The Rangitikei Advocate. TWO EDITIONS DAILY. SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 1920 DOMINION FINANCE.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 12017, 20 March 1920, Page 4

The Rangitikei Advocate. TWO EDITIONS DAILY. SATURDAY, MARCH 20, 1920 DOMINION FINANCE.

THE figures relating to the revenue and expenditure tor the first eleven months of the finahcial year ending | on 31st of present month, are I strongly indicative of - the general j tendency upwards, and are by no means satisfactory from the view- | point of the taxpayers. During that period the taxpayers contributed no less than over 20>£ millions, an increase of £4,334,343 over the amount during the corresponding period of previous year. This merely shows that the people have been made- to bear a heavier burden, and the figures of the expenditure prove that even that increase has not sufficed to make both ends meet, for it was £4,290.558 higher. The conclusion is inevitable that we have been going from bad* to wofse. The principal increases in revenue are: Customs, £829,890; stamps, £1,053,400; income tax, £1,343,750; railways, £659,782; and miscellaneous, £141,-j 121. In passing we may 'note that | tlie increase in income tax as com- , pared with Customs shows that the pressure of taxation is chiefly on a particular class, though the Customs increase is also considerable. The principal increases in expenditure are: Interest and sinking fund, £1,126,969; under special Acts, £083,704; Post and Telegraphs, £133,953; Railways, £839 977; Mental Hospitals and Puolic Health, £357,-' 215; Valuation and Electoral, £117,913; Agriculture, £3(56,700; Education, £458,145, The total interest and sinking fund amounted to £6,801,754. In other words payment involved by the borrowing policies of the past represents nearly £7 per head of"the total population-man, woman and child, or about £35 for the breadwinner ofAhe average family. Is it any wonder., that the cost of living has increased? The cost of running all the departments has advanced ; enormously, And it is high time the pruning knife was applied to some and the erarticafcor to others. There j . should be ' some effort made to < simplii’S’. the working of those departmento that are really useful to j the people, and, all others should be ’ swept away. It is quite possible tha.t i the loos may havh been aincprred be- i

fd'fe the present. Ministry took’’office» 'bftt in any case the position is far from satisfactory. Onr whole system of government calls Ipudly for reform, especially in the direction of economy. The prosperity of the producing ‘industries has enabled the “country so far to endurp the strain, but this does not justify waste and extravagance. The State should not i only perform- its* functions at less 1 cost,- but should set to work to pay off some of the debt which hangs like a-millstone.on the necks of the people, and it should do this without increasing taxation. Unless the present tendency is checked, and the expenditure brought well within the income, then the position wifi only grow worse with ’each [succeeding year, >