In 1877 the salary of the Attorney General was raised by vote of the Legislative Council to £600, The principal items of Expenditure were, in 1876, Police Department £23,442 16s. 5d., Postal and Telegraph Department £16,321 19s. 10d., Administration of Justice £9,374 3s. 5d, Works and Buildings £11,425 11s., Survey Department £7,584 17s. 6d.
The principal sources of revenue are the Customs, which in 1876 produced £85,177 13s. 10d., the Land Revenue £23,706 Us. 3d., Land Sales £8,460 15b. 6d., and Postages and Telegrams £8,988 14s. 9d.
The Revenue of the Customs is derived principally from duties on spirits, which in 1876 produced £28,564 11s. 6d., Tobacco, Snuff, Cigars, £11,018 5s. 3d., Wine and Beer £9,493 11s., and on goods ad valorem £20,543 13s. 7d. As all might be produced in the Colony, these duties, amounting to £69,619 19s. 4d., must be considered as an unnecessary drain on its resources, which may be removed by change of habit in the consumption of colonial produce, and by greater industry in the manufacture of the articles which now produce nearly one-half the Revenue of the Colony.
Western Australia is, however, less taxed in proportion to her population than most other countries. The amount per head being £3 6s. 7fd. This is owing, in a great measure, to the smallness of her public debt, which is only £135,000, being £12,305 less than the Colonial Revenue for 1876; the amount per head is only £4 8s. 9|d., while in other Australian Colonies it varies from £14 to £45. This, however, must not be considered altogether in favor of Western Australia, since a judicious expenditure of borrowed money on remunerative public works and immigration might greatly increase both her population and productiveness, and therefore her prosperity.
