Territories'

Australia As The Territories' Father Christmas

OFFICIAL figures published in the Papua-New Guinea Gazette on June 4 and covering the half year to Dec ember 31, 1946, show that cash held on current account in the Commonwealth Bank in tht Territory was £159,006; cash at District Offices was £84,614; and “due by other authorities” £61,973 —total over £300,000.

Territorial revenue was £187,998; derived chiefly from Customs £131,918; sale of stores, £26,771; and Postal £11,479. Plus the open cheque received from the Aus tralian Government (£485,157), total in come was £690,894.

How long the fairy godmother, in the shape of the Commonwealth Government, will continue to supply about £500,000 every six months remains to be seen.

Half year’s expenditure amounted to £609,792. Biggest item was £132,435, mysteriously called “Miscellaneous Ser vices”. District Services and Native Affairs took £127,205, Public Health £75,055, Public Works £70,229 and Native Labour £45,105.

That was for the half-year ended Dec ember 31. All totals have increased in the current half-year, Comparisons, of course, are odious. But pru-war figures for Papua and TNG, show that for the year ended June 30, 1941, revenue in both territories totalled £613,328, earned mostly within the ter ritories, while expenditure was £620,792.

For many years, pre-war, TNG paid its own way and had a substantial surplus tucked away in its coffers; while Papua usually received some £40,000 p.a. from Australia.