THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 816, 13 May 1910, Page 6

THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS.

DETAILS OF 1909-10 FIGURES. MUCH THE SAME AS 1908-9. The Gazette issued last night contains the details of the national finances for the year ended March 31 last. The year opened with a balance of .•8184,321. The.ordinary re%-enue amounted to ,£8,908,532, and the territorial revenuo to .£269,729. Recoveries amounted to JE6SG, so that tho actual revenue for the year was ,£9,238,967. Tho expenditure amounted to ,£8,990,922, made up thus:—Permanent appropriations .£3,514,409, annual appropriations ,£5,476,513. The actual revenue thus exceeded the actual expenditure by i£215,045, and since nothing was transferred to the Public Works Fund, this excess, added to the opening balance, left a final balance of .£132,316. In the year 1908-9 the actual revenue was and the actual expenditure .£8,785,513. The actual revenue thus exceeded the expenditure in that year by .£216,472. These figures may bo tabulated: 1908-9. 1909-10. Actual revenue 9,001,985 9,238,967 Increase of revenue — 236,982 Actual expenditure 8,785,513 8,990,932 Increase of expen- \ diture — 205,409 Excess of revenue over expenditure _.. 216,472 248,045 The details of ordinary revenuo for the two years are shown in the following tablet 1908-9.- 1909-10: Customs 2,801,248 2,671,121 Stamps and P.O. cash 1,591,328 1,537,352 Land tax 604,901 642,270 Income tax 321,044 316,835 Beer duty • 116,214 115,369 Railways 2,918,507 3,258,263 Registration 117,061 88,305 Marine 43,815 42,918 Miscellaneous 264,210 296,099 ' Totals 8,778,328 8,908,532 The permanent appropriations increased from .£3,210,030 to JE3,514,409. The chief increase was in the interest and sinking fund charges, which amounted to .£2,397,462, as against .£2,258,365 in the preceding year. The annual appropriations showed a falling-off of nearly .£IOO,OOO, as is seen iu the following table, showing the expenditure in the different Departments:— 1908-09. 1909-10. £ . s Je Legislative 29,281 28,634 Finance ' 96,457 73,757 Post , and Telegraph ... 814,636 855,862Railways .'. 2,120,308 2,168,189 Public Buildings, etc. 85,596 86,729 Native :...... 30,840 18,875 Justice ' 350,840 357,141 Mines -31,457 24,704 Internal Affairs 344,566 256,466 Defence 195,685 190,346 Customs-, Marine, etc. 131,321 122,782 Labour ..: >.. 30,277 24,212 Lands. .....' 232,167 205,538 Agriculture and Tourists _ 219,690 189,914 Education 848,234 862,946 Not provided for 14,128 10,418 5,575,483 5,476,513 The Public Works Account, which opened with a balance of .£383,709, closed with a balance o£ .£312,366, after £1,993,171 had been spent on vnrious works and .£24,990 had been transferred to the ,State Coal Mines Account. The loan money spent in this account amounted to over ,£2,000,000. . ■ , The State Coal Mines Account shows that the proceeds of the sale of coal (.£241,883) was insufficient to' pay expenses (^264,231). The sum of .£59,282 was spent on account of the Hntt railway and road improvement.