PRUNING KNIFE USED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 174, 25 July 1930, Page 8

PRUNING KNIFE USED.

HEAVY DROP IN ESTIMATES.

DEPARTMENTS MUST

ECONOMISE.^

DEFENCE CUTS MOST SEVERE.

(By- Telegraph-Parliamentary Reporter.)

WELLINGTON", Thursday.

I The main resuits of the Government s efforts to save in expenditure are found in details of the annual appropriations for various State Departments These show an aggregate decrease of £606 183 when the votes for this year with those for the preceding year are -J«aP"£ Another test of economy is afforded by a comparison of. the current votes with the actual expenditure of the last financial vear, which discloses that State departments are expected to conduct their operations for £305,785 less than the actual expenditure last year. If the Railway Department is included this trading concern is expected to show a reduction in expenditure on the previous year's total to the extent of £359.210, thus bringing the aggregate savings up to £724.995. Defence, both naval and land, shows the most severe results of pruning, and there is a big drop in the votes for external affairs, due probably to the fact that expenditure on the special military police force in Samoa has

ceased. ' . The education vote has practically escaped, but a large spending department, such as the Department of Agriculture is being forced into rigorous cconor.iv. Some of the leading reductions in the current votes compared with those of last year are set out as follows:—Defence, JE2IG.GG7; naval defence, £55,017; internal affairs, £40,994; agriculture, £00,618; maintenance and repairs of roads, £48.600; maintenance of irrigation, £6000; external affairs, £22,836; land and survey, £27,995; native affairs, £4300; Cook Islands, £8735; industries and commerce, £15,237; prisons, £2867; police, £15,1 OS; pensions, £2400; mines, £14,300; printino- and stationery, £8300; mental hospitals, £1650; healt/. £311,827; Customs, £9000; marine, £24,000; Labour, £5800; scenery preservation, £2500; education, £12,599; scientific and industrial research, £8300.

The heavy reduction in road maintenance votes is due to a revision of the method of finance as explained in the Budget and will not result in an actual drop in funds available for that purpose.