Treasure-Hunting in Southeast Asia

emanated from persons adept at playing around with figures, such as advisers and experts. They were probably under pressure from politicians to help relieve a gloomy picture with a rosier touch. In a fit of cither desperation or absentmindedness, they perhaps succumbed to doing something which they, at that particular point, might have considered as relatively harmless. Besides, they might have argued with themselves, they were not after all cheating all the way; the budget papers are intended for literate persons, such persons are not expected to neglect reading the relevant footnote, which explained everything.