THE REVENUE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 938, 4 October 1910, Page 4

THE REVENUE.

The Pkime Minister had, a yery Congenial task last evening: when.he .announced.. ,the '-'revenue.; ; figures'-'.-foi the first half of the current financial year.-. : Compared, ...with," : . the- .corresponding, period of , last year ■ there' is an increase'.shown .for. the'six months of .£374,656, which, the . public may be 'interested to know, is a little more than:the.increase forecasted in the Budget ■ for the whole ; ■.' twelve months, viz., £373,314 That is to say, -if the present rate of> increase is maintained, the increase of-re-' ,ven\ie over the whole year will.be more .than double that Estimated by Sie Joseph Ward. .The;figures for the six months,over a series of years will afford an..idea ,of; the'fluctua-. tione in'the rate, of/increase:- ': .

~ •■; . Revenue.: Increase. Decrease. -■■• '. ; ■■■:■■'■ '•'■■• V.V-JE:. .■■'■.•:-■.>■ [ --('J-£: im ■-' ■ j.072,119,' ;■, ■-'.-■ ■■■■',•• "— ■ •1905 >__. 3,179,037 107,818- -' 1906 :.;.._.., ',8,152,570 .. 302,633 :, -. 1907 „.... 3,829,304 =346,734 -.'.' 1908 . 3,829,611 :337-;, : -,, 1909 ._....- 3,798,238. : 31,403 1910 .':..;.... 4,172,794 371,556,:, r- , .: It should be noted that we have.takeri tho' Prime Minister's, figures for the half-years of 1809 and 1910. \The figures for 1910 we cannot check- as the' Gazette containing- tEe revenue returns for the second quarter of the current financial year'has : not yet been published. The Gazette figures for 1909, however, conflict with the figures quoted by, SiE Joseph Ward, owing the his; omission of the National Endowment revenue. .According to the Gazette, the revenue ;fbr the , .June '• quarter,.;, .1909,: -.was £1,826,598,/ and for; the Septenlbei , ; quarter £2,038,783, making a total for the half-year of £3,865,381. .Taking the Gazette figures as correct, the two concluding: lines of the above table would be materially altered as follow:— . :■■'■.. ■:''.;:- . ;•. ; ;:-:..'" ■ : : V-- Ebvenue. Increase. ; ' '' ' • £ ■ '■ ■ £ ' 1909 ............ ■.S,BfiS,3si 35,749 : ' 1910............. -dr,172,7M ; >307,413 Instead of a decrease of revenuefor the first half-year of 1909 v there , would thus be an increase;.while the increase for the current ■ half-year would be reduced by nearly, £70,000. In any case, however, the increase is a very substantial one, and proves our contention that the Government could have safely repealed the increased Customs duties imposed last year.! Sie Jos ; eph Ward, as; usual, refrained from giving .any indication as to the expenditure side of the public accounts. We shall get the particulars, however,. when the full accounts are- published in the Gazette towards the end of the month,-and will then be in a better position , , to appreciate•'. the real merits of the financial situation. ■.;