1
T
Conclosure 6.
8
"Hansard" containing reports of the Meetings of the
Legislative Council held on 24th. September and on 8th. and
15th. October when the Estimates were considered. On the
first of those dates I introduced the Budget with an ex-
-planation of the financial position of the Colony and of
the more important increases and decreases in Revenue and
Expenditure. On the 8th. October the proposals of the
Goverment were oriticised in speeches by three of the Un-
-official Members of Council to which the Colonial Secreta-
-ry, the Director of Public Works and I myself replied.
The Appropriation Bill was then read a second time and
passed the third reading in the following week without
debate.
4.
Before dealing with the Estimates
for next year I propose briefly to sum up the financial
situation.
Your Lordship will remember that
in forwarding the Estimates for this year I anticipated
that the balance of Assets over Liabilities on 31st.
December, 1907, would amount to $1,435,345. This estimate
was more than realised, the sum actually booked, according
to the corrected statement enclosed, being $1,542,175. I
should perhaps here explain that the difference between
this