DOMINION FINANCE

Otago Witness, Issue 3444, 16 March 1920, Page 40

DOMINION FINANCE

ELEVEN MONTHS' FIGURES. WELLINGTON, March 8. The Prime Minister, in his capacity of Acting-Minister of Finance, issued to-day a statement of revenue and expenditure for the eleven months of the financial year ended February 29, with the usual comparison with figures for the corresponding period of last year. The figures show, in effect, that the increase in the revenue is just shout balanced by the increase in expenditure, but in the last month of the year, as always happens, there are sums added to the revenue which assure a surplus, and there is a reasonable hope for a surplus this year, although perhaps not such a surplus as was returned at the end of last year. Following are the' figures, the later return being mentioned first and the previous return second:—Customs, £4,206,090, £3,376,200; stamps. £2,931,942, £1,879,542; postal and telegraph, £1,568,978. £1,524,265; land tax, £1,545,606, £1,504,282; income tax, £3.602,745, £2,258,995; beer duty, £313,177, £236,479; railways, £4,929,683, £4,269,901; registration and other fees, £136,949, £93,610; marine, £37,193, £30,385; miscellaneous, £978,801, £837,680; territorial, £173,369, £152,972; national endowment revenue, £112,840 £108,824; other receipts, £5288, £45,284; totals,- £20,542,661, £16,318,419—a net increase of £4,224,242. Expenditure.—Permanent charges, civil list, £20,769, £23,089; interest and sinking fund, £6,801.754, £5,674,785; under special Acts, £3,121,596, £2,438,892; totals, £9.944,119, £8,136,766. Annual Appropriations. —Class I, legislative, £39,005, £32,593; Class 11, finance, £159,459, £130,852; Class 111, post and telegraph, £1,275,623, £1,142,671; Class IV, railways, £3,725,778, £2,885,801; Class V, public buildings, etc., £118,055, £90,690; Class VI, Native £24,920, £22,986; Class VII, justice, £465,976, £411,579; Class VIII, mines, £30,061, £36,309; Class IX, internal affairs, £286,410, £242,485; Class X, mental hospistals. public health, etc., £533,401, £276,186; Class XI, tourists, £56,992, £43,347; Class XII, defence, £415,173, £334,282; Class-XIII, Customs and marine, £185,986 £146,358; Class XIV, Labour, £35,483, £28,451; Class XV, lands and survey, £218,602, £182,201; Class XVI, valuation and electoral, £156,967, £39,054; Class XVII, agriculture, £586,856, £220,156 ; Class XVIII, education, £1,924,967, £1,466,822; services not provided for, £13,660, £37,746; — totals, £10,253,374, £7,770,569. Sinking funds transferred, £4OO, nil. Expenditure grand totals, £20,197,893, £15,907,335—a net increase of £4,290.550. Balance on April 1, £15,239,561, £11,560,788. ' Receipts, £20.542,661, £16,318,419; less expenditure, £20,197,893, £15,907,335. Balance at end of February, £15,584,329, £11.971.872; made up as follows:—Cash, £1,966.356. £918,165; advances, £2,305.591, £1,751,238; investments, £11,312.382, £9,302,469;—t0ta15. £15,584,329; £11,971,872.