OUR FINANCES.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 December 1919, Page 3

OUR FINANCES.

STATEMENT BY Sill JAMES ALLEN.

WELLINGTON, December 2d. The Acting-Minister of Finance, Sir James Allen, stated to-night that the revenue for the month of November last was £1,845,710, an increase of £944,731 on the figures for November, 1918. The increase in the revenue, was due in the monjffi under review to an increase in elm railway revenue of £324,369, the earlier production of land and income-tax, yielding £295,937; of Customs duties, £193,838 and of stamp duties, £84,098. The revenue for the eight months of the yoar just past was £11,142,347, an increase on the figures for the corresponding period of the previous year of £2,048,255.

The expenditure figures were not conclusive. For the eight months of the current year the expenditure ahowod an increase over the total for the corresponding period of the previous year of £3,292,166. But this increase had been largely accountable to additions in permanent charges, £1,476,404, of which interest and sinking fund alone amounted to £1,043,293, and the increases in the annual appropriations were £1,819, 371. In the eight months the expenditure exceeded tho revenue by £330,405, but Sir James Allen said the best of the year had yet to come, “and I have good reason to anticipate,” ho added, “that at the end of the year the balance will fye on the right side.”