THE BUDGET.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 163, 14 July 1904, Page 4

THE BUDGET.

♦■- Following are ailhrev atione of the chief points in the re iiainder of the Financial Statement : STAMPS. For the first time on record the stamp revenue has exceeded jne million pounds. At the close of the last financial year the receipts in excess of those of the previous year amounted to 1 £100..'145. there toeing ati increase under every head except that of native land duty, which has of necessity diminished. The number I of impressed stamps during the year amount to 8,768.367 as against 7,649,826 for the previous year, showing the enormous increase of 1,117,541 for one year. The value of the adhesive stamps issued in the year 1896-7 was £641,264 and in the year 1903-4 £960.241, showing an increase in seven years of £318,978, nearly 50 per cent. These figures do not include the beer duty stamps, which for 1896-7 were £72,271 and for 1903-4 £102,650, an increase of £30,379. The number of stamps issued of the denominations £d, Id and 2d in the year 1900, that is the year prior to the introduction of universal, penny postage, was 60,257,760, while for last year the total was 69,780,358, an increase of 9,530,000. I should like also to remark that lite expenditure of the department "is less now than it was twenty years ago, the appropriation for the year 1884-5 having been £30,571, while that for last yeai was only £28,000. Elil CATION.

A liberal vote will be asked for this year in respect to school buildings, technical education, and the payment of scholarships' fees. The total amount spent in school buildings last year was £116,614. It is the Government's desire to meet as far as possible the reauireracnts of education in the back-blocks and newly-settled districts. In many cases unavoidable delay in dealing with such applications often occurs, owing to the necessity for iiKjuirv and investigation, but Parliament will be asked to provide a liberal vote for these special cases. Turing recess an additional amount of jwas. 'authorised in connection with the Victoria College buildings, this making a total grant of £25,000 towards this purpose. It is satisfactory to not* that, after considerable delay, plan 9 for thebuildimgs have been approved and a tender accepted. DEPARTMENT OP LABOVR.

The prosperous condition of the colony has lightened ono branch ol the department's work, namely, the superintendence of '•unemployed" transport. The number of men applying for work was comparatively few, and the difficulty of meeting; the applications easier than formerly. Notwithstanding the steady and continued fniujt of workers from Australia" labour was sometimes scarce and costly in the country districts, while the skilled trades in the town received unusually high rates of remuneration. The duties of inspectors of awards have been heavy, and occupy much time and attention. In the year 1903 the cases brought before the Court numbered 120, and there are still about 150 waiting hearing. Few of these cases are industrial disputes, but are mainly for breaches of awards, thus showing how necessary the appointment of inspectors of awards was in the interests of the operative classes. The expenses incurred by the department in bringing these cases are reimbursed to a very large extent by costs awarded by the Court. Factories increased in number beyond | the annual average, 758 new faitories, employing 4598 workers, being added to those enumerated in last report. Over £2OOO lias been collected in factory fees, a sum in it- ' self sufficient to meet the cost of administration. Assertions are sometimes made that the wages of workers, have unduly increased of late years. Answering theso I would point to the large expansion of business which has taken place and the increased values of property in the colony. In' Wellington city alone the capital values have risen from £5,805,778 in 1891 lo £10,935,689 in 1903, while £3,000,000 of this increase has been added in the last tivo years. The rating value of the four chief towns in New Zealand is now £27,972,947. These facts token together with tiio advances in the -- price of commodities fully justify any advance in the wages of workers, caused by the carefully considered awards of the Arbitration Court. PUBLIC TRUST OFFICE. A comparison of the figures for the present year with those of live years ago proves its steady growth. On March 31st, 1899, there were in the office 2491 estates of all kinds. On March 3:ist last there were 3470. The valued of the estates at the respective i>eriods were £2,110,316 and £8,152,882. The number of wills deposited in tho offico by persons wh 0 have appointed the Public Trustee their executor has increased in five years from 700 to more than 2000. A new building will shortly he erected on a very suitable site, which has been secured in the city of Wellington, and the cost of a suitable edifice can easily be provided for out of profits already earned by the institution. GOVERNMENT LIFE AND ACCIDENT INSURANCE DEPARTMENT. The number of new life insurance policies issued by this department during the year was 3137, assuring ' representing an increasu "*" of £22,947 on the previous year. The death claims during the year were favourable, being £1468 less than in 1902. The total amount paid by the department since its inception in respect of death claims and matured endowments has been £2,571,019, and the total sum now assured by the department is £lO,060,262, or, including bonuses, £ll,111,807. The accident branch has increased substantially, premiums amounting to £24,381 having ' been receive) ns against £14,100 in 1902. The funds show an increase of £2lB and now stand at £1255. STATE FIRE INSURANCE. The general manager anticipates be-

ing able to commence operations not later than September 30th next. The total sum asked for initial expenses is £6360 which is for the whole of tlio financial year, but it is anticipated thai not more than £4OOO of this sum will be expended. FARMING INDUSTRIES.

The total value of exports of the principal items of farm produce, although slightly less than for the year 1902-3, is more than two and a-half millions in excess of the v a luc for the year 1901-2. The export' of wool is less in quantity but owing to the improved prices ruling the value

has increased by £598,242. Tallow shows a decrease in both quantity and value, and the number of sheep skins is considerably less, although the total ralue shows an improvement. These decreases ate all attributable to the changes made irom sheep raisiife („ dairying, and to reaction following upon the abnormally large export of frozen mutton and lamb .during the year 1902-3, which Was followed by a very heavy snowstorm in Canterbury and North Otago, by which many thousands of sheep were lost. The output of butter shows an advance of about 51,000 cwt., the value being £147,725 in excess of last year, moreover the quantity of cheese was nearly 12,000 cwt. greater and the valne" improved by £25,266. The continued progress of the dairy industry is extremely gratifying, but in view of the decided fall in the price of both butter and cheete lately experienced in the Home market, I desire to impress upon milk suppliers the desirablrness of introducing the best blood into heir herds, and of regularly testing the yield of each animal, in order that the amount of butter-fat produced per cow „,ay be gradually increased. It cannot be too strongly urged upon dairy farmers that a high. grade herd will pay better when hut-til-selected one when the price is lOd. CROWN' LANDS AND SETTLEMENT.

No lese than 2,714,147 acres of Crown lands were thrown open for election during the year. Deducting the area thrown open on the pastorall run system, the area which was S. almost wholly on settlement conditions 'amounted to over 900 000 S'h Th 6 a / ea disposed of '*** handed oyer for occupation and improvements was 402,794 acres, and includmg the l a nd for settlements estates there was a total addition to the Crown leaseholds of 513 357 acres. Thirteen estates were ' acquired by tho Government, comprising an area of 140,356 acres and 'e^?a n , ,lng a ca P itul v »lue of i.bbl„l4o and annual rental of £33 - 06,, and were handed over to the Lands and Survey Department to i,e dealt with.. There me now recorded upon the registers of the Lands Department 129 estates, comprising an aggregate area of 615,581 acres Of this area 576,0-15 acres have been subdivided into 2729 holdings classified and vfclucd a tJ £3,030,462, a nd a !' e . P'; oducln ß an annual rental of £ 51,523. The receipts during the past financial year amounted to £850,883 ; 2,026 houses h a ve been erected upon the properties, whilst 8255 pei-sons are resident thereon. The value of improvements enVc'cd is £608,611. The total receipts almost wholly on account of rentals l>aid into the Treasury since the inception of the system amount to .£564,621. The account on Marth 31st last showed a profit for the year of £49,398 available for the purchase of further estates. GOVERNMENT FORESTS AND PLANTATIONS. Excluding the Taupo district the approximate (quantity of milling timber now growing upon Crown lands is about 30,000,000,000 sjtferficial feet, which experts to fifty-five years' supply at the present rate of consumption. It is estimated that if Hie milling timber on native and freehold lands be fully utilised our requirements will be satisfied for the next seventy years. The '(fuantity of kauri timber remaining, for utilisation will only last about twelve years at the present annual output. Steps have been taken to safeguard the whole of the remaining milling timber and to deal with applications for the right to erect sawmills, and cut out the same only after full inquiry, so as to insure that there will be as little waste as possible. During the past twelve months 6,644,000 trees have been grown in tho nurseries of the Lands and Survey Department, making a total to date of 18,293,000 trees. Of these there have been planted out 2,451,000 trees on an area of 1040 acres, whilst the total planted out to-date is 5,359,000 trees on a total area of 2479 acres. The number of trees now in the nurseries is 9,933,000, the expenditure on the above work for the year being £lB,195, and the total value of stock £42,901. During the current financial year it is porposod to plant five million trees. MAORI LANDS ADMINISTRATION. Native townships at Te Kuiti and Otorohanga havo been placed in the market by the Maniapoto Tuwh-are-toa Council, and have been successfully disposed of. Another township at Waiotapu, between 'Rotorua and Taupo, will be placed in the. marktT on July 28th, and maps of yet another township at Tauiuarunui, on the North Island main trunk raiilway line, at the head of tixiftViangantii River, and of the Ohotu and I'oetawa blocks, containing about 67,000 acres, and 3400 acres respectively, are just about completed. Both these blocks will be placed on the market in August next, Ohotu for close settlement, and Paetawa for grazing runs. A number of other blocks in the Wanganui district, now in the hands of the Council, will bo put under offor to the public on terms almost similar to the perpetual lease under the Lands Act. MINING. The gold export for the year was 533,311 oz., of a value of £2,037,831. The total quantity of coal sold from the Seddonvillc mine to date is 16,201 tons, of which 8886 tons were supplied to Government Railways. 6908 tons for steamers' bunkers, the balance being disposed of lo various consumers.

' NORTH ISLAND MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY. A length of 38 miles has been opened for public traflic during- the last twelve months. Of the, total distance of '126 miles between Auckland and Wellington no less than 323 miles are now open for a regular daily passenger and goods traflic,and the rails are laid (or twenty-one. miles further and the formation works ate either complete or iu progress for twenty-seven miles beypnd that, making a total length liuislied or dn progress- of 371 miles, which reduces the length of the untouched section to 55 miles. POST OFFICE SAVINOS UANK. During the year IUO3 the number of depositors' accounts increased by 16.2L0, bringing the total open accounts up to 243,075, or one in every 3.42 of population. The balance of credit on December list was £7,388,682, a net increase (luring the year of over half a million sterling. The average amount to the credit of each depositor was £3O 6s 3d. DEFENCE. The volunteers now number over nineteen thousand. They are better . armed and equipped than they have over been in the history of New Zealand. A further supply of small arms has 1 been ordered' and the ammunition and munitions' of war are much greater than have hitherto prevailed. The amount asked for, £45,000, is principally for payment for small arms, ammunition for large and heavy guns, and equipment generally. There are some ten thousand cadets in the colony. Under the heading permanent militia and volunteers, the appropriations last year were £140,464. Tho appropriations asked for this year amount to £131,610. Under the heading, however, of stores and magazines and miscellaneous services, the appropriations of last year were £28,110. This year £55,360 is asked for, the increase being caused by tho purchase of small arms, ammunition and cordite. There are pracli-

c*Uy eleven million rounds of small arm ammunition available. Various alterations respecting our harbour defences are under way, and the equipment of our heavy guns lias been increased. DEBENTURES. On April Ist, last a parcel of debentures amounting to £750,000 fell due, and on May Ist following another parcel amounting to £527.950 also matured. Of these sums £617.100 was payable in I on.ion. and £630,850 in the colony and Australia. For renewals we offered in the colony a further term of five years at the same rate of interest, namely, four per cent. : in Loudon tho term was made four years. The renewal delx'ntures contain n clause enabling holders to convert their security into £lO6 of three per cent, inscriibed stock for every £IOO of debentures at any time during the. Hist two years. In this colony and Australia parcels amounting lo £153,100 were sent in for renewal on April Ist, and £263,350 on May Ist ; in London the renewals were £112,400 on April Ist and £6IOO on May Ist. Debentures which came in for redemption on respective due dates were provided for by the issue of four per cent, debentures of four years' currency. HOSPITALS ANT) CHARITABLE All).

We are granting subsidies annually to over £IOO.OOO, and have no control, check, or say in the expenditure of this large sum. The position of Inspector-General is almost farcical. He may inspect, report, point out what as rjrruired, tat there is no power to compel trustees to give effect to his recommendations. The law in respect of hospitals aaid charitaUlo aid ivqluires amendment.

LUNATIC ASYLUMS, The enormous expenditure on building and maintaining our mental hospitals and the alarming increase of patients are matters demanding your most serious attention. During the last five years no less thum £79,300 was spent in erecting buildings aaid furnishing the same. In salaries and allowances and cost of mnintennce £300,233 was expended. This year you will be asked to provide £72,169 out of the consolidated funds. FARMS FOR SOCIAL OUTCASTS. We have a large nunflfer of persons who, in order to live when not maintained in gaols by the colony, prey upon society. Land should be sot apart upon which uhess persons should be placed. EXHIBITION. It would be inadvisable to postpone beyond next year the holding of the national .exhibition, and it would be well that the Imperial Government and the governments of other countries South Africa and the Commoawoa'lth—should be informed of our intention to hold the exhibition. Later on during the session an opportunity will bo afforded to members! of coming to a conclusion upon thic important matter,.

OFFICE OF HIGH COMMISSIONER Naturally the proposal to appoint a High Commissioner for the colony to act as its representative in London has created comment, favourable and otherwise. I am sorry to say that the construction thai' ha 1 been placed upon the action of the Government is entirely unwarranted b,\ circumstances. There n re those who will never see progress and the altered conditions that surround them. They live wrapped up in the past, oblivious to the present and the future. When the tleneral Agent for the colony at Home, or" the Agent-General, as ho is now called, was first appointed New Zealand had a population of 266,986, its revenue was £1,342,116, and. its trade £9,249,297. It had at the same time eight provincial councils or smaller states. Things have now changed. Wo have a population of 838,954, whilo our revenue amounts to £7,021,386, and trade £28,075,982. Wo have had our federation'; the provincial councils have been abolished and there is one central government. Canada has its High Commissioner, with subordinate commissioners in the United Kimrdo,n and elsewhere. The Commonwealth of Australia has its Act empowering the appointment of hid, commissioners, which is soon to take Place. Tile time has now arrived for line with other countries. The im penal Government has its hi™), t „ n . '"~" f f' lho Ull " s ' «l>l»oint.m,i'i ZV, y V' US : U,ld "' New Z «»»nd * to maintain Us prestige and give Us representative a fair and lilting opportunity the „ a „,e "Agvnt-flenei? "!, •* ou ' d I*> changed to that, of High Commissioner." We )mv , our produce commissioner in the Mother Country; wo have our produco commissioner in South Africa and to merge the Agent-General into a High Commissioner is a wise and proper thing to do. The Gov ernment think . 0 , i-2000 per annum would not be too much, and are of opinion that the change of office should be made AwntV"" S , a ' U '' V m>W |,ai " t0 °™ Agent-General (£1500) were to be continued. The amount now paid to our AgentVGeneral is inadequate He taln. Whatever salary is fixed t,| lea . should be a sum granted for entertainment purposes, thus obviatiiw the colony's representative hourm* the expense out of his own salarv" There is no provision made in these estimates, as the salarv will |- V provided for i„ the bill thai wi ]i u(l submitted to you later on The amount will be about £2OOO per annum. The next important point is as to who should be appointed Adverse and underhand comment has been made regarding myself, and it has l>een openly stated that I was creating the position with an ulterior object. It is with some diffidence that I express the opinion that, health permitting, I can do greater good for this colonv bv remaining in New Zealand. Whoever is appointed .should he a New Zoalander, well acquainted with the political, agricultural and commercial affairs of the colony. To appoint merely a figur«l'u<ad- and to make the position amibessadoral would be a grave mistake, and the Government have no intention of so doing. The appointment, should riot be lor more than live years, discretionary power being K .jvi-ti t„ the Governor lor a h-sser term, thus ever keeping- th... person appointed in close touch with the colonv. I will say nothing further upon this matter now. l-'eirtlwr details will |, O giv.» mi the second reading of the

ESTIMATED EXPENDITURE FOR 1904-5. The expenditure for the current financial your upon all services of tho Government 1 have set down a t £6,610.112. which is more limn the actual expenditure lor Ihi- \, a r ended 100SM to the extent of £167,|l3l. I have pet down the provision for the old age pensions at last year's estimate [£215,000), though we did not actually spend more than £20(1,815. The totals of appropriations for this year are in excess of the actual expenditure for last year by the sum of £88,89!!, but if we take out the tiervices for post and telegraphs, for education, and for working railway department, it will be found that we have been able to reduce the excess bv £(l4 - 101.

A table followed showing the annual estimated expenditure for the

current year ; in a second column wero the amounts for new services, and in a third column the net estimated expenditure which would represent the normal disbursements of th* tolony had tb* rouuirements of the colonists not been' given effect to. The respective totals are £6,892,397, £790,704, ami £0,101,093.

In other words out of the proposed expenditure of £6,89£.:)97 noarlv £800,00(1 lias to Ire provided for new services, the rosult of our progress unci prosperity. Tl>e estimated revenue for .1001-5 mounts higher and higher, birt 1 do not hear that tho collection of it presses unduly upon our colonists. Our working railways produced £2,108,000, while for this current poriod my colleague anticipates (Staining £2.180,000. a very handsome result. Last year's stamps revenue exceedid a million, and for t.his year it has been put down at .Ci.O'.I.YUOO. Our estimated expenditure being' £0,001,112 and our estimated revenue £7,008,000, tho excess of revenue over expenditure is £<IW(S,iiHH, to which the amount brought forward is to lie added, £010,710, producing an estimated balance of £I,H(i,:S2B. We should be able to assist the public works fund with £050,000, leaving a balance of £s!)ti,;i2B. When we reach March Hist next we must be tinanciully strong enough to carry on a caiVtnlly considered expenditure at least for three months long, er. To economically provide for the necessar.N expenditure on our public works has given my colleagues und myself the gravest consideration. Last year authority was asked for to raise one million in aid of public works; this-year we desire to raise £750,000. CONCU'SsION,

The keynote of this budget given with no uncertain wiuml is prudence and economy in administration, reduced public works cxpiruliture, and ■decreased borrowing, the aim ultimately being not to go outside the colony for moneys at all.

llr Seddon then went (in to point out that there was a decrease per head of population in respect of the public debt, and an increase in ivvenuo and spending power of the people, and the continued prosperity of the colony. He quoted figures to show that in 1879, when he first enteral parliament, the exports were £5,743,120, and the total trade £14,117,711. In year 1801. when he first took Ministerial ollico, the exports were £9,566,897, and the total trade £10,070,210 ; lapt year, 1903, the exports were £15,000,377 and the total trade £27,779,053. Concluding, the Premier said :—I again repeat, we are the buttress ami paradise of the great British Empire. In the words of the poet Bracken, "Mew Zealand is God's own country."