WAR ESTIMATES

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 39, 15 August 1945, Page 6

WAR ESTIMATES

"SLIGHT READJUSTMENT" "If the news is received of the agreement by the Japanese Government to the capitulation terms, it may be necessary to provide for a slight readjustment of the estimates of expenditure as submitted to the House in the Financial Statement on Thursday last in so far as the expenditure is from the War Expenses Account," stated the Minister of Finance (Mr. Nash) before the House of Representatives adjourned last night. He added that be proposed some time prior to the House resuming to submit to members a revised estimate of expenditure, giving [details. ' , Mr. Nash said that, presuming it was possible for ' all service men and women to be returned to the Dominion by March 31, the end of the financial year—and all hoped that would be possible—and that all expense came to charge, the reduction in expenditure would be slight compared with the estimates already submitted. He did not use the word "slight" with any feeling, because the estimates had not taken into account any amount that might be required for gratuities. If the amounts chargeable to the War Expenses Account, including gratuities, were kept up to date, there might be no reduction in the estimates as submitted last week. Payments on account of deferred pay, transport costs, gratuities, and rehabilitation were expected to be in excess of the estimates if the Japanese capitulated, but there might be reduction of expenditure on reverse lend-lease, war stores, land, buildings, and minor items.