POLITICAL OUTLOOK.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1978, 7 February 1914, Page 6

POLITICAL OUTLOOK.

REVIEW BY MR FISHER

PROSPECTS BRIGHT. ' i ■ (By sWexraj>h.—Press Association .1 Chrlstchurch, February 6. The Hon. F. M. B. Fisher,, Minister of Marine andi Customs, arrived' in Christclrarch this morning. The Minister will he in town until Monday, leaving that morning for Dunedin and the south. Interviewed ho said: "Thopolitical outlook everywhere is tip-top. I tliink that the .success of tho last loan is almost unexampled in the history of tho Dominion's finance. The exports of tho country have been maintained to a remarkable degree. For'l9l3 the ' increases over and abovo the vear in respect to articles mentioned below are as follow:—Wool, £1,987,902; meat, £532,638; dairy produce, £54,946; flax, £38,401; hides and skins, £60,732; rabbits and hares, £20,485; hops,_ £1,835. There has been a declino in'grain figures of £621,000, and a falling off in potatoes of £143,000. GTain, of course, is a very fluctuating item, but in tho main the exports show splendid increases. Land settlement has gone onapace, and the Government has not neglected this all-important feature of its policy. During the year ended December 31, 1913, selectors havo been settled, upon 677,910 acres of land. The Land, for Settlement Department has been very busy during tho year, and for the nine months ended in December last the following areas have been purchased:— 6276 acres in Auckland, 747 in Taranaki, 6232 in Hawke's Bay, 9844 in Wellington, 74,764 iu'JVlarlbo'rough (of which a largo.portion 4 leasehold), 2946 in Nelson, CJ39S in Canterbury, 1421 in Otago, and 22,764 in Southland, v A total 0f"22 estates with an area of 140,692 acres have been acquired at a cost of. £559,606.- Under land settlement -finance schemes there havo been 4182 acres acquired for £58,729. The net premium income of tho State Fire Insnranco for tho year just ended was £59,516, as against £44,380 for 1912, thus showing an increaso of £5136 for tho,year as compared with £663 for 1912, which was a record.' Tho profits for the year amounted to £10,026, as' against £14,023 iji 1912, so that as a result' of a, complete year's administration tho State Fire, Office has broken all previous records; in fact, tho profits for this year establish a record in tho history of tho office, and for 1912 and 1913 combined tho profits of the institution amounted to £29,049, as compared with £13,887, the combinedprofit for tho years 1910 and 1911. During the same period the in-' creasos in accumulated reserve funds have grown from £48,213 to £65,294. Tho benefits conferred by tho Military Pensions Acts which havo been passed by the Government have been largely taken advantage of. Under tho Military Pensions Act, 1453 claims have, been lodged to date, and 1275 havo been granted, £22,242 having been paid out for tho past ton months, and the annual liability for tho full year at £30 per pension now amounts to £43,668. 'The widening of tho scope of the Old Age Pensions Act by the amendments of last session has conferred benefits on a large number of people. The annual liability under the old age pensions is at present £434,000. Tho enlargement of the scope of the Pensions Act made dirring last session has so far resulted in'admitting _to pension rolls' 621 women under"tho ago of 65 and over 60, whilo 132 persons have benefited under tho amendments made to deal with property qualifications and residential regulations. A good move has been made with tho scheme _ for workers' dwellings in rural districts. Tho first of these settlements is being established bv the Department of Labour,." near ■ Willowbridge, near Waimate."