DOMINION FINANCES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 224, 12 January 1910, Page 2

DOMINION FINANCES.

A statement in regard to the finances of the Dominion for the quarterly and tri-quarterly periods ended December 31, has been made to the press by Sir Joseph Ward, Minister for Finance. The amount received in revenue for the December quarter was £2,647,073, or £55,685 more than that received in the December quarter of last year. The analysis of revenue for the nine months as compared with the corresponding period of the previous year, is:—l9o9, £6,445,311; 1908, £6,421,028, showing an increase of £24,283. To this has to be added £67,142 from national endowments, which gives an increase for the nine months of £91,425. The increases are: Land and income tax, £55,365; railways, £185,753; miscellaneous, £31,053. There are, however, decreases as follows Customs, £142,071; stamps, £548,6; beer duty, £1411; registration •and State fees, £24,517; marine, £429; territorial, £24,595. There is thus an increase on the one hand of £272,171, and a decrease on the other of £247,888, makings net increase for the nine months of £242,83. A feature of the figures is that the increase the December quarter alone is £55,685. Sir Joseph Ward stated that the fact that last quarter showed such a satinfactory increase was in his opinion an. indication that better.times had superseded the period of depression through which the Dominion had passed, and strongly pointed to the corner having been well turned. As Minister for Finance, he was very gratified at the results, which should inspire the people of the country with renewed confidence. There was no reason why they should not continue the steady progress which had produced such excellent results for the December quarter, and, added to the fact that nine months of 1909 (as compared with the same period of 1908) showed the improvement which he had indicated, clearly demonstrated that there had been improved conditions during the whole of that period.