THE BUTTER SUBSIDY.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 December 1921, Page 4

THE BUTTER SUBSIDY.

MAKING FINAL PAYMENTS. PROGRESS OF THE WORK. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. In the House of Representatives this afternoon the Premier made the following statement on* the subject of the butter subsidy:— “Some misconception has arisen regarding the final payments tc- dairy factories of the butter subsidies for the periods October 18 to March 31 and April 1 to August 31 of this year. On April 1, being the earliest possible date, auditors commenced the necessary work of auditing the various factory accounts for the purpose of ascertaining the amount due to each factory, and they have been since continuously engaged. As each audit report is received by the Department of Imperial Government. Supplies and approved by the Controller and the Auditor-General, the amount certified as due to a factory is paid forthwith. Three auditors are continuously engaged, one in the South Island and two in the North Island, and these men have done excellent work, sparing no energy and working all hours to complete the audits fb enable final payments to be made. Dairy factories are very appreciative of the work that has been done and the progress made in the face o-f many difficulties. “The actual position to-day is that of forty-three factories in the South Island thirty-three have received the final payments," and of one hundred and twenty-three factories in the North Island seventy-three have received the final payments. The audits of all the factories in the South Island and in the southern portion of the North Island will be completed this month, ana the balance of the North Island audits early in January. All the factories have received interim payments of 80 per cent, on the figures furnished by them up to March 31, and it is estimated that of the total subsidy authorised for the season to August 31, not more than £llOO,OOO now remains to be paid ru sixty factories, for which the final audit reports have yet to be received.”