How Our Money Will Be Spent By Mr. Nash

Chronicle (Levin), 19 August 1949, Page 6

How Our Money Will Be Spent By Mr. Nash

WELLINGTON,. August' 18. The Estimates were presented to the House of Iteprese'ntatives tonight by the Minister of Finance, Mr .Nash. The estimated total expenditure from -the 'Consblidated Eund for - the year ,19,49-50 .is £32I),720,016- eompared. with" £138,893^153 actually spent last year. This jlecrease is largely due to the exehange adjustment of (£20, 570,207 which. resulted -"-when New Zealand eurrency: was plaeed on par with sterling a yearf ago. _ ;■ J Annual appropriations- show an in-> crease when eoihpared with last year's-. figur.e—.£95, 049,832- • (£87,003,412) 'while the; exchange adjustment is also reflected in the permanent appropriations — £25,670,184 (£51,761,941). Permanent appropriations comprise the civil lih.. £100,510 (£9S,922). Debt services total £22,365,041 compared with £26,029,077 last. year and expenditure under special aets £3,204,633 compared with £25,633, 942 last year. Here. too the exchange adjustment is also reflected'. The defence- services- are spending this year a total. of £10,696,376 compared with £8,986,611 last year. As has already been indicated, the additional expenditure which will arise . when tlie cbmpulsory military t'raining scheme is put into operation, will not Come to bear until next financial year. The votes' for the defence arms all show an in efease. The recent wage pronouncement by the Arbitration Oourt -is shown in in creases in departmental -estimates for saiaries and wagea and in several in stanees this expenditure is a majoj' itezn. Tlie' total voted for the separate ae counts is £16,433,197 wliich is an increase on tlie amount actually expended last year £13,345,956. The amount vote'd for subsidies is approximately the same as for last year with the. excepti'on that there is now uo provision for meat and sugar subsidiev This being election year, there is con sequently a much greater increase in the vote for the Electoral Departmeut — £261,553 compared with £20,094 lasi year. Included in this vote is a sum u. £120,000 which is- estimated will cover expenses in connec.tion with the licens iug and gaming polls and military training referendum. There is. considerable expansion shown in the vote for civil aviation and meteorological services which is now a separate and distinctive vote and eou 1 siderable development in the Soutl: Paeific is shown by votes for islanu stations and installation of technica: weather equipment and the construc tioii of an international air port at Nadi, Fiji. A sum of £500,000 is se; aside for aerodrome construction work iin New Zealand and £85,000 for the pur | chase and installation of aeradio and other equipment wliich is estimated to c°M £78,0J90^xmaj^^jiJC(_^.ti , 9 i Grants and subsidies to rabbit boards have increased, the total being £310,000 as against £157,993 expended last | year in the campaign to destroy the j pest. . | All votes for tourist resorts shdw an .increase and this is due to the extensive ■ rebuilding and renovation programiue j undertaken in readiness for the on-com-ing and future tourist seasons. \ Grants to education boards and con trolling boards show increases which have been broughj, about by the revised system of financing those bodies. The provision -for the general expenses of schools also shows an increase. Increased expenditure is provided for in war pensions and in some portions of votes under the sociai security fund. , There is provision, too, for higher expenditure in connection with labour and employment where the vote indicates a continuation of the immigration scheme, public works, -highways maintenance, health, and education. The transfer from the Consolidated Fund for sociai security is £12,000,000 this year compared with £15,000,000 last.