DETAILS OF THE WORKING OF CERTAIN IMPERIAL DEPARTMENTS The following figures will give some idea of the enormous and increasing operations to which the Indian Administration extends. The Post Office and Telegraph Department now employs a staff of 120,773. POST OFFICE The number of Post Offices in India in 1922-23 was 19,610; of letter-boxes 50,061; of village postmen 8,536; of total establishment 107,067. The length of railways and roads over which mails were conveyed was 156,648 miles. The articles conveyed comprised : The inland and foreign money-orders during the year numbered 32,002,843 for the remission of over 53 million pounds, including 821,531 telegraphic orders for 5 million pounds. The total number of value-payable articles of all kinds sent through the post was 10,343,718, and the amount declared for recovery was over 23 crores of rupees. The amount deposited in the Post Office Savings Banks reached nearly 23 crores, or a little over 15 million pounds, and the number of depositors was 2,043,502. TELEGRAPHS The length of telegraph lines open in 1922-23 was 92,792 m. (wires and cable 438,365 m.). The number of offices open was 179 departmental, 3,479 combined with the post-total 3,658; and the number of messages sent 19,250,961 (of which 3,044,561 were foreign messages), involving over 87 million signalling operations, of a value of over £1,717,088. The total receipts exceeded the total charges of the year by 68 lakhs. The number of wireless stations open in 1922-23 was twenty-one, including eight coast stations. The number of radio-telegrams exchanged between the coast stations and ships at sea, was 16,278. TELEPHONES. On the 31st March 1923 there were 227 exchanges with 13,320 connections maintained by Government. The number of exchanges owned by the licensed Companies at Calcutta, Bombay, Ahmedabad, Karachi, Madras, Rangoon and Moulmein, were twelve, with 25,590 connections. RAILWAYS Railway progress is a mirror of India's financial history. Fifty years ago, in 1872, the mileage was 5,369; at the end of 1921-22, it was 37,266. This mileage is considerably larger than that of France. Of this total, 18,318 m. of railway were of the standard gauge (5} ft.), 15,271 of the metre gauge (3 ft. 33 in.), and 3,676 of smaller (special) gauges. The railways are worked on different systems, including over 19,000 m. of State lines worked by Companies and nearly 8000 m. of State lines worked by the State. The total number of passengers carried in 1921-22 was over 561 m., of whom over 490 m. were thirdclass passengers At the close of 1921-22 the actual capital outlay from the commencement of operations on all open lines amounted to Rs.656 crores-i.e. over £m. 410. The gross earnings of all Indian railways in 1921-22 amounted to nearly 93 crores. Working expenses increased to an unprecedented degree; and for the first time since 1900, the State railways not only failed as a substantial source of revenue to the country, but showed a net loss of 94 crores. The percentage of net earnings on the total capital outlay was 34 in 1921-22. At the end of 1921-22 there were 2147 m. under construction, or sanctioned for construction, including all the gauges. The control of railways and railway schemes is now exercised by the Chief Commissioner of Railways. COMMERCE AND TRADE India is normally a creditor country with trade balances in her favour. The trade of India reached enormous dimensions after the War. Forty years ago the imports of merchandise averaged £m. 33, and the exports £m. 53. In 1919-20 the imports were £m. 299, the exports £m. 334. The balance turned in 1920-21 with £m. 381 of imports and £m. 282 of exports, and this adverse balance continued in the following year. In 1922-23 the tide turned again with £m. 155 of imports and £m. 209 of exports, making a balance in favour of India of £m. 54 "The trading power of India depends primarily on the success of its crops," and these, of course, are affected by the climatic conditions of the year, which vary in different parts of the country. The exports and re-exports represent 57 per cent. of the grand total of trade. Of the total imports of 1922-23, 67 was with the British Empire (60 being with the United Kingdom); and of the total exports, 39 was with the British Empire (22 being with the United Kingdom). Ten years ago, in 1912-13, 8749 steamers and sailing vessels entered and cleared at Indian ports, with a tonnage of nearly 17:5 million tons; in 1922-23 the figures were 6578 steamers, etc., aggregating 13′9 million tons. Figures of the trade, imports and exports, of articles of all kinds are to be found in the annual official Review of the Trade of India (printed in India and presented to Parliament). FINANCIAL DETAILS The principal sources of revenue and heads of expenditure of the Central Government (exclusive of the figures for nine Provincial Governments, of which the revenue was 85 crores and the expenditure 88 crores) were, according to the revised Estimates for 1922-23, as follows (1 crore=£3 m. approx.) :— From 1918 to 1923 there were deficits, aggregating 100 crores. A surplus of o‘2 crore is budgeted for 1923-24, including an estimate of 117 crores under Salt. The total permanent debt on the 31st |