ESTIMATES PRESENTED

Chronicle (Levin), 20 August 1948, Page 5

ESTIMATES PRESENTED

Press Assoeiation)

What Departnjents Will Be §pending

(Per

WELLIN (t 1 UJN 3 August IU. The total expenditure from the Consolidated Fund for the year 1948-49, is estimated at £113,573,(513 compared with £115,330,403 actually spent Tast year. This is diselosed in the annual estimates of .departmental expenditure tabled in the House of Representatives tonight by AH. Nasli in conjunction with the" Budget. Of this amount. £87,747, 2S3 is estimated as the total of annual appropriations from the Consolidated Fund compared with £86,099,151 spent last year, while permanent appropriations are estimated at. £25,826,330 compared with £29,321,252 actually appropriated last year. Permanent appropriations compriso: Civil list £100,350 compared' with £101, 724. spent last year, debt services £22,767,880 (£26,612,339) and speciat acts £2,958,100 (£2,607,189). The dift'erence in the charge for debt services is explained by the fac-t thai last year more thau £4,000,000 w-as transferred to the loans redemption count and most of it was used for the repayment of the internal loan which matured on May 15. This year only £200,000 is transferred in this way, , Fxpeuditure under special acts show little change. Last yrea.r there was £2,055,000 for the purchase of frigates, a non-recurring item, but this year £2,530,000 is voted for payment pnder the iSuperamiuation Act, 1947. Pre viously the 8tate contribution to the superannuation fund was an annual appropriation under the Internal Affairs vote but this year, in terms of last year's Act, there is eharged under special Acts £1,530,000 for a subsidy to the Government 's superannuation fund and £1,000,000 to meet an estimated deficiency in the fund. Apart froin the total vote under the Consolidated Fund, there is a total of £68,531,896 voted under separate accQunts compared writh £59,848,047 spent last year. In ai''Ounts outside publie accounts, votes total £13,257.974 compared with £11,728,079 speut last year. The total vote for subsidies shows an ' overall reduetion of £3,007,045 this j vear. The two biggest decreases are on meat for which a subsidy item ot ' £10,000 appears against an expenditure | last year of £752,674, and superphosj pliato for which there is an estimate of j £ 1 500 this year (£1,222,120). | Tlie Internal -Wfairs Department 's 'estimates inelude a sum of £60,000 as prejimin&ry expenses of the Royal tour ■ of the Douiinion early next year. Both the Navv and Air Force esti- ! males show increases in the total vote ' while there is a decrease for Anny pur I poses. The establishnient of an air de- | f'ence fund is mentioned in the estimates and the first appropriation of j £1,000,000 has been made for the pur- • pose of providing the R.N.Z.A.F. with inodern aii'craft and equipment when it ) be.eomes available. | The Arniy estimate is about £380,000 i dowit on the total expenditure for last. | year and the main reason for the de- ! crease is that the response to the, • uppeal for enlistments in the regular I forces was not as large as anticipated. | On the other hand recruitmeiit in the : Navv was" satisfa-torv and this fact. ! together with the replenishment of j clothing stocks, is responsjble for the ! vote tliis year of about £740,000 above I the expenditure for last year. i The vote foi civil aviation requirei ments is almost £1.000,000 above last year's expenditure and contains a new item of £35-t,750 foi the Soutli Paeific air route. Other expenditure on civil aviation is mainly in connection witl. aeradio installations and aerodromes ••onstraction aud maintenance. I Separate Accoupts. Yotes for separate accounts inelude tlie follawmg: — Earthquake and war damage fund, £18,125 (£lu,393). Blectric supplv account, £7,750,000 (£6,899,849). Laiuls for settlement account, £6S,410 (£47,128). Small farms development, £6,908,181 (£4.639,625), tineluding tlie a%ufs'irtioh of Tand and thhmiji, £3,50(),00(t (£1,735,369).' Provision !is hiade uiuler this heading for increased land pur••liases for rehftbilitation purposes while tlie vote for livestoek is estimated q,t £1,500,000 (£677,874). Afaori land settlement, £1,332,500 (£1,195,452). Railway constr'uction, £180, 0Q0 (£122,776). Housing construction, £8,024,926 (£6,638,9(11), including an iteiu for house construction of £6,500,000 (£5,347,449), publie buildings £1,600,000 (£2,136,422), Education buildings £1,295,000 (£1,065,870), liglithouses and harbour works £25,000 (£9803), roads, etc., £415,000 (£325,534), soil conservation and rivers coutrol £450,000 (£326,914), i rrigatiqn, water supply and drainage £370,000 (£417„312), highways construction £1,750,000 (£.1,333,303), forest development £.1,S02,400 (£1,303.780). ' Social Security Fund: Admipistrativa expenses and emergency benefits £1,029,249 (£935,74(f) and medical, hospital, etc., benefits £7,562,000 (£7,021,+88). The latter includes maternity benefits £881,000, medical benefits £2,280,000, hospital benefits £2,000,000. pharmaeeulical benefits £1,651,000, supplementary benefits £750,000. State (ioalniines, £4,715,000 (£4,074,566). Under capital expenditure there is provision for the following: Birchwood £10Q, Stockton £350,000 (for new aerial ropeway), Denniston £40,000, Kamo £8000. Under eoalmining maipteuance, etc., there appear: Birchwood £40,000, Kamo £82,000, Denniston £150,000. Uiuler the purchases of collieries there is £19,000 fqr Birchwood Railways Account: Tlte vote for workiug the railways is £20,932,93.3 (£19,830,316), including maintenance of rolling stock £3,463,150 (£3,220,493)additions and improvenients to ope'n liues £2,203,172 (£1,707,786). Post Office: The vote for P. aild T. workijig* expenses is £9,391,875, (^8,771. 540). Provision is made for an ip creased payment of customs and saies tax which, as a trading depa.rtm«»t, the Pqst Office pays qji certain equipment. Tlie vote for telegraph extejxsions ie

£1,444,00(1 (£J,Q05;840).. The estimate refiects the" eii;p.eeiatiou of more eqixip ment becomiftg available during the. year.