Alleged Australian Expenditure in
p. 37 · Read in the full issue
£8,300,000!
Alleged Australian Expenditure in The Territories
THE startling announcement that Aus tralia, in the financial year 1948-49, spent no less than £8,300,000 on the Australian Territories, was made on July 22 by the Finance Editor of the “Sydney Morning Herald,” when reviewing the year’s accounts. “The Commonwealth Territories spent £7½ million more than their receipts,” he said.
A year ago, the Australian Treasurer budgeted for an expenditure of some three million pounds in the Pacific Terri tories—and this seemed a huge, extrava gant figure. On that basis, we simply cannot understand the £8,300,000 total.
Obviously, Australia’s Northern Terri tory is included in the terms “Terri tories”; and it is known that public works on a large scale have been in progress in that region. But even that seems not sufficient to account for £8,300,000.
It is to be hoped that Papua and New Gui nea have not been adjusting their economy to such a rate of expenditure. If so, they will need all the unsold rubber in Papua to cushion the shock when sanity returns to government, and something like nor
mal grants and expenditure are restored to the Territories.