The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1911. THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 22, 11 September 1911, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1911. THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT.

The Financial Statement delivered by Sir Joseph Ward in the House last Friday night lias many points of in-, terest, and, on the whole, we must congratulate the Treasurer on the Budget now presented. It is certainly an advance on the same lines followed by the Liberal Government since its accession to power over twenty years ago, and is the most notable advance in its policy the Government has made. The year’s surplus is shown at £1,386,-183, and the revenue readies the record total of £10,297,023. On this very buoyant position the Government is certainly to be congratulated, and all shades of political opinion will sincerely hope this buoyancy may be maintained during the present year. The defence made by Sir Joseph Ward to the criticism of those who accuse his Government of wild and reckless borrowing and expenditure, was another interesting feature of the Budget speech, and it will probably be news to most people that 86 per cent, of the public debt incurred since 1891 is interest-bearing or profit-earning.. The outlook, from the Treasurer’s viewpoint, is a cheery one, a revenue of nearly ton and a half millions being anticipated, and a surplus of over £870,000 predicted. This does not quite look like the very bad state of affairs those who can find no good wan'd for the Government allege. Though doubtless something may have to lie allowed for the optimism of a Treasurer who can lay claim to a record year for revenue, one cannot get away from facts, and the fact that all the destructive criticism of the past twenty-one years has not succeeded in turning the Government out of office, must, of itself, he some answer to that criticism.