The Daily News THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 1903. THE BUDGET.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXV, Issue 180, 13 August 1903, Page 2

The Daily News THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 1903. THE BUDGET.

In this issue we give the concluding portion of the Budget Statement delivered in the House by the Colonial Treasurer, the Eight Honourable R. J. Seddon. The statement is a full com prehecsiveand statesmanlike document and_ is a masterly exposition of th< affairs of the Oolony, which will hav been read with plea-ice by everyone who has the good of the colony at heart, Tee first thing which strikes one is the great length over 25,000 words. Few people recognise what that means, but they will realise it better when we say that had we published it in full, ifc would have oceupied taearly 20 columns tf the Daily News. it an expenditure of considerable time and trouble we have endeavoured to give our readers a full summary of the statement because it is an s,b'.e aLd exceedingly interesting rtviyw of tht history of the Colony's affairs extending back for a period of 20 years. Never have the people of New Zealand had such a clear exhaustive and detailed exposition of the Colony's financial position placed before them. In preparing his statement Mr S 3 ddon ha. evidently, through the representatives of the pec pie this Oolony, t. ken the ofp rtuLity of addressing a. far larger audience. Mr Seddon his evidently had in mind those interested in the Oolony abroad and abeva all thos* who bath in and out of the Oolony have indulged in hostile criticism of the Colony and its affairs, Looked at from this standpoint it is mo3t satisfactory to the friends of,the Colony and a crushing and complete reply to its detractors. Space is not available to go into all the details of the statement in this issuPf but the chief point; of interest in this, as in all financial state ments, is, the _ evidence of the sound financial position of feh© colony. The surplus on the cf the past year being .6303,905 and the details given show that the rcvanue was exceedingly buoyant throughout tha year, the rtvenua exuding the estimate by a considerable sum. While this is Very satisfactory, the forecast bf the estimates, on the actuil results of the past six month*, are even more satisfactory. The details are given in the statement so we need not note them here, but we do ,cla ; m thit the assurance that we may justly expect a revenue of oi- £84,491 in excess of that reoeived l*st year is something amazing and something for the Colony with the small population of only some 800,000 people to bcproud of, We must, however, dtftr further comment at this stage acd conclude by offjring our hearty congratulation to the p:ople and above all to Mr Seddon himself on the healthy condition of affairs disclosrd in his [budget for 1903. One point in connection with the statement is certainly worthy of remark and that is its singular freedom from political colour and the broad and comprehensive character of its proposals,