101
33306
Staff. $213,849. An increase of $75,100 on this year's estimate; but $58,521 of this is exchange com- pensation. In the 1902 estimates exchange compensa- tion was not charged to each Department, but lumped together under Miscellaneous. Of course the vote has been doubled by the decision to grant exchange compen- sation on the whole salary, instead of the half; and
that applies to the whole service.
Public Works Recurrent. $382,000. An increase of $114,000 as compared with this year's estimate. Including the Public Works chargeable to Water Account the total is $481,500, as compared with $316,500 (or an increase of $165,000). But the actual expenditure for 1902 was estimated on July 4th at $498,750; so that next year's is actually expected to be $17,250
less.
Public Works Extraordinary $931,100. An increase of $133,783 as compared with the original estimate for 1902, or $249,000 as compared with the estimate in 33306.
It is certainly a very heavy estimate: but I do not, for all that, see any good reason for allowing the Colony to raise a loan. If they had a heavy deficit, there would be some point about it; but there is at any rate a very strong probability, on the Governor's own showing, that they will have a small surplus on 1903. If this is so, I think we should hesitate before letting them add to their liabilities. The works are ordinary enough in character; to speak of them as "productive" is perhaps misleading; roads
are