THE BUDGET AT A GLANCE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 868, 21 July 1910, Page 3

THE BUDGET AT A GLANCE.

The Treasury books closed on March 31st last with a balance of -£432,216. Actual receipts exceeded the estimate by £218,261— -total revenue ,£9,238,261. Railways accounted for £3,258,263, or £208,263 over the estimate ; Customs exceeded the estimate by ,£41,121.

The revenue showed an increase of ,£237,076 on the receipts of the preceding year. On the expenditure side the actual amount underspent was ,£ii9,777: all services, £9,110,699 ; actually expended, £8,990,922.

Of £5,607,902 departmental appropriations, £5,476.513 was expended, £131,389 being unissued. In every class except Legislative there was a saving.

The amount spent on departmental appropriations last year was £98,970 less than the previous year. There was a saving in eleven classes of no less than £210,223, while five classes show an increase of £1x1,253.

The amount available to start the current year in connection with the Public Works Fund is £662,366. For acquiring estates during the year £279,238 was spent; fourteen estates were purchased and ten were settled.

Land tax amounting to £642,270 was collected, being £17,270 in excess of the estimate of £625,000, and an increase of £37,370 over the collection of the previous year. The total amount paid to local bodies last year was £245,357. A Bill to enable loans to be granted under the old system where they had previously been authorised, without fresh proceedings being necessary, is to be introduced. The gross public debt stands at £62,168,407. This shows a reduction, due to the transference of £12,247,238 to the State-guaran-teed Advances Department. During the year loan moneys or advances amounting to £3,554,93 8 were received.

Considering loans directly in-terest-bearing and assets, the total indebtedness is estimated at not more than ,£25,000,000, The year has been a heavy one as regards loans falling due — 140,450, duly provided for ; ,£621,943 loans fall due this year, I*oan money available for public works last year was £2,250,000, It was duly placed on the market in April, An offer of -£400,000 y/z per cent, stock at £lO3 for every ,£IOO was accepted ; the flotation of a y/~ per cent, loan of £1,850,000 is regarded as most satisfactory. The exports of gold, silver and kauri gum all show increases for the year ; coal exceeded by over ,£IOO,OOO previous year’s exports. It is proposed to devote about ,£500,000 per annum for the development of water power. Authority to raise this amount is to be asked for.

Proposals are to be submitted for putting a portion of irrigation work in hand.

A saving of fully ,£IO,OOO per annum will result through Post and Telegraph economies.

An initial vote is to be asked for to give assistance to settlers who desire to construct private telephone lines wirh the nearest Government offices.

Over ,£300,000 per annum has been saved to the country through the retrenchment system. It is intended to appoint a smaller Public Service Classification Board, to meet the altered conditions, and its report should be ready next session. The income of the Public Service Superannuation tund amounted to ,£108,339, and the outgo ,£25,272 ; officers themselves contributed ,£82,890 ; contributors numbered 7322, a net increase of 8 7It is intended to, as far as possible, change the present system, where it exists, of pre-audit to post-audit. “New Zealand," not “ Zealandia,” is to be the name of our Dreadnought; the existing cruiser of that name is to be re-named the “ Maori.”

The Native Band Court investigated the ownership of 113,281 acres, and dealt with partition aggregating 148,37° acres. The Maori Eand Board administered 941,677 acres; 920 leases of 245,444 acres were granted. legislation is intended to facilitate the collection of local votes from native lands and for proper enrolment of native ratepayers.

The special aim of the proposed Band Bill will be to provide a further and better means of obtaining land for the people. The question of tenure is to be placed on a footing conserving in reasonable degree the right of State and settlers. Several weaknesses have been discovered in the Baud Settlement finance Act, and these it is proposed to remedy by legislation. Settlers were granted £1,095,120, and workers £362,352 by way of advances. To date, settlers £10,245,265; workers, £1,074.225 ; total, £11,319.490. Boans to local bodies, £754,047 were provisionally approved ; £184,491 finally approved. The procedure is to be simplified. Regarding the proposals for the extension of the public debt, £63,000,000 of present debt is not provided with a sinking fund or internal reserve for repayment; £140,500 per annum is required to repay that sum in seventy-five years.

A Bill is to be submitted for authority to create stock under which all the Dominion’s loans can be consolidated.

The National Annuities Bill is to be submitted, providing an annuity for all who choose to join the scheme, and to relieve by contributions hardships which fall upon a worker’s homeLegislation is to be introduced providing for the co-operation of hospital boards with the Government to give proper relief in maternity cases.

In regard to the unemployed, legislation is intended by which police stations in country districts shall discharge the functions of local labour bureaux.

The position of trusts is regarded as sufficiently grave to warrant drastic legislative provisions to keep them in check, and these are to be submitted this session.

Parliament is to be asked to consider legislation with a view to the establishment of the beet-sugar industry.

Local government reform is to be proceeded with. There are 168 boards whose revenue is less than £SOO per annum. The proposed Bill is to make the areas as practicable as possible for local government. It will also provide for a transfer to the new councils of the work of existing education boards. To ensure the decentralisation of the maintenance votes, Parliament will be asked for a sum of £250,000 per annum, to commence with. The votes for school committees and for libraries are to be restored. Estimated expenditure for the year is £9,3x6,470, against £8,980,504 last year. Revenue, £9,6x1,575. or £373,3H in excess of last year. Estimated balance at end of current year, ,£727,421. Parliament will be asked to authorise a loan of £1,750,000 for railways, roads, and other public works.