THE COST OF THE AFGHANISTAN WAS.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3806, 10 March 1881, Page 2

THE COST OF THE AFGHANISTAN WAS.

A Parliamentary paper has just been issued containing " further correspondence relating to the estimates for the war in Afghanistan." In a despatch dated October 26, 1880, the Government of India state that they estimate the net cost of the war in Afghanistan, including that of the frontier railways, at twentyone crores of rupees, or £17,030,000 -sterling;* Of this sum the net military expenditure proper is estimated at £13,148,000, and the cost of the frontier railways at £4,917,000; total, £18,065,000,

from which is to be deducted excess revenues from telegraphs and railways attributed to the war, £567,000 leaving the estimated net cost of the war £17,498,000. In this is included the whole civil expenditure beyond the frontier during the war. In a despatch dated November 4 1880, dealing with the question of the original preparation of the estimates of the war, Lord Hartington remarks that as Lord Lytton has now vacated the office of Viceroy, and the military and financial members have resigned, it is unnecessary to enlarge ontheir responsibility for statements by which her Majesty's Government were misled ; but his lordship adds:—lt is with great regret that I feel it to be my duty to place on record the opinion of Her Majesty's Government that the Government of India must be lieicl to have failed - in taking measures of ordinary precaution, at a time when unusual was. peculiarly required ; to have tieglected the means at their command for obtaining the materials of trustworthy estimates of the cost of great operations which were being conducted under their orders ; and to have given public expression to their confidence in these estimates for which in such circumstances there was no justification. It is not my wish, even if I had the means of doing so, to att mpt to decide as to the degree of blame attaching to the officers of your Government in these transactions. I can only observe that the explanations which I have received convey a general impressiou of inefficiency iv the financial depart*^ ment as well as in 'the departments of ▼ military accounts.