Remarkable Buoyancy

Fiji's Surplus

Remarkable Buoyancy in Revenues

THE Fijian Standing Committee on Finance met during the first week in November to consider draft estimates for 1943 and items of supple mentary expenditure for the current year.

The 1941 accounts, which have just been published, showed a surplus of £56.000 —the general revenue being £345,000 in the year ending December 31, 1941. Revenue was £BB,OOO over the ap proved estimates, the main increases be ing in Customs, income tax and postage.

Expenditure also was over the approved estimates bv £33,000, mainly due to in creased Defence and Public Works ex penditure.

The approved estimates for 1942 were to show expenditure and revenue almost balanced —a small surplus of £5OO being budgeted for —but, according to the re vised estimates, a surplus of £16,000 is anticipated, due to an increase of £33,000 in income tax revenue. As a consequence of the Pacific war, Civil Defence expendi ture has similarly mounted —air-raid shelters, fire-fighting equipment and per sonnel, emergency hospitals and addi tional nursing staff have been re sponsible for the difference between the estimated surplus and the additional revenue.

The estimated reserves of the Colony at December 31, 1943, are as follows: — General Reserve Fund .. £124,000 Emergency Reserve Fund . £140,000 Surplus Balances £361,000 Total £625,000 The draft estimates for 1943 allow for a deficit of £50,000.

The Standing Committee also con sidered several items of supplementary expenditure for the current year—the most important being the expenditure of £5OO for the erection of a building for the pasteurisation plant used by Dr.

Cramer in connection with the supply of fresh milk to school children. This last item was recommended by the Com mittee.