THE CIVIL LIST

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19799, 1 February 1936, Page 6

THE CIVIL LIST

The King, when heir apparent, enjoyed the income from the large estates of the Duchy of Cornwall, and made some of the property in London available for a big re-housing scheme. There being no heir apparent now the future of the Duchy must be considered and it is expected that the King will mention the matter when, following precedent, he advises Parliament that certain hereditary revenues pertaining to the Crown will be surrendered to the House of Commons in return for the usual Parliamentary vote known as the Civil List, amounting to about £430,000 annually. This practice was established in 1760 when King George 111 surrendered the land revenues of the Crown in return for a fixed Civil List. At that time the gross receipts were about £89,000 and the net receipts only £II,OOO. But each year has seen the Crown properties increase in value, especially some in the West End of London, where longdated leases expired only a few years ago. The buildings were pulled down and modern shops erected, and sites that formerly brought in rents of, say, £3OO per annum.were quickly let at £3OOO a year, and the revenues of the Crown Lands Commissioners were increased remarkably. The position to-day is that the State derives a substantial benefit from the Crown estates, after paying the complete Civil List. Some foreign critics have pointed out, with, no little amazement, that the British people actually make money out of the Monarchy. In the financial year ended March 31, 1935, the total receipts from Crown lands were £1,984,000 and the expenditure, including property tax, was £613,000. The sum of £1,320,000 was paid to the Exchequer as surplus revenue. In that year the Civil List votes totalled £420,000, having been reduced by £50,000 in 1931 by conAnand of the King in order to assist the country during the worst of the depression. It will be seen that the State makes a really handsome profit by the deal completed'in 1760, even if the annuities payable to other members of the Royal Family are included.