Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/424

 372

THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — NEW SOUTH WALES

In the Sydney metropolitan, Parramatta, Newcastle, Broken Hill, Bathurst, and Wollongong districts stipendiary magistrates preside in the police courts ; in other districts, police magistrates and honorary justices of the peace adjudicate. The licensing of houses for the sale of spirituous and fermented liquors is transacted by magistrates specially appointed for that purpose.

In 1918 there were 58,009 convictions before magistrates at Courts of Petty Sessions and Children's Courts, and 622 distinct persons were convicted at the Higher Courts. There are 25 gaols. On December 31, 1919, there were 895 prisoners in confinement.

The First Offenders (Women) Act, 1918, provides that when any woman who has not been previously convicted of any offence punishable either summarily or on indictment, is charged before any court with a minor offence, the hearing of such charge, etc., must, unless the defendant elects to be tried in open court, be in private and no persons other than those directly interested shall remain in the court, and a report of the proceedings must not be published.

Finance.

The following are statistics of net revenue for years ended June 30 : —

Year

ended

June 30

1913-14 1917 1918 1919 1920

From Taxation 1

Land Revenue

£ 4,578,24(5 5,916,317 6,178,284 6,464,129 7,435,235

£ 1,828,887 1,747,009 1,861,460 1,875,760 1,915,439

From j From Mis-

Business | cellaneous Undertakings Sources

£ 10,949,651 11,868,344 12,456,235 14,036,267 17,965,043

£

1,081,445 1,006,165 1,081,250 1,119,363 1,334,779

Total Net Revenue

£ 18,438,229 20,537,835 21,577,229 23,495,519 28,650,496

1 Including balance of revenue collected by the Federal Government and returned to State.

Under the heading ' Business Undertakings ' is included revenue from railways, tramways, water supply and sewerage, and Sydney Harbour Trust.

The control of the customs and excise having passed to the Common- wealth Government on January 1, 1901, the taxation is obtained from stamp and probate duties, land tax, income tax, motor tax, betting taxes, totalizator tax, and licences. A payment of 25s. per head per annum is made to the State by the Commonwealth Government, the bulk of whose revenue comes from customs and excise duties, Income Tax, and the Post Office.

The following table shows the net expenditure exclusive of expenditure from loans : —

Year ended June 30

1913-14 1817 1918 1919 1920

Railways ' Water

and Supply and

Tramways Sewerage

Public

Sndi!,? Interest on (including Pul)licDe bt

Educational elc

Institutions) '

£ '.',505,920 10,794,694 10,969,924 12,370,545 16,158,568

£

7-2.', 931

904, S03

1,005,413

1,132,769

1,868,197

£ 1,607,324 1,853,049 1,955,267 2,125,659 2,343,766

£

1,022,782 1,(1114,1'.':* 1,089,728 975,352 1,074,896

Other Services

£

5,203,277 6,169,894 6,478,073 6,676,425 9,204,586

Total

Net Expendi-

£

18,065,1

20,806,6:

21,553,405

23,280,750

80,210,013

I?