5
is more than accounted for by expenditure of $3,079,450 on public works extraordinary
and therefore the Colony will be in a position, when the works at present in progress are completed, to reduce expenditure without impair-
ing efficiency of departmental services.
Fourthly, because in an emergency it would be
possible to resort to the expedient which has
been necessary in many other Colonies, namely,
a temporary curtailment of the not ungenerous
terms of service and scales of salaries which
at present prevail.
On the other hand, the present
difficulties are due, to some extent at least,
to a variety of incalculable causes which may
become aggravated and may be prolonged beyond a
point where the situation can be met by drawing
on accumulated surpluses or by reductions in
extraordinary expenditure and temporary reduct-
ions in recurrent expenditure. Moreover, the
outlook in 1935 would have been considerably
worse if it had not been for a windfall of $975,410 on account of accumulated payments to
the Military Contribution Suspense Account
which are to be credited to revenue.
The policy on which the 1935 budget
has been prepared has been to interfere as
little as possible with the essential services
of health, security and wellbeing of the
community and to curtail capital expenditure
Lowest
on public works to the possible limit.
The object has been to preserve intact surplus
balances