THE COST OF ROYALTY.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 10657, 10 July 1897, Page 2

THE COST OF ROYALTY.

■' We pride ourselves, and I think justly, on possessing the beet monarchy la the world. Bat lam enre we may add that we hare also the oheapest." So said the Chanoellor of the Ejcoheqner In his last Budget. Natnrully he referred to the fact that this year marked the longest) reign of any British monaron, and he noted many ot the changes whloh the last sixty years had seen, AmoDg others he remarked that though the wealth of the United Kingdom hud enormously increased the O3sb of Royalty to the nation had deoreased. la 1837 Parliament voted £365.000 a year for Hor Majesty's Civil List, and took over the Crown estates,

vhioh yielded an iiome of £203,000 a tear. This lefb £182,030 for the tax. piyer. Bat the taking over of the Crown estates had proved a good Investment, for they now yle'ded a Deb lncame of £412 000. Oat of Mb £385,000 It still paid to the Qieen's Civil List, leaviog a balance of £27,000 in favor of the taxp\yer. Bat there were also in 1837 Mlowanoea for other rcembers of the Royal Family amonntlof? to £312,000. List year their allowance were only £173.000. So that the charge for B oyalty on the taxpayer in 1837 wbb £404.000, bub in 1896 it was only £140,000. Baisldei these sums about £40,000 a year la spent on maintaining the Royal residences, a mm largely expended on labor, and wbioh would probably be epeat under any system of government, for tbone residence* are often used to aooommodate the guests of the nation. The npkeop of Oaborne and Balmoral la not a charge on the nation, as theie are the Queen's prl< vate property.