8.—6

V

IMPORTS AND EXPORTS. The comparative figures showing the values of imports and exports for the financial years 1915-16 and 1916-17 are, — Imports. Exports. £ £ Financial year 1915-16 .. 22,917,437 33,781,711 1916-17 .. 26,162,706 30,538,460 Had all the shipping-space required been available it is possible that the value of exports for 1916-17 would have equalled that of the previous year. It is well known that large quantities of cheese, butter, tallow, frozen meat, and other produce have had to be held over through lack of ships. LAND-TAX AND INCOME-TAX. The net receipts for the past year amounted to £4,975,244, made up of land-tax £713,118, income-tax £4,262,126, and compared with the collection for the previous year show an increase of £2,534,769. Land-tax. The land-tax receipts compared with those of 1915-16 show a decrease of £335,238, which is accounted for by the abolition of the tax on mortgages. The comparison is as follows : — £ Receipts 1916-17 .. .. .. .. 713,118 1915-16 .. .. .. .. 1,048,356 Decrease .. .. .. .. £335,238 Income-tax. The income-tax receipts compared with those of 1915-16 show an increase of £2,870,007. The comparison is as follows : — £ Receipts, 1916-17 .. .. .. .. 4,262,126 1915-16 .. .. .. .. 1,392,119 Increase .. .. .. .. £2,870,007 MENTAL HOSPITALS. The total expenditure for the year on mental hospitals was £212,739, and the receipts for maintenance, sales of produce, &c, amounted to £68,190, leaving a net expenditure of £144,549, an increase of £14,758 over the previous year. This is accounted for by the rise in the price of provisions (meat, flour, oatmeal, sugar, &c.) and bedding and clothing on account of the war, and by the large increase in the number of patients during the year. The vote shows an unexpended balance of £5,803 at the end of the financial year. PUBLIC HEALTH. The necessity of conserving child-life to meet the ravages caused by the war has received attention. The birth-rate continues to show a regrettable decline, and though this is partially compensated for by our low death-rate the position cannot be regarded as satisfactory. Possibly economic causes are responsible to some extent, but I fear the real causes are to be found elsewhere. The care of our sick and wounded soldiers on their return from the front has been satisfactorily provided for in the general hospitals, as well as at the Convalescent Homes at Rotorua, Hanmer, Devonport, Lowry Bay, &c. To meet the cases of tubercular disease arising out of war service the Consumptive Sanatorium at Te Waikato, Cambridge, has been enlarged, and the Otaki Sanatorium has been taken over from the Wellington Hospital Board and enlarged. Soldiers suffering from neurasthenia and shell-shock are specially treated at Karitane (Puketeraki), and the Wolfe Home, Avondale. Numbers of discharged soldiers suffering from a recurrence of illness caused by war service have also been treated