8._6

XXVIII

Total amount of interest-bearing investments of surplus revenue, £17,260,000; earnings, £712,870. Public-works expenditure, £3,912,886. Accrued profit on investments in British War Loan 5-per-cent. Stock, £140,777. Loans matured, redeemed, and renewed, £9,004,986. No Treasury bills outstanding. Gross Customs and excise revenue, £6,769,873. Increase over estimate in Customs and excise, revenue, £959,873. Exports, £45,548,700. Imports, £37,112,779. Inland Revenue Department — £ Land-tax .. .. .. .. 1,541,502 Income-tax .. .. .. .. .. 3,831,932 Stamp and death duties .. . . .. 3,581,291 Total .. .. .. .. .. £8,954,725 Land- and income-tax concessions, amounting to £929,100. Working railways— £ Receipts .. .. .. .. .. 6,727,802 Working-expenses .. .. .. .. 5,502,497 Net revenue .. .. .. .. £1,225,305 Earned on capital cost, £3 os. lOd. per cent. Post and Telegraph — £ Receipts .. .. .. .. .. 2,705,030 Expenditure .. .. .. .. .. 2,112,543 Excess of receipts .. .. .. .. £592,487 Post, Office Savings-bank — Number of depositors, 690,790. Amount at credit, £42,754,868. Average each depositor, £64 4s. 4d. War-loan certificates redeemed to 31st March, 1923, £3,349,074. Land-settlement — Total area offered for settlement to 31st March, 1923, 1,397,339 acres. Total Native lands purchased, 1922-23, 51,523 acres. Discharged Soldiers Settlement Account — Advances authorized during year, £868,650. Total advances authorized, £21,278,221. Repayments, &c, £2,870,332. Arrears of payments reduced. Instalments postponed where circumstances warranted relief. Gross receipts, 1922-23, £1,431,353. Total capital provided for discharged soldiers settlement purposes, £26,148,000. Repatriation — Number assisted, 63,108. Advanced, £2,329,992. Repayments, £1,260,545, or 65 per cent. Assistance continued to disabled soldiers. Agriculture— Total value of produce exported, £42,248,751, or 93 per cent, of total exports. Record export of cheese, 63,000 tons, valued at £5,484,417. Record export of butter, 60,000 tons, valued at £10,324,569. Area sown in wheat, 285,000 acres. Improved prices for agricultural products maintained. Number of sheep in Dominion increased by 706,605, from 22,222,259 to 22,928,864. Increased demand for Nauru phosphates. Immigration —Satisfactory agreement with British Government; passage rates reduced from £26 to £18 per adult. Defence expenditure New Zealand Military Forces, £285,113.