THE ESTIMATES.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1512, 7 August 1912, Page 8

THE ESTIMATES.

vSOME.ITEMS OF INTEREST, '■;■■■'.• COST OF COMMISSIONS. ;'V INCREASES IN SALARIES, ■ A- new departure was inaugurated by tho Government last evening, when tho Estimates, after being presented to Parliament, were referred to tho Public Accounts Committee for consideration, advice, and report- ..'Some of the more interesting, items in-tho Estimates nvo d . c " tailed belaw:-f '.-. . ,:The estimated I .cost of the Public Service Commission is .£1500,; of the Education Commission J82200, and of tho Cost of Living Commission, iCISOU, and of, the Local Government Conference .£OOO. .Following is tho new scale of salaries for the Parliamentary Library Staff, the figures in parentheses snowing the salaries paid last year:—Chief Librarian, .£550 (.£523); Assistant. Librarian, .£375 (i£3GO); Assistant; .£275 (.£200); Assistant, .£275 (.£260); Assistant, .£l9O (,£180);' Assistant, (extra), UJISO; Binder for the Library, .£2OO .(.£198) j Attendant, .£200'(.£100); Messenger, .£l9O (,£185); Mailman during session, .£IOO (.£BS). The total amount payable.,in salaries this year i< -£2535, as against .£2355 expended in 1911-12. On the Hanrard staff increases of salary . have; been, granted to/the Chief Keporter (also Examiner under the Shorthand Reporters' Act, .£100), ~£525 (.£500); Hansard Supervisor (also Copv Supervisor.?, Government -Printing Office, .£210); . .£240 (,£2|s); Hansard Supervisor's Assistant, .£225. (.£200). • ■' ■ / 'i The amount' provided for the maintenance of Bellamy's'staff (luring the session is .4500,,''a5. compared.-with last year's estimate .'of. .£625,. and 1 last year's .actual' expenditure of .."• ' i The-estimated expenditure for the conveyance of inland mails is ,£7G,750. The expenditure under this head last year was .E65.9G4; . •■ : ■ The- following.new votes appear under tho-heading-"of' miscellaneous services in the 'Post and Telegraph Department :— . Compensation to A. OY Wimsett, to pay legal expenses of defence, .£100; expenses -■of ' chief electrician's trip ' to Europe .':• and . America, .£525; fees' to non-permanent telephonists, .£000; " fraudulent withdrawals from the Post Office Savings Bank, .£103;-retiring allowances to non-permanent officers, ,£94; temporary Post and' Telegraph store at Dunedin,\£2so. '■- ■ '. ■ , .■'; The total, estimate ofall ( tho expenses of. working the .-railways is ,£2,546,600, as compared with an expenditure of i!2,4C5,596 last year. The estimated revenue is .£3,745,000, the actual revenue for 1911-12 having been ,£3,G7G,509.. In ClasscV- (public buildings, , , domains, and maintenance'of roads) an'item of .£IO,OOO is set aside/a's 'contribution tot'u'Ji'd 'for renewal or reinstatement of Government:; buildings throughout.- the Dominion,. ' ■•'-. .'■'■''■ ' ' " "Under-the "miscellaneous heading in the' sariie class, the following votes appear:— Palmerston North Courthouse (renovations), -.£176 (an unexpended, balance); Stratford Post Office- (additions and alterations), £M; Wanganui Post Office (ronbvations, , etc.), ;C22s;;Pahiatua Post Office (renovations; etc.), .£225; Palrner"""eton N.ortivP6st Office (renovations, etc;), • Sanatorium (repairs, renovations,'.etc.),' JE375 (same-vote last yetir nnexpe'nded). . . . ' ' ■ ; .Class VI (Native Department).—The sum of £13,W6 is set apart for -Native\ Land Court, as against ,£13,559 voted last year, arid .£12,055 expended. fJFor Maori lands administration 'Ji5795 is provided. Last-year i£S2GO were'provided .arid .£4929 expended. Tor Maori. Councils there is a vote of £315;. The same amount was voted last year, and =£177 were expended. A vote of iCIGIS is proposed .for miscellaneous services, .as against .£1483 voted last year, and Tho total vote proposed for the Department is .£2;-i,aol. Last year .£23,157 were voted, and were spent.:. Tho salary oi the Chief, Clerk is increased from .£305 to .£3BO. . A vote of .£3OOO is set down for travelling allowances and expenses of the Native Land Court. Last year .£3500 were voted and .£2/12 expended. Payment of members of boards extra clerks and interpreters is provided for by a vote of .£9OO. Last year ,£6OO wre voted for this purpose and »,-> were expended. A vote of =£1000 is provided for travelling allowances and expenses in the Administrative Department. Last, year .£9OO wero voted and .£B6< expended. '' ■ '- ' Under miscellaneous services appear:— Cost of commission to inquire into matters concerning 'West i'-oast Settlement Jμeerve Leases, ,£3OO. Legal expenses incurred by former Native owners of AVaihau So. 1 Block, of which they were deprived by a frandult'nt sale and which is now held by a sub-equent bona-fide purchaser under the ■ Land. Transfer Act, »C2OO. . ■ . The total vole in Class YII (Justice Department) is increased, from of which ,£379,309 were expended last year, to ".&i00;i39;: A .vote; .of .£200,080 Ms- provided for the Police Department as against ■ .£184,250 ' voted last year' and ! .£181,393 spent. , ..■.'.... The Solicitpr-Goneral'.a salary is increased from .£IOOO to \£1250. The salary !of an-assistant law draftsman is. increased from" <£2TO to .£315. ' The Patent Office is given an additional typiste at a year. -.- • ' is provided as salary for'■ Police Commissioner as against. ,£250 last year ' when Mr. Waldograve, ivho was also Under-Kecretary for Justice, acted as 1 Commissioner. ' '" - The salary, of tha'tCh'icf Clerk in the Police Depa'rtnicM is raised from .£450 to .£475. ■ ,£•4782 are provided.for salaries , of senior Bergeants-as against".£9ss last year, but the vote for ordinary sergeants drops I from '.£17,502 to .£13,943. . In" the Stanip. Department, .£4OO, . sal-, iry of Inspecting Valuator . of Estates s appears as a new item. " . . . The total estimate for the Department ■ of Internal Affairs is, =£317,391, as compared with ,£437,727 expended last year. All. the. reduction, is in the Itesristrarueneral's Department, the expenditure in K-hich was unusually heavy last year - wing- to 'the census-which cost i-'onm £27,000. •""..•.""" ;The amount ..torbe -appropriated for jalaries and, other expenses in the High Commissioner's Office is .£7050.. The lmoiint expended last ,yea'r was .£8414. The- .officer in charge of the messengers and office-keepers (Departmont of Internal Afiair.4) receives an incre'asfr' in. salary from, .£265 to .£290. In the Museum Estimates is a new item of,'.£soo'"for the establishment qf an historical collection regarding the early history'of New Zealand. ' The following increases of salary havo been granted to officers in the Government Printing Office: Government Printer, .£750 (.£725); Chief Clerk and Accountant, i£4so (iH'lO); superintending overseer, £335; (.£320); fcypiste, (£110); corn■puter; ,£240 ■ (.£230); type storeman, '• (.£208); divider, .£2lO (.£203); forewoman, jirls'.-room, j>l6o (.£150). .The salary of the. junior assistant medical officer at Porirufi is raised from £125 to .£250. The total increases in salaries for the institution amount to ,<ciso7. ; "New'items'in the Public Health Department. .Estimates"are:— Analyst, Xl5O (last year the analyst, paid by fees, received ".£112); Inspector of Midwives, <E175; promotion'of health of women and childreii,:.£2so; Quackery Prevention Act, ,£.io; relief: of'indigent 'persons, .£25. Amoirgst the Miscellaneous Services list in-the'-Department of..lnternal AtUirs are ih.c items:—Allowance to member of Coronation Contingent, -£20; expenses in cow/lection with .the visit of New Zealand "cadet-contingent to Canada, i,Wi-

inquiry re allegations of Mr. J. B. Hinc, ] M.P., legal expenses, " JCSOI; subsidy Trades nnd Labour Council's industrial exhibition nt. Duneclin, .(.'500; subsidy Wellington Philosophical Society for building astronomical observatory, ,£SO. __—— I The estimated expense. l ? of tlie Baden- f Powell nnd King's Birthday Reviews arc .£201), and the appropriation for'expenses of officers and non-commissioned officers travelling to and from England and other ■parts of the Empire is .£2-100. The total vote, for Customs and Marine . is .C1,12,2;)0, anil 'the expenditure last year ■was t £llß,f)2S. Tho salary of tho Secretary for Customs 'J has been increased from UiGOO to .£625. i Tlie Collector of Customs nt Wellington receives the saino increase- and the same { salary. . ' ■ Special items of expenditure under head- J ing of Customs include:. Pumps for Cal- ( liopo Dock (Auckland). cf"67. j The Marine Surveyor at Wellington re- ' ceives £X!b, as against ,£H7 last year. j An amount of .6800 for the importation of herring and other sea fish is provided- ~ for. The amount spent for tills purpose , last year was J36. j Tho amount of J)585 for a marine sur- \ very between the French Pass and (Tack- ; son's Head is provided. . J The construction of roads and drains on Crown lands adjoining the Hauraki , Plains is provided for, at an estimated cost of .£3700. Another grant of .£3500 , is scheduled for the metalling of roads in ' the Hauraki Plains. Another sum of , is appropriated for part of the cost of ' forming a . road from Waikake to Piako | Eivertogivo access to Crown settlers out- \ side the Hauraki Plains settlement. t A vote of .000 is asked for to eradicate ' noxious weeds,on Crown lands. The expenditure under this head last year was . JJSI3. ' '; '