45
Enclosure in No. 102.
Newspaper Extract.
THE BUDGET AND ECONOMY.
WE have received from the Audit Bureau a letter which throws further light upon the summary of the budget for the first half of the current year, which was published a fortnight ago. The figures therein given were the amounts which appeared in the printed volume submitted to the Lower House, but it is explained that this volume was compiled at the end of 1912, and included provision for various reorganisation work which it was the intention of the Government to pay for from the large loan, Early in March, as the Reorganisation Loan was not concluded, and the prospects of its being arranged were indefinite, the estimates of expenditure contained in the budget were reconsidered, and considerably reduced by, the Cabinet. It was not then possible to submit them to the National Assembly, as it had not been organised. The following table shows the estimated expenditure in the original budget, the sums reduced by the Cabinet, the estimates authorised by the Cabinet, and the monthly estimates from the Ministries received by the Audit Bureau :
Ministry.
Original Estimates.
Reductions made by the Cabinet
Estimates authorised by the Cabinet.
Estimates received by the Audit Bureau.
Difference between Estimates reported to the Audit BureĽU And those authorized by the Cabinet.
Increase.
Wai-chiao Pu
Interior
Finomo
Education
War
Navy
Dollars. 2,033,143 .00 2,186,701 00 90,620,104-00 6,287,651 00 22,836,758 00
9,954,204 00
Justion
1,102,036 +00
Agriculture
and
Forestry Industry and Com.
2,914,553 -00
19,018,794 60
17,499,647 00
merce Communications
Total
--L
Dollars.
67,353 '200 2,304,842 000 3,906,287-405 7,403,200-ano 426,001.000 2,147,736 +000
11,550,931 000
4,276,076 '000
Dollars. 2,083,143 -00 2,135,701.00 90,562,750*10 3,982,809 00 19,470,470 59 2,550,914-00 676,/34-00 760,817 00
Decrease.
Dollars.
2,081,075 +103
2,161,168-325
Dollare. 47,932-103 15,467.325
Dollars.
8,568,552-480
----
81,999,188 -400*
2,413,652-832
1,569,156 188
1,467,793 '50
19,229,571-00
20,607,595-425 1,137,064 830
1,986,482 +498 971,724 -000 $44,086 544
4,549,030 -866 3,031,637 866†|
711,727 -986
295,690 000
15-1
564,431, 502
822,730 016
IPST
I LEI
12,511,849 016*
168,412,620 50 31,542,516 605 136,570,003 89 44,480,648 039 4,577,991 624 96,967,340 481
This sum represente what the Gove ament has to pay during the first six months of 1913 on foreign loans (76,760,842 dollars) and on domestic loans (2,440,609 81 dollars).
† This sum, intended principally for the erection of iron-worke, was refused.
The figures submitted to the Bureau of Audit provide only for actual expenses of the Ministry,
From the above table it will be seen that the Cabinet reduced the estimated expenditure from 168,412,520 dollars to 136,870,003 dollars, a difference of 31,542,516 dollars. The monthly estimates of expenditure received by the Audit Bureau from the various Ministries only amount to 44,480,646 dollars, but this is due to the fact that 81,999,188 dollars due during the first half-year upon foreign and domestic loans, and 12,511,843 dollars for railway and other expenses of the Ministry of Communications, did not figure in these estimates. If these sums be added to the 44,480,646 dollars, the total will be approximately the amount sanctioned by the Cabinet.
The exact expenditure of each Ministry cannot be known until all accounts for the first half of the year have been received and checked by the Audit Bureau, but the following amounts have been placed at the credit of the various Ministries between January and June:-
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Interior
+
Finance
Education
H
57
W
•
H
"
[1082]
War
Navy
Justice
Agriculture and Forestry
Industry and Commerce
Communications
Total
:
Dollars.
2,050,000
2,150,000
89,000,000
3,500,000
20,000,000
2,200,000
800,000
600,000
1,500,000
18,000,000
134,600,000
N
251