ITEMS IN ESTIMATES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20323, 2 August 1929, Page 16

ITEMS IN ESTIMATES.

MAIN HIGHWAYS REVENUE.

VOTE FOR SINGAPORE BASE. SAMOAN ADMINISTRATION COSTS. [BY TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINC!TON. Thursday. Numerous interesting items appeared in tho estimates for the year presented to the House of Representatives this evening by the Minister of Finance, Sir Joseph Ward, in connection with his Budget. Tlio civil list shows that the vote of €7500 to ITis Excellency the GovernorGeneral was fully expended. The sum of £SOOO was for salary, and £2500 was for other charges. Transport charges totalled £1663.

Maintenance of overseas and war graves and war memorials cost New Zealand £30,750 last year. The same sum is to bo voted this year.

In the payment of honoraria of members of the Legislative Council £11,970 will bo involved. The honoraria of members of the House of Representatives are estimated to cost £30,000. r lhe total voted is thus £42.570. Last year £41,658 was expendod. The sum of £65,000 is voted under the Family Allowances Act. The voto last year was £60,000, of which £54,815 was spent. A further annual vote of £125,000 in respect to tho Singapore naval baso is again provided for.

The Main Highways Revenue Fund is estimated to benefit this year to the oxtent of £542,000, of which fines, fees, etc., payable to the fund will total £332,000, and the amount of duties on tyres, tubes, otc., £210,000. The amount expended last year was £441,346. Losses on Branch Railways. Losses on the operation of branch lines and isolated sections of railways last year totalled £496.578. Provision for the sum of £495,000 is to bo made this year. These losses are mado good by the Consolidated Fund. Subsidies to hospital boards involved £673.689 last year, when the vote was £695.000. The voto this year is £685.000. Salaries of Judges of the Supremo Court cost £16,920 last year. This year £18,725 is to bo voted, that being similar to last year's provision. Tho vote for the salaries of magistrates is also renewed at £27,400. Last year £27,106 was spent. A further grant of £15,000 is to be itiade toward tho maintenance of Massey Agricultural College.

Expenditure under the Motor Spirits Taxation Act last year amounted to £793,670. The appropriation this year has been increased from £750.000 to £900,000. which is payable to the Main Highways Revenue Fund. Subsidies and allowances to the National Provident Fund this year arc estimated to amount to £103,124. Last year's expenditure totalled £101.367. Grants in aid to tho university colleges this year are estimated as follows: —Auckland, '£9750; Victoria, £7.750; Canterbury, £6000; Otngo, £15,350. In each case this year's vote is identical with last year's expenditure. Pensions Payments. Tho estimated payments under tho Pensions Act are as follows, last year s expenditure being shown in parentheses:— Miners. £46,100 (£45,725); Maori warpensions. £II,OOO (£13,573); old age, £1,062.500 (£1,018,353); blind, £14.000 (£13,339) ; widows, £320.000 (£312.963). The free issue of postage stamps to member's of both houses of Parliament involved £2326 last year, and the vote this vear is £2200. The Public Service Commissioner is voted £ISOO, and his temporary assistant £1092. Pensions and allowances under the v\ar Pensions Act, 1915, cost £1.178.647 last year. This year's vote is £1.175,000. To defray the salaries and expenses of the legislative departments this year it is estimated that £89,806 will be required The cost last year was £95.191. Railway concessions and passes to members and of the Legislature and their families cost £23.784 last year, and £24,000 is provided this year. Expenditure under the heading of League of Nations last year is shown as follows:—New Zealand's proportion of secretarial expenses for 1928, £9319; expenses of delegate to Geneva, £652. For the same purposo this year £IO,IBO and £SOO respectively aro provided. Transport Commission Costs.

Toward the cost of the Auckland Metropolitan Transport Commission £4IOO was voted last year and £4098 was expended. For Samoan administration £20,000 is to be voted this year. Last year's vote was £3003. Formerly £12,000 was provided bv New Zealand reparation estates in Samoa. Tho profits from the estates are now to be paid to tho public account. For the pay and expenses of the Samoan civil police £IB,OOO is voted. Tho cost last year of the Samoan military police now replaced by tho civil polico was £27.374, which was met by tho Finance Act.

• For the maintenance of Cook Island lepers at Makogai, tho vote this year is £3OOO Last, year's expenditure •'was £2617.

Tho travelling expenses last year of Judges and associates were more than anticipated. Tho vote was £4OOO, and tho expenditure €5224. The vote has been renewed at £4003.

To feed tho prisoners in New Zealand gaols last year nn expenditure of £17.308 was incurred. This year's vote has been reduced bv £SOO to £17.500. A bounty of £6730 was paid to tho Onnkaka Tron and Steel Company last year. The expenditure is governed bv the output of pig iron. A vote of £BOOO is provided this year, the same provision as was made last year. The Hitrh Commissioner's office last year cost £55.500, including salaries. The vote was £44.936. This year £44,769 has been provided.

COMPENSATION CLAIM. BOMBARDMENT BY GERMANS. AUCKLAND FIRM'S WAR LOSS. [liY TELEfJKA I'll. —SPECIAL RnPOUTEn. ] WELLINGTON, Thursday. When the German cruisers Scliarnhorst and Gneisenau bombarded Papeete, Tahiti, in November, 1914, the gunfire de stroyed the stoieliouses and goods of A. I? Donald, Limited, general merchants and island traders, with headquarters in Auckland. When the Now Zealand list of claims against Germany were finalised after the war, £16,375 was passed as valid in respect of the firm's claim. In a petition presented to the Mouse of Representatives today the firm stated that the real loss suffered liv it v»as approximately £50,009 The sum of £3977 was paid to the petitioners in 192.3 and a further £834 in 1926. the explanation having been given by the secretary of the Treasury that it had bee. decided that only 30 per cent, of the assessed value of the claim was to be paid. Thus the firm received £4Bll out of the sum of £16,375 earlier passed as valid. In view of the fact that tho New Zealand Government was understood to have tecoived over £1,250,000 in reparation payments from Germany, the petitioners submitted that £11,564, representing tho balance of tho claim, should bo paid to them.