Long after his downfall, however. the finances of the country were still in a chaotic state. At the close of the fiscal year, JIM(' 30. 1:596. :Mexico was able for the tirst time since achieving hide pendenee to show a surplus of $0.000,000. The obnoxious tax called a leabu las, or interstate duties on domestic and foreign commerce, was a great drawhock to internal trade, and was finally abolished on July I. 1890. The country was then in a condition when radical financial and other reforms might he introduced without danger of serious disturbances.
The per capita expenses are necessarily large. as the population is small in proportion to the vast extent of coast line and the large area requir iug army. revenue. lighthouse. and police ser vices; and only a small part of the inhabitants are wealth-producers. the burden of taxation fall ing chiefly upon a fourth or a third of the people. It is only since 18:5:4 that the reorganization of the Federal Treasury has enabled that 1/iliVe to keep correct and complete accounts of the piddle expenses. The following is a statement of the national receipts and expenditures. in Mexican silver dollars, for several fiscal years: The apparent great excess of the revenues and expenditures in 1s5s-59 was partly due to the operation• of the Liquidating Bureau which was closMg the old accounts and opening the new ones. under the new system.
The revenues of the Mexican States from 18'44 to Ps95. derived chiefly from taxes on real e.tate, averaged $15.815.355 a year: expenditures. $13.
810.550. In the same period the rev --: of the Federal Government averaged $41.442 877: ex lend it tires. The federal l'rVVIIIIV i. derived chiefly from three sources: import and export dillies. internal revenue. and direct taxe. in the Federal Distriet. The untie. levied on foreign trade Nye highly pro teetive and yield :thaw 4 per cent. of the revenue. Export duties are levied upon some of the larg est exports. such as heneqm.n. eabinet and the and vanilla. The internal revenue col th, of -.tamps supplies about 43 per cent. of the receipts: and the direct taxes levied upon the real estate. scientific professions, and of the Federal Dis triel, together with some minor sources of in make tip the remainder. Taxes on the pro fessions vary from 50 cents to $20 a month. The national debt in 1901 was divided into the gold debt, $112,398,300; and internal debt, $135,509, (silver).