GREAT COST

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 145, 23 June 1930, Page 8

GREAT COST

GOVERNMENT IN AUSTRALIA

£130 A FAMILY'

(From "The Post's" Representative.) SYDNEY, 12th June. It is general knowledge, perhaps throughout the world, that Australia is one of tho most expensively governed j countries on earth. Australians cer-, tainly have good reason to bo fully I aware of this fact. Still it came as a ■ great shock, even, to Australians, to' learn, per medium of figures issued by the Commonwealth Statistician, that' the various governing bodies last financial year spent more than half the' value of all production during tho period. Here are the items of cxpendi- ■ ture: — £ The Federal Government spent 81,343,520 The six State' Governments spent '. 120,925,505 The 1058 local governing bodies spent 36,518,151 Total ....' £238,787,242 In the same period tho total value of Australian production was approximately £455,000,000. Exact figures are not yet available, but for 1927-28 the total value of production was £453,----311,000. To obtain a correct view of the position, it is necessary to tako into consideration that expenditure on tho provision of 'services such as the' Post Office and the Railway Departments is included in the figures showing Government spending. While the taxpayers' burden varied considerably according to the State in which he lived, figures show that the total' of all Government expenditure was equivalent to £37 11s for every man, woman, and child of the Commonwealth. Taking four as the average household, it was £130 2s for every family. Other facts disclosed by the Statistician are -intensely interesting, for some of them, particularly those showing the people's savings, reflect credit on tho Commonwealth. Here is the position at 30th June last year: . ' The not indebtedness of the Commonwealth and the States was £1,104,028,----062. ' The amount of this owed overseas was £572,282,903. Of the' total debt the States owe £726,406,490. New loan expenditure in 1928-29 equalled £5 8s 6d per head, which brought the' net Government indebtedness to £173 a head. Tho number of Savings Banks accounts in Australia was 4,937,428, and the average credit balance was £45 13s 4d. ■ The number ~of insurance policies on Australian ' lives was 2,453,602, and the aggregate assurances covered by,these policies is more than £342,000,000. Benefit members of friendly societies total 597,875, and the annual revenue of the societies aggregates £2,401,936.