THE ESTIMATES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 244, 8 July 1908, Page 8

THE ESTIMATES.

* .. - SOME OF THE CHIEF ITEMS. £20/000' FOR GENERAL : ELECTION. . Following are the chief items in estimates and expenditure for the year 1908-9; whicli were brought down last evening' Legislature..... The total vote, in the legislative' department is £30,074. 'Last year £29,789 was expended. • Typewriting machines, as'the re : suit of the recent fire, cost £200 (last year, £93). . General expenses are very much the same. . . ..

Finance Department. The total jvote in the department of the. Minister for Finance is £57,588 (last year, £56,832). ■ . ■ Post and Telegraph.' ' " . ' This year in the Post and' Telegraph Department tho sum of £796,638 is'the' total estimate, as against £707;136 expended last year. Post and telegraph salaries are', set out at £473,887, as against. £418,743,-paid last year. The increase is due to ■ the .classification under the new Act. Under -the heading ".Conveyances of -Mails by.Sea,"..tlie figures for this year, are £67,963;- last year expended, £40,513. Some of the items are:j Mail service'between New Zealand and Australia, £15,000' (last year, £12,596) ; raiscel r laneous foreign ; transit charges,- £7000 (last, year, £24); Suez services,. £9000 (revoted); Vancouver services, . £9000 (revoted). The cost of transit, however, from 'Frisco to New York and from New York to Queenstown of Homeward - mails- ..is £800 this year, against £6607 .last:-year. The inland service is little altered. £1000 is set down for new services. £2200 is. allowed for amotor lorry service, for conveyance of .Wellington mails. Overtime is £7000 (last year, expended, £5086). • 'Travelling, reliev-, ing,'. and removal expenses; are estimated at £8000. Upkeep of s.s. Tutanekai. is £2000 (last year, expended, £2149). . » . 'i Industries and Commerce. ] The total estimato' for the Industries and Commerce and. Tourist and Health Resorts Departments is £71,289 (last year expended £54,537). Salaries remain ' mach the .same. Expenses 'in .connection-, with :the -.Franco-' British Exhibition are set down at £3500. Last year £3764 was expended; £100 is allowed for the exhibit at' the \Royal Horti-. cultural'. Show; (London); £100 for the. Irish. 'International Dublin; .£IOO. for: the Australian! Natives Association exhibit." Five ' hundred pounds, is . allowed , for steam service New' Zealand to VEastern ports, on account (last year £1000-was,.voted and not. spent). The. total. Tourist.Department; esti-: 'mate-is £50,936 ■ (against £33,979 expended last year). Among the items are'compensa-tion-to the relatives of Georee' NapieK accidentally drowned at Mount Cook hermitage; ■ £200'. ~ : , v ... -i ■

' Old Age Pensions. The estimated.sum required';is,£7.772,_and . the r amount expended'last_;yea'r was £5766. i Working Railways, The estimated total required for .the Work- . ing .Railways Department is ~; £2,020,000, ■■■ and the sum charged - last year'- 1 was £1,945,758. The estimated gross revenue is' i £2,835,000, : and the actual revenue last year :> was £?,765,395.' Salaries, are'Uet'down at ; £91,544,.against £78,000 votedlast year, the classifications and increases coming iinder the i' Act of last session. - Tho total number of I workers is' 826.5. The /working expenses of tlio Auckland section are £307,269 (last y?ar voted £238,596), Wellington-New Plymouth (519 miles) ',€542,642 (last • year voted £478,692)'. In the estimates . for. this year are included various working expenses separately detailed, last year. . - Public Buildings and Domains. . Under this heading a sum of £52,637 is allocated, as against £47,476 expended last r year. The allocation is to defray, salaries, i contingencies,; and . expenses of . the .public ■ buildings and doniains under the control of ' tho Minister'for Public- Works;; The sum of II £2800 'is set down for " temporary residenco > for E[is Excellency, and staff.?' ■