EXPENSIVE GOVERNMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20597, 23 June 1930, Page 6

EXPENSIVE GOVERNMENT.

AUSTRALIA'S HIGH COSTS. OVER £l3O FOR EVERY FAMILY. [ritOXl OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] SYDNEY, Junp 12. It is general knowledge, perhaps throughout the world, that Australia is .one of the most expensively-governed countries on earth. Australians certainly have good reason to bo fully awaro of the fact. Still it came as a great shock, even to' Australians, to learn from the figures issued by the Commonwealth statistician that the various governing bodies last financial year spent more than half the value of all production during the period. Here are the items of expenditure Federal Government, £81,343,526; six State Governments, £120,925,565; 1058 local governing bodies, £36,518,151. Theso itonis make a total of £238,787,242. In the same period the total value of JAustralian production was approximately £455,000,000. Exact figures are- not yet available, but for 1927-28 the total value of production was £453,311,000. To obtain a correct view of the position it is necessary to take into consideration that expenditure on the provision of services such as the Post Oflice and the Railway Departments is included in the figures showing Government spending. While the taxpayer's burden varied considerably according to tho State in which he lived, figures show that tho total of all Government expenditure was equivalent to £37 lis for every man, woman and child of tho Commonwealth. Taking four as the average household, it was £l3O 2s for every family. Other facts disclosed by ,the statistician are intensely interesting, for some ol therii, particularly those showing the peoplo's savings, reflect credit on tho Commonwealth. The net indebtedness of the Commonwealth and the States at June 30 last year was £1,104,028,062. The amount of this owed overseas was £572,282,903. Of the total debt tho States owe £726,406,490. New loan expenditure in 1928-29 equalled £5 8s 6d per head, which brought the net Governmental indebtedness to £173 a head. Tho number of savings banks accounts in Australia was 4,937,428 and tho average credit balance was £45 13s 4d. EThe number of insurance policies on Australian lives was 2,453,602 and the aggregate assurance covered by theso policies as mora than £342,000,000. Benefit members of friendly societies total 597,875 and she annual revenue of the societies agcrregates £2,401,936,