A SMALL SURPLUS

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXV, Issue LXV, 16 December 1913, Page 4

A SMALL SURPLUS

EXPLANATION BY MINISTER OF .■■:' FINANCE.. ''.■'-..■'

The attention of the Minister of 5 Finance was called during the discus-^ sion of the estimates to the fact thatr the total amount available for the supplementary estimates'in, the Budget of' this session was £121,879, whereas theactual amount wanted from the^ Consolidated Fund as- proposed in the esti--mates "was £321,061, an excess of just:' on £200,000 of the ways and means the > MinisteiU provided for in the Budget. How ■ does he propose to provide for " this excess? asked the Leader■•<# the Opposition. ■ The Minister of Finance answered:, that the reason for almost the, whole amount of the increase was the strike and smallpox epidemic. Eight months of the financial year had passed, and he was able to gauge the returns more closely, than the estimates. He'hoped, to make a saving of between £100,000' and £150,000 >on the expenditure Of the departments,; the increased landtax was estimated at £5000;" and he - was glad to say/that instead of the. strike causing a reduction" of the Customs duties, he expected to- get a. higher revenue than was estimated. Sir Joseph Ward: Will you deduce taxation? The Minister: The'time is too serious this. ' • Sir Joseph Ward: Next session ? The Minister: We will know betternext session. . He added that he ex^pected to get more than the estimates* in stamp duty and post office revenue";thus the increased expenditure woukK be made ,up,'>bnt .he did not anticipatea large surplus. • •'. ; THE LOCAL NAVY. 'Lefs get right at it," said Mr T.. M. Wilford, in a, very Tirisk, businesslike way, when a clause in the Apprqrr: priation Bill came up for approval in-; committee. 3t authorises the Minister" of Finance to make payments not exceeding £50,000 for naval defence; purposes. "I'm against ay local navy * and:: this is the start of it; I will divide the House on the clause, and it will only-' take .six'taimites/' V Unfortunately theend of the session *usb.~Was~ißo tlior-: oughly under'weigh ihat somebody forgot to again challenge the questionwheji the division bells finished ringing:: ing. The «latyse therefore passed <m> the voices; •■"•i-C. - ■.;■■;•:...',;'.;:v^xA^rioN.; \ ■ ■ ~ r What we taxation per/head^• of <the population is^hown in a returh> to Mr Russeir» order to be as follows: * . 1909, including Maoris, £4 7s sd; ex-i----cludinja; Mjaorißv £4 11b lid. 1910: £4"lb 6dj^nd £4 5s 6d; 1911 c £4 12s; 4d and £4 16s WK 1912:1£4 1^ and £5 3s lOd. 1^)13: £5 2h 3d and £5 7s 2d. ]>AIRY SH^MENTa. A question was put^ to the Minister^ of Customis to-day^by Sir. James Carroll, who asked whether the Goverir--ment is aware thato^ao association in New Zealand har k'.pidnopply of all the ■ dairy freight tonnage from New Zealand to Londdn,, -whicli is not uTi:he best intir^stso^fythe-dairy industry of' this. Dominion, and whether the Goy--ernment: will naij^tn^ whole of shipping freights between New Zea- - land and England investigated witfii theobject of asce^tahung: (1) WBetJler ' anything is being done that can; Be re- ■ pardetl as a jiohopoly *or trust thai . should be preyeit^^bir law; (2) whe--therthe Governmi^tshould take step*; to subsidise, and ;mtit)duce a new line ■ of , r steamers'.capable :«?f.;\carrying insul- • ated cargo betweenljlriglahd and this;; Dominion with a: stipulation that siichnew line shall not •thereafter make any•■• compact with any other shipping ring-> or combination without at least first obtaining the sanction, of the New Zealand Government?'. ;r . /T