682
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
