PARLIAMENTARY RETURNS,

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11229, 27 September 1898, Page 7

PARLIAMENTARY RETURNS,

(Fbom Our Own Correspondent.) ; WELLINGTON, September 6. Returns have been laid on the table of the House showing' the articles on which the rate of duty was charged by "The Customs ;and' Excise Duties Act 1875," the amount of duty paid from the Ist of April, 1896, to the 31st of March, 1897, with the amounts which would have been paid iff the rates had not been changed, and also for the period from the Ist of April, 1897, to the 31st of March,, 1898. In the first case the amount of duty paid was £724,629, and if the duty payable under the former rate had continued'the amount would have been :£709,638. The net increase was therefore £14,991. , The figures in regard to last year are: —Duty paid, £778,461; duty which would have been payable under former rates, £746,292;—net increase, £32,169. A return has been laid on the table of the House showing the amount,drawn by each member of the Executive for travelling allowances .and travelling expenses during the financial year ended March 31, 1897. The totals are as follows:—Mr Seddon, £483 9s 7d; Mr Ward, £203 6s; Mr M'Kenzie, £333 18s ; Mr Cadman, £262 6s 8d; Mr Hall-Jones, £98 8s lid; Mr Thompson, £247 4s 8d; Mr Walker, £228 3s lid Mr Carroll, £230 7s 3d ;—total, £2086 19s 6d.

The expenditure last year on the Levin State farm was £2197 19s 2d. The balance of receipts over expenditure was £369 9s lid, but the receipts included a Government vote, of £800. .To the return giving

this information a note is added to the effect that a large amount of profit derived from the expenditure in live stock during 1897-98 will be received' during 1898-99.