FINANCE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 713, 12 January 1910, Page 6

FINANCE.

& STATEMENT BY'THE PREMIER.

RESULTS REGARDED AS SATISPAC- ■ r f .l ; j'^TORX. : (Bj. Telographi—Press. Association.)', 1 :•■■'■'v ■■■...■ ■;;. Dunedin, January 11. : Sir 'Joseph ' Ward recently, informed a reporter' that C-the, ; total ;revenud: forJthe v .Decembor/;quarter; was .-£2,647,073,•' -or .£55,685 more'than in 'tho : December .quarter,';;^.l9oß. ■ It was pointed out that tho revenue for the nine months of tho financial year ending on December 31 was .£6,455,211, 'which;was .£2-1,283. of.; an'increase "over..the corresponding: period of 1908. ". Tothishadtobeadded .£67,142 from National';: Endowments,'which:. gave an increase for'.tho.lnine :montjis of, : The'' Prime.: Minister, .'when : speaking ■ to an "Otago Daily Times" reporter to-day, on his way to Christchurch, • was. asked whether he had anything nioro to. say ;about the-;public; accounts for the period referred to. • •

: think,"- said' Sir. Joseph,-"the figures ; : pretty /well cover, the pbsition from'. thb : ImV regarded.as satisfactory;.The'Jshrink- ; itigortin, Customs, revenue, which" up .'to a '* certain point was very heavy,'"has been . 'more ' .than., compensated , for by' the ac.f cumulation:-''in . other ' Departments;'; .The' increase 1 for the. December ;;quarter shows ■ 'that for that particular period 'it.' is • higher 'than' tho? average .for. .the 'whole ' ; nino; , .months, jwhich.Sin my opinion, is- a good • signi-v-i'lt;.'shows gratifying commercial.; acti.vity; ; and thut.ithe .business world is' '.movmg.; forward,.in, : a satisfactory way,, and- if - one,' is right. in the assumption that wo ran mamtom'.'anything, like 'that ; average for tie next - three months, J tiiink tlic "readjustment .of whiehiwiis made by legislation ;last year,' -gliouldXl)egiri, i ':-:m<M ; i .by;;itho\.noTin'ar-.:.in--:'crei&;'of; revenue, 11 to.innke: provision l for the'neceisarily largo demands upon the consolidated '• revenue during ' the next i'finatfciali'Jiear;- v-JThis. means;.that : >we will require' to ', barrow -less-money-to the extent that' we/are. ableto transfer from consolidated rovenue to the' . Public -\Vorks:Fuiid.'' It isioba -recognised- that the intorior, development of the - country by • railways, roads, ' and is as Necessary, now in some parls as it was ' twenty • years ago, and _tho ability 1 ; of • the country to cafry on this .work.iii unsatisfactory manner is to a considerable.' , extent: dependent, upon -the amoant . of .revenue | that..'we ;.willv be:vable . .toVltr'an^r> : tb!'. the. 'I'ublic - ;WorksFund, . and thereby 3. en-, able 'us, :.by. borrowingcWthin;;reasonable figures,, tfl -"expbnißforb about equal to.wbat' wo'are now doing,' though' •this" y«ar.. we 'have ha<l vto rely . largely upon •■borrowed money for provisions :'^tb'/ca'rfy.'fbn^public; works.. seq^ntly,'ih.imyVbpimoii,',.our:,borrowing from outside tue' coulltry is l as --h'eavy , •as. it ought,', in any J circumstances, ito be,' and' our efforts should be ,r0 supplement -monuys foi', public worLs by ambunt from consolidated revenue, and 60 far as iny judgment goes everything plants: to ..a. satisfactory, positi on - of. our, public - revenue,t which' will enablo us to provido' next year possibly half a'l million lat least in- this -way.. ~lt is too;far ahead to ■ 'make' estimates ,with' anything y: ap'proaching v (loSniteness, but I. feel satisfied with :tfie results of tho' yearVopoi-ations so: far- as.-,they; have. gone,. indicating, as they do, 1 an '; improved ; condition .of so >far \as .'public: finances 1 'are con- 1 corned','" and a .mora plentiful supply of in6ney f or,;tho use 1 of' private, enterprise."