THE SCHEME FOR ADVANCING CHEAP MONEY TO FARMERS. In tho House on Wednesday night (July 25), in Committee of Supply, the Hon J. G. Ward, Colonial Treasurer, delivered the Financial Statement, of which the following is a full summary : Mr Guinness, —In inviting the attention of the Committee to the consideration of the financial position of tho Colony, I desire to say that it will be my aim to place the same before you as lucidly as possible. I entertain the opinion that it is not, as is frequently said, tho business of the Colonial Treasurer to attempt in any way to misrepresent the figures showing tho position of the finance of the Colony in order to make the results appear better than they really are. It is the duty of the Treasurer to state clearly, con cisely and accurately what our financial posi tion is, and my object will be to do this ; if I fail to succeed it will not be for want of an earnest endeavour on my part so to do. CONSOLIDATED FUND (REVENUE ACCOUNT OF 1893-94). I need scarcely remind honourable mem bers that the year through which the country has passed has been remarkable for a heavy fall in the values of some of our principal Eroducts, accentuated by one of the worst arvests ever recorded in the history of the Colony. In the face of this it would be not unnatural for many honourable members to anticipate a marked variation for the worse in the revenue of the year as compared with the forecast which it was my lot to give when placing my estimate before you last year. Under these circumstances it will, I am sure, be all the more gratifying to the Committee when I tell them that my estimate of the re venue of last year has been substantially

exceeded by the actual results. The figures are—Estimated, ,£4,546,700 ; actual, .£4,653,038, or <£106,338 more than the es timate. The stamps revenue .! contributed the largest excess, namely, .£48,947; then the Customs, <£35,502; territorial, <£13,059; and other heads of revenue made up a total excess of £116,584. On the other hand the railways fell short by <£7,452, and marine and miscellaneous by <£2,794, making altogether £10,246 less than the estimate. 