THE ESTIMATES

Hokitika Guardian, 3 August 1929, Page 6

THE ESTIMATES

ITEMS OF INTEREST

WELLINGTON, August 1

The net total vote for legislative departments is £89,806. The total amount expended last year was £95,191. The sum of £BO,OOO is voted for public buildings, domains and maintenance of roads and irrigation works, as against £87,600 last year. As the scope of tlie work is now much wider and 1 more maintenance is necessary, an ex-, tra £3300 is provided for Central Otago irrigation works, for which the total vote is £14,000. There is extra £ISOO for Waihou aim Ohinenniri River improvement works, for which the total is £3500. A new item in the External Affairs Department vote is £IB,OOO for pay and expenses of the Samoan civil police. A total vote of £461,688 is made for, tlie Police Department, compared with £414,970 actually expended last year. Salaries of the police force entail a vote of £370,338. The Internal Affairs Department vote is £342,941. For the entertainment of official visitors £SOOO is voted, although £6931. was spent last year. There is a new item of £3OOO for Dunedin flood:,relief as subsidy off £ for £. Tliere is no further grant towards the Auckland War Memorial Museum for which £12,500 was voted last year. There is an increase of £6OOO in the .Mental Hospital Department vote, making a total of £309,121. The Health Department also receives a larger vote, £247,737 '• being provided, as against £239,757 actually, sp'ent last yeai;.

. BIG DEFENCE VOTE. The total vote for the Defence Department is £490,587, compared with £464,595 expended last year. Field and heavy gun ammunition and explosives will Cost £22,000. An additional £3500, making a total off £22,000, is voted , for supplies and catering at camps. Owing to the increased number of permanent horses to maintain, nn extra £425, making a total of £BOO. is voted for maintenance, of animals. 'lhe minimum amount necessary for territorials’ pay is £29,000. and this has been.voted, as against £20,500 last year. Railway fares and freights have .also increased by £4OOO, making a total of £22,000. < CIVIL AVIATION. A new item of £5930 appears in respect of additional staff to complete the aviation establishments at the Hobsonville and Wigranj aerodromes. Re-roofiug the -hangars at the Wigram aerodrome will cost £675. There is a vote of £1720 for expenses of two aviation officers, in the United Kingdom receiving instruction. In respect of' the purchase of aircraft, £28,500 is voted. Last year nearly £26,000 was expended in this direction. Machines now under order will post £14,000, and new’ machines rind replacements to bring the equipment up t 0... J'.cq ni re meu ts.. f or.. in creased activ.i-. ties Nvitb cost .£l'i,soo; A sum of £2OOO is.voted for fuel and oils. There a're -riew items-under tlie heading “Civil Aviation,” the amount voted for the purchase-of' airpraift for issue on loan to approved Aero Clubs being £4500. Freights ori those craft will cost £3OO. For grants to Aero Clubs in respect of pupils qualifying for private pilot’s certificates a sum of £ISOO is provided. It is estimated that there will be twenty pupils each at the Auckland, .(Blenheim and Canterbury Clubs. The Customs estimates show that £9OOO is charged by the Department if or collection of petrol tax. Seven hundred and fifty pounds is voted' to tlie Marine Department for sea .fisheries investigation's. The- Labour Department provides £425 for expenses of delegates at the Apprenticeship Conference. ' The expense of the Industrial Conference eff 1928 was £3587. The Scenery Preservation Department expended £10,274 last year as part cost of an area at Lake Waikaremoana for water conservation, etc.

COST OF THE ELECTIONS. "'The expenses of the recent- general election amounted to £28,495, rand those* of the‘licensing poll to £12,728/ while preparation and printing of electoral (Department’s expenditure in election year totalled £91,000, but the current vote is £9965. An increased vote of £I9OO is provided by the Agricultural Department lor instructional work, fostering boys’ and girls’ agricultural clubs. '.

Subsidies to rabbit boards are to be incensed from £3.3-,930 to £15,000. There is a grant of £9OOO as assistance to the bee-keeping industry. Guarantees and bonuses on export involve substantial votes, *£sßoo being appropriated in respect of £3-5s per case oil eggs exported last season; £SOO is voted for fruit export guarantee; £25,000 on account of bonus on (the export of pork, in respect to which £25,810 was spent last year. The Agricultural Department paid to the railways for reduced freights on lime £38,344, and on manures £109,597. There' is a vote of £10,500' for cow testing organisations. The Education Department’s votes are increased in line with the larger numbers of scholars, but the Native School vote of £6OOO is doubled, owing to many buildings needing extensive overhaul. The Lands 'for Settlements account, on which £2153 was expended last year, contains votes totalling £IB.OOO, the largest new item being £II,OOO for valuations and preliminary expenses of purchases.