PUBLIC FINANCE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 252, 1 August 1940, Page 3

PUBLIC FINANCE

THE SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES SUM OF £1,388,312 PASSED. (Per Press Association/. WELLINGTON, July 31. The Supplementary Estimates, providing for an expenditure of £1,388,812 in addition to the main estimates already approved, were introduced in the House of Representatives to-day. Among the chief extra votes sought are: General administration £21,000, development of primary and secondary industries £15,927, broadcasting account £11,562, railway construction £200,000, railway improvements and additions to open lines £82,050, public buildings £22,525, roads £70,000, irrigation, water supply and drainage £192,500, linen flax development £430,000, and an additional grant of £250,000 for the Main Highways Account. A subsidy of £BOO is provided for the Chatham Islands shipping service. A new vote is that of £101,440 for Hie recently-established National Service Department, and the Director of National Service is to receive a salary of £IOSO. Another interesting item is the sum of £I4OO provided for women police. Expenditure in connection with salvage operations on the steamer Port Bowen and the disposal of materials is expected to absorb £IO,OOO, while the carriage of mails by trans-Pacifie air service is expected to cost £SOOO. Discussing the National Service estimates, Mr Nash, in answer to questions, explained that the vote of £19,910 was for the establishment of appeal boards, several of which were to be set up to deal with the appeals of men against conscription. Mines vote Question. Mr A. E. Jull moved as a protest against the formation of the Coalmines Council that the vote for the Mines' Department lie reduced by £lO. The Hon. P. CL Webb said he knew it was the wish of every member that coal should be preserved to the utmost. Millions of tons of coal had been wasted through want of knowledge. There was one case where a company had set out to work coal where there was no coal to work. The Commission would save innocent people a lot of money. Mr Poison: If it has the right only to make recommendations: it will be all right. The Minister said the council would have to make recommendations for the organisations of the industry and to protect coal seams from being destroyed. Millions of tons of coal had been destroyed through faulty mining, and he wanted to avoid that.

Mr Poison said, all the Opposition was concerned about were the powers of the council.

Mr Webb said all the council was required to do was to make recommendations to the Minister.

Mr Jull’s motion, was forced to a division and defeated by 39 votes to 19, the voting being on purely party lines.

Rapid progress was made Tyith the remaining classes of the estimates, which were all passed by midnight.