SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 October 1944, Page 2

SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES

£2,000,000 FOR HOUSING WELLINGTON, October 24. An additional vote of £598,096 for the Consolidated Fund is provided for in the Supplementary Estimates for the current financial year, which were introduced in the House of Representatives to-day. A supplementary vote of £4,112,499 is provided for separate accounts, and one of £145,418 for accounts outside the public account. The largest individual item is a further vote of £2,000,000 for housing construction, making £5,500,000 for the year. In the vote for the Department of External Affairs there is an extra £lBOO for foodstuffs and other commodities for the New Zealand Legation in Moscow, but part of it is recoverable. The cost of equipment for the new Bellamy’s is represented in a vote of £2,440. Because of the increase in the rate of payment for jurors, an additional £llOO is voted in the estimates of the Department of Justice and Prisons. There is also an extra £6OO to cover the increased fees for witnesses. Because of the increase in applications, provision is made for the additional expenses of the Land Sales Court and land sales committees with an additional vote of £ 15,000. The lands for settlement account contains a vote of £300,000 for the acquisition of land, and one of £150,000 for development purposes. The main estimates contained votes of £500,000 and £113,000 respectively for these purposes. . There is an additional vote of £4OOO for new buildings and improvements at Mount Cook, Te Anau, Milford Sound, Queenstown, and other tourist resorts administered by the Tourist Department. The purchase of the Hotel Tokaanu is covered by a vote for £23,777. In the vote for the Social Security Department there is an item for an additional £lOO,OOO for present-war pensions and allowances, this being necessary on account of the increasing number of war pension grants. A new vote in the public works account is that of £7,923 for the Ministry of Works. An additional £17,000 is provided for research and developmental work in the rehabilitation of the flax industry. The State forests account contains an additional vote of £35,000 for the acquisition of land and timber for forestry purposes. Additional votes for improvements and additions to open railway lines are as follows: Turakina-Okoia deviation, £100,000; Hutt Valley railway extension, £143,160: rolling stock, locomotives. cars, and waggons, £300,000; automatic signalling, £25,000. There is also a vote of £36,000 for a new goods office at Wellington. The Supplementary Estimates for State coal mines included amounts totalling £48,000 to meet extra freight charges in railing coal from Greymouth to Westport while the Greymouth bar was unworkable, and to provide for the decisions of the Coal Mines Council.