus revenue, after paying for its own government. The local revenue is derived from taxes on houses and estates, from licenses, customs duties, personal imports, the income of crown lands, the Government monopolies of salt and opium, and a number of indirect taxes. But the chief portion of the large profits derived by the home Government from Java is indirect, being obtained by the sale of a vast amount of colonial produce, grown under the ' culture system,' and disposed of in Europe at a price far above that of the cost of production. The goods are brought into the European market through the medium of the ' Nederlandsche Handel Maatschappij,' or Netherlands Trading Company, acting as Government brokers.

The subjoined tabular statement gives the total revenue and expenditure of the colony during the forty years 1821 to 18G0. The profits derived from the introduction of the ' culture system ' may be ascertained by a glance at the last column, which shows the deficits — with occasional surplus — previous to 1834, and the subse- quent balances in favour of the mother-country : —

Tears

Revenue

Expenditure

Surplus or Deficit

£

£

£

1821

1,981,814

1,892,385

89,429 surplus

1822

2,163,552

2,249,823

86,271 deficit

1823

2,301,453

2,181,898

119,555 surplus

1824

2,437,122

2,378,768

58,354

1825

1,967,782

2,565,105

597,323 deficit

1826

1,685,187

1,720,807

35,620

1827

1,727,942

1,914,715

186,773

1828

1,857,975

1,859,506

1,531

1829

1,774,146

2,062,883

288,737

1830

2,214,420

2,405,780

191,360

1831

2.228,165

2,320,943

92,778

1832

2,293,448

2,435,517

142,069

1833

2,537,482

2,749,761

212,279