BELINDA VIEWS THE BUDGET

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22467, 30 July 1938, Page 19

BELINDA VIEWS THE BUDGET

(SPECIALLY WHITTEN EOS THE PE*SB.) ‘ [By L. R. HOBBS! BELINDA, who takes scarcely any interest in politics, was deeply stirred by the Budget. In fact, it prevented any headway being made with an afternoon’s baking. You see, Belinda had spread out on the bench, preliminary to baking, two pages of “The Press,” and they happened to be those two pages which contained the Budget. Something—perhaps it was the portrait of Mr Nash—caught her eye, and there was dead silence in the kitchen for at least 10 minutes. Then she came into the next room, deeply impressed. “You know, the Government knows the way to do things. If we ran a household budget like that, I’m sure we’d get on a lot better,” she said. Tactfully, I ventured the supposition that our present weekly budget could not be improved, in any case, but Belinda, taking the compliment in. her stride, was unconvinced. It was the principle of setting out under such careful subdivisions, every penny of millions of pounds, that appealed to her. “If they can do it with millions, why can’t we with a weekly wage?” she asked. I pointed out, with some diffidence, that the Government worked on 'a different plan. Mr Nash decided first of all how much he had, or wanted, to spend; and then based his income on that. Our income remained static, no matter what spending plans we had, and I said that I doubted if the manager would come round to Mr Nash’s way, and make my income fit my spending. At first Belinda could not see why not, but she finally came round to my way of thinking. “But the principle remains the v same. We ought to try it,” she finally added brightly. So for the next hour we worked out the family budget on the lines of Mr Nash’s. The finished result showed a lot of corrections, but I will reproduce it in its finally revised state. The Budget (with which, I feel bound to add, is incorporated the Financial Estimates). Department of External Affairs £ s. d. Material for new curtains 0 3 9 New shoes for the baby 0 4 6 Patch for George’s school pants .. ..006 0 8 9 Department of Internal Affairs £ s. d. Groceries .. ..124 Meat and milk .. 0 6 9 Beer .. .. 0 5 6 i Tobacco .. .. 0 3 0 i 1 17 5

There was some argument about which department expenditure on beer belonged to. I maintained that it should be in the health vote, but Belinda said that because of her knowledge of what beer could do to me, it should be under Education. We compromised untier “Internal Affairs.” Permanent Appropriations £ s. d. Kent .. .. ~200 Standing charges— Tram fares .. ~ „ 0 1 9 £2 1 9 (We thought that the tram fares allocation was, for subtlety, worthy of Mr Nash.) Defence s. d. Picture shows .. ..30 (Belinda’s idea. She said picture shows were a defence against boredom.) Department of Agriculture s. d. Agricultural Division— Seed potatoes for planting 1 0 Livestock Division— Food for cat .. 09 1 9 Health and Social Services s. d. Off doctor’s bill .. ~5 0 Cough mixture .. ..16 6 6

Public Credit in the Home

Scientific and Industrial Research s. d. Another cookery book M 2 I Debt Services OS the radio .. .. 5 Transport Department s. d. Fine for parking too long .. 15 6 (Belinda says t that this should be under the non-Transport Department, but that’s mere frivolity.) £ g J Grand total .. .. 7i J (Subject to audit.) As that was more than our income, Belinda had to turn again to Mr Nash for inspiration. She found it Use of the public credit So w« balance our Budget by letting Hie grocer's* and butcher’s bill run another week. Belinda, who also read the comment on the Budget, says that this is an improvement or Mr Nash’s. There is no lavish expenditure on public works, which- she says, will forestall any possible criticism, by the Associated Chambers of Commerce. (In self-defence, it. should b« added that none of the character; in this story are taken from zeal lift •—except Mr Nash.)