D.—l

WAYS AND MEANS. On the Ist April, 1931, the available ways and means for public- £ works purposes were . . . . .. .. 1,340,036 Additional funds were received as follows :— (a) Under Finance Act, 1930, section 2 (public works) .. .. 3,000,000 (b) Balances transferred from separate accounts now closed .. 439,170 (c) Recoveries on account of expenditure of previous years .. 72,215 (d) Ellesmere and Forsyth Reclamation and Akaroa Railway Trust Account receipts . . . . . . . . . . 1,646 £4,853,067 The net expenditure on works and services against the General Purposes Account for the year was — £ (a) Under appropriations .. .. .. .. ..2,968,742 (b) Under Lake Ellesmere Land Drainage Act, 1905 .. .. 439 (c) Under Lake Ellesmere and Akaroa Railway Trust Account .. 2,754 (d) Charges and expenses of raising loans .. .. .. 98,098 Making a total of .. .. .. .. £3,070,033 This left a credit balance in the account for general purposes at 31st March, 1932, of .. .. .. .. .. .. £1,783,034 The estimated expenditure under the account for the current financial year is £1,786,700, and arrangements are being made with the Minister of Finance to provide the necessary funds. The gross cash expenditure on works and services under the direct supervision or control of the Public Works Department itself was £5,787,771. This includes expenditure from the Public Works Fund, Consolidated Fund, Main Highways Account, Electric Supply Account, and various other accounts. The Department also collected in cash a total of £664,071 as revenue from electric-supply and irrigation undertakings. The total, therefore, of gross cash expenditure and revenue for the year was £6,451,842. This figure is exclusive of interest and loan charges, credits-in-aid for works of various kinds, and sundry relatively minor items of revenue, and gives some indication of the volume of work handled by the Department's staff.

RATIO OF EXPENDITURE, 1931-32. The ratio which the various classes of expenditure on works bear to the whole is indicated graphically in the diagram below.

V