PAUPERISM — FINANCE
279
Pauperism,
The Governniciit does not deal directly with pauperism. The colony is divided into hospital and charitable aid districts. The boards rate the local bodies within their boundaries, and receive Government subsidy equal to what is raised. There are, besides, what are called * separate institutions,' or
- incoi-porated hospitals and benevolent societies,' which receive from Governr
ment 24s. a pound on private subscriptions. The total sum paid to the Charitable Aid Boards during the year ended 31st March, 1898, out of the Consolidated Fund was 44,575Z.
During the year 1897 the various benevolent asylums in the colony accom-r modated 1,870 inmates, 813 of whom were over 65 years of age.
1,588 children (882 boys and 706 girls) were wholly or in part maintained by the Government in industrial schools and other institutions, or were boarded out.
Finance,
The chief sources of revenue and the total ordinary revenue (exclusive of receipts from sales and rents of land) have been as follows in five years ended March 31 :—
Year ended March 31
Customs
Stamps, in- cluding Post and Teleg.
Railways
Land Tax
Income Tax
Total
(including
others)
1894 1895 1896 1897 1898
£ 1,665,503 1,569,784 1,649,310 1,818,972 1,935,252
£ 674.647 677,225 707,188 730,237 780,232
£ 1,175,548 1,152,748 1,182,280 1,287,140 1,370,572
£ 285,327 280,188 271,399 272,309 267,286
£
75,238
89,891
92,778
105,504
115,210
£ 4,055,679 3,965,829 4,107,078 4,798,708 5,079,230
The receipts from sales of land have been, for years ended 31st March, 1898, 92,578Z. ; 1894, 128,670Z. ; 1895, 121,467Z. ; 1896, 126,571Z. ; 1897, 109,521Z. The revenue results for the ten months ended January, 1899, showed an increase of 157,000 over the corresponding period of 1897-98.
The chief branches of expenditure and the total ordinary expenditure (exclusive of sums paid to the Public "Works Fund) have been as follows in live years ended March 31 : —
Year ended March 31
Public
Debt
Charges
Railways
Education
Post, and Telegraph
Constabulary and Defence
£ 171,073 177,188 196,999 189,143 105,602
Total
(including
others)
1894 1895 1896 1807 1808
£ 1,885,697 1,716,880 1,683,775 1,709,469 1,741,413
£ 731,844 727,656 744,200 776,748 849,928
£ 388,652 403,234 453,156 461,582 466,925
£ 292,433 206,766 338,836 352,886 862,993
£ 4,386,359 4,266,712 4,370,481 4.509,981 4,602,372
The total expenditure out of the Public Works Fund from 1870 to March 31, 1898, was 31,070,014/., including charges and expenses for raising loans.
In 1891 a land and income assessment act was passed repealing the pro- perty tax formerly existing, and providing for an ordinary land tax on the actual value of land, exemptions or deductions being granted on account of improvements and mortgages and an income tax. Mortgages are subject to ^he land tax. The rate for 1896-97 was Id. in the pound, yielding a revenue
