HON. W. HALL-JONES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8434, 4 May 1907, Page 5

HON. W. HALL-JONES.

SPEECH AT TIMARU." By Telegraph—Press Association. TIMARU, May 3. The Hon. W. Hall-Jones had a cordial reception at the Theatre Royal to-night. His address dealt at some length with, the finance of the year. The ordinary revenue accounts were shown as follow: — Revenue £8,399,075, sinking fund accretions £66,000, other receipts £13,881. Expenditure- permanent charges £3,038,120, annual appropriations £4,736,806, excess of receipts over expenditure £704,030. Balance from last year's surplus (£788,795) £13,795, which leaves an excess at March 31st last of £717,825. The railway revenue last year showed an increase over the previous year of £282,978. The passengers carried showed a large increase, and the increase in wages to railway employees since 1895 was given as £375,000. The expenditure on oldage pensions last year was £313,826. Dealing with land, the Minister said that the saving to the people by the Advances to Settlers Office, through the fixing of a reasonable rate of interest, ran into millions of pounds. The Public Works Fund had received £2,410,378 and expended £2,050,978, and they had a balance of £415,800 to start the year with. In speaking of his term as Premier he contended that the course he had taken was the only honourable course that could be taken. He made reference to the conferences now sitting at Home, and referred at length to the prosperity the colony was enjoying. Speaking on the Land Bill generally he favoured the leasehold system, and laid stress upon three principal points in the Bill—endowments, limitation of area and concessions. He referred to the Legislative Council appointmer ts, and said that they were very satisfactory. A vote of thanks to Mr Hall-Jones and continued confidence in the Government was carried.

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