2.
598
Expenditure for "Establishments" will agree closely with the Estimates as to leave but little margin available for the neutralization of mistakes in the Estimates for Services exclusive of Establishments, and (which it is supposed) will not be gained will be of no real value.
This will be the case if the original supply ordinances stated that the amounts voted were to be expended in accordance with the detailed provisions of the Estimates, or whether, by grouping the Expenditure into "Votes" or Departments and placing only the amounts of the several votes in the Supply Ordinances, the savings within the groups are allowed to be set against excesses within the groups.
The Colonial Office regulations require that at the end of each year, complete schedules shall be prepared of the whole of the Expenditure in excess of the detailed provisions of the Estimates. Such schedules have to be presented to the Legislative Council, and while the whole amounts of the schedules have to be voted by the supplementary supply Ordinance, it does not seem to be a matter of no moment at all. And still it does signify, whether by adopting one system of grouping or another, the amount of the supply Ordinance is made somewhat greater.