More Millions For P-NG
p. 25 · Read in the full issue
Bits From Australian Budget
RUSHING his Thousand Millions Budget through the Australian Parliament in September, the Commonwealth Treasurer intimated vaguely that the total grant to Papua and New Guinea this year was something over £6,000,000 £1,000,000 more than last year.
We have made a careful ex amination of the Budget state ments, and the following figures, showing grants for expenditure in respect of Papua and New Guinea, are taken from the official accounts:
The total is over £6J millions; but that by no means completes the list. Several Departments—notably, Defence, Civil Aviation, Interior, National Development, ABC, among others—are spending large sums m New Guinea and Papua, which are simply buried in the Depart mental totals. . The total Australian expenditure in P-NG, over and above what P NG earns by production and export, is at least £7 millions.
Administration officers in Papua- New Guinea have noted gratefully {S a .t Mr. Don Barrett, at Rabaul District Advisory Council moved: rhis Council remains concerned at the inadequate and unsuitable ac- S? r S ? mo(^a^ion f° r Administration staff and urges a stepping-up of the building programme. It also trusts that the programme for the corning financial year will not be delayed as was that of 1952-53 ”
Granted Spent 1953-4 1952-3 Grant for General £ £ Purposes Rabaul—Harbour and 5.400,000 4,652.440 Road Works 100,000 4,582 Printing of Laws 7,600 9,487 School of Pac. Adm’n. 20,450 18,127 Shipping Services 111,300 127,991 Superan. Fund 70,000 43,041 Restor. Plantns. Roads 8,000 2,727 Library Services 2,000 1,124 Sir H. Murray Meml.
Trans, of Surplus of NG Market Control Board to Copra 2,000 Marketing Board 190,350 Lighthouse Services Staff of Dept. of 20,000 21,126 Works Inter-Island Shipping 65,060 61,755 Services New Plant for Light- 10,000 4,178 house Services . 26,000 14,074 NG Timber Agreement 400,000 350,001 Allowances to Auditors Car for Audit Office, 2,125 2,975 Papua Civil Aviation — for Conveyance Mails, 1,000 — Aust.-Pacific Is.
Visits to Territories 83,000 74,604 by MP’s New Guinea Civilian 4,500 3,258 War Pensions, etc.
Interest on Loans for 33,600 31,316
P-Ng
6,420 6,436