| Show EGYPT UNDER BRITISH RULE undoubtedly the events that led to the assumption of control of egypt by great britain comprised a disguised blessing tor for chatland atland th that land bolong the scene of misrule and so ao helpless to redeem itself by its ito own efforts upon this subject bradstreets Brade says an official return furnishing the statistics of egypt under the british authority has lately been dued at calm cairo which give sIn in a condensed torn tte the facts and figures that go to she show the material benefit of english supervision in the period since 1882 1382 it seems that the population of egypt has increased about or 43 per percent cent but on the other hand while the area of cultivated land has increased 13 per cent the aggregate land tax to i less thata it was when england assumed control and the average tax on each fadden the egyptian land measure which was then nearly is now less lees than on the other hand tobacco the taxation on which produced less leas than now yields a revenue of over arrears of land taxes have practically ceased and their collection no longer occasions distress to the native cultivators while the general policy adopted has been to diminish direct taxes covering any loss of revenue by an increase in indirect Indi reft taxes with a corresponding more even distribution of the burden As a result the taxation per head of population which was in 1881 is in now a reduction of 21 per cent the return furnishes equally interesting figures in regard to the mat material erfAl development of egypt about mals of new railroad have been opened in the past fifteen years and there has been an enormous increase in railroad traffic second class passengers have from to per annum third class passengers from to and merchandise from tons to tons while the number of telegrams has grown from a year to As regards trade it to la shown that the value of the imports of egypt h has increased from to and notwithstanding the enormous tall fall in the price of cotton and sugar the exports valued at last yew year are about the same as in 1881 As regards the debt of the country new ne borrowings to the extent of some have been incurred yet the redemption demp tion of the old debt has gone ne on so systematically that the agte aggregate outstanding some is in about the same and the interest and sinking fund charges have been reduced frota from to per annum on these and similar facts the english financial administration of egypt bases basea its claims to have performed a labor of df decided economic benefit to the population of egypt when the foregoing facts and figures are considered in connection with the stupendous irrigation schemes now materializing in egypt for the reclamation of its soil it will look as though the ancient fertility of that part of the world may at least in some acme degree be restored during the twentieth cen century |
