Budget

Fiji’s £4 Million Budget Too Much Imported Food, Says Governor

FIJI this year will have an estimated deficit of about £BB,OOO (mostly due to the January hurricane) and a total Budget ex penditure of £4,129,000. This is the largest Budget in Fiji’s history, and

sizeable for a population of 300,000.

Biggest expenditure items in the estimates are Public Works, £1,059,835 Health, £537,426; and Education, £497,439.

The deficit, said Mr. H. W.

Davidson (Finance Secretary) in Legislative Council, would be let off with a caution not to appear again.

The Governor, Sir Ronald Garvey, said that it would be unjust to hit the taxpayer to cover the deficit caused by the hurricane but that Fiji

could not afford to be compls about its economy. The prr prosperity enjoyed by the Coc was not due to an increase in ov but to increased world prices« primary products.

Sir Ronald said that Fiji’s posz came close to a fool’s paradise view of their population incrr and that since he returned to < Colony he had been shocked toe how much reliance there was one ported foodstuffs. “Fifteen y ago,” he said, “the only impo food at a normal meal was the : from which the bread was made At another stage during Budget Session, the Goves presented to the Legislative Con for its consideration, a suggest that the International Bank for • construction and Development asked to make an expert inquiry Fiji’s economic potential “with ticular reference to our gron population.” That at a later agricultural and industrial sul teams be invited from the o Pacific Dominions with a to attracting capital, and thati experienced local Development poration could be set up as channel through which developn projects could be co-ordinated.