Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/231

 JUSTICE, CRIME, AND PAUPERISM

109

students of each year to complete their course of education in England, and other scholarships are given locally. The Cambridge local examinations and certain examinations of the London University are held annually in Ceylon by arrangement. Technical education is given in the "Technical Schools" (137 students in 1910), and by means of Government scholarships tenable at Madras Engineering College. There is a Government Training College and thirty-six industrial schools.

Justice, Crime, and Pauperism.

The law is Roman-Dutch, modified by colonial ordinances. The criminal law has been codified on the principle of the Indian Penal Code. There are a Supreme Court, police courts and courts of requests, and district courts, intermediate between the latter and the Supreme Court. Village councils deal with petty offences. In 1910-11 (18 months) the number of cases instituted in the police courts and municipal magistrates' courts was 119,431. The number of "true" cases of cognisable crime in the same period was 20,693, and the convictions and committals, 15,408. 8,149 con- victed persons were sent to prison. Police force, 30 June, 1911, 2,300 of all ranks.

There is no poor law, though a few old persons receive a charitable allow- ance from the Government varying from Rs. 1 to Rs. 12 "50 each per mensem.

Finance.

Years [

Revenue

Expenditure

Years

Revenue

Expenditure

1

1906

1907 1908

£ 2,335,377 2,438,254 2,371,523

£

2,176,280^

2,172,768

2,335,470

1909

1910

1911-12

£ 2,622,190 2,852.629 3,149,748

£ 2,385,9(50 2,380,552 2,034,567

1 Exclusive of an expenditure of 2,350,592 Rs. in 1905, of 1,850,339 Rs. in 1906 for various puWic works.

The principal sources of revenue are (1911-12) : customs, 12,554,533 Rs. ; land sales, 1,680,046 Rs. ; arrack, rum and toddy licences, 5,807,874 Rs. ; stamps, 1,506,335 Rs. ; port and harbour dues, 2,924,518 Rs. ; Government railways, 14,052,651 Rs.

The principal items of expenditure are (1911-12) : (1) establishments, 12,243,997 Rs. ; (2) military expenditure, 1,724,681 Rs. ; (3) pensions and retired allowances, 1,474,528 Rs. ; (4) interest on loans, 4,333,121 Rs. ; (5) on public works (annually recurrent), 2,890,124 Rs. ; extraordinary, 2,060,108 Rs. ; (6) other charges, 11,086,205 Rs.

Public debt on 30 June, 1912, 5,935,100Z., incurred entirely for public works, such as the construction of railways, harbour works, waterworks, etc. There is also a local debt of about 200.000Z., incurred on account of irrigation and harbour and railway works.

Defence,

The harbour of Colombo, on the west, is protected, the colony having erected batteries of the newest forms, the Imperial Government supplying the armament. Considerable additions are being made to the defences of Colombo by the Imperial and Colonial Governments.