THE SELWYN COUNCIL AND THE SURPLUS LAND FUND.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1306, 27 May 1878, Page 3

THE SELWYN COUNCIL AND THE SURPLUS LAND FUND.

The following correspondence has been placed at our disposal. The first letter, it will be seen, is addressed by the Selwyn County Chairman to the Colonial Treasurer, in accordance with the resolution passed at the sitting of the Selwyn Council on May 17th. The second is a circular to the chairmen of the various Road Boards, also in accordance with the same resolution : Selwyn County Council, May 22nd,1878. Sir,—l have been instructed by a special resolution of the Selwyn County Council to call your attention to the fact that the balance of land fund to the 31st December, 1877. which is directed by the 16th section of the Public Revenues Act, 1877, to be paid by the 31st March last, has not been so paid to the Road Boards in this county, and to request that as this balance is by law not only payable but to be paid by that date, you will be good enough to give directions for such payment beiug made. I have the honor to be, .Sir, Your obedient servant, (Signed) John Hall, Chairman of the County of Selwyn. The Hon. the Colonial Treasurer, Wellington. Office of the Selwyn County Council, Christchurch, 22nd May, 1878. Sir,—l have been instructed by the Selwyn County Council to forward to you the accompanying copy of a resolution passed by them on the 17th inst., viz. : “ That the Government be requested at once to pay over to the Road Boards of this county the sums by law payable on the 3) st day of March last, under the 16th section of the Public Revenues Act, 1877, and that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Eond Boards interested, with a request that they will move the Government in the same direction.”

In explanation of this resolution, I am to point out to you that in order to preclude any unnecessary delay in the payment by the Treasury of the balance of land fund becoming due to local bodies previous to tho date at which the land fund was made colonial revenue, the following section was inserted by the General Assembly in the Public Revenues Act, 1877, viz.:—

“The balance of land fund of any district payable under section 9 of the Financial Arrangements Act, 1876, in respect of the halfyear ending the 31st day of December,|lß77, and not paid at that date, shall, notwithstanding anything in the Financial Arrangements Act, 1876, Amendment Act, 1877, or this Act, be payable and shall he paid, as is [provided in the paid Financial Arrangements Act, 1876, within ninety days of the said 31st day of December, 1877.”

The Colonial Government was therefore by law bound to pay, before the 31st March last, all balances of land fund accruing to the Road Boards in Canterbury prior to the 31st December. Tho Government has not done so.

What the amount of those balances may he is not known to the County Connell, but in the accounts which have been furnished to it by the Government, it appears that for the six months ending 31st December last, a payment on account only for the land fund of that period has been made; and the published accounts of the Government also show that on the 31st December there remained in the Treasury the sum of £315,675 Oa 5d on account of the Canterbury land fund. There seems therefore no reason to doubt that the amount of money which is withheld by the Government from Road Boards in Canterbury, contrary to the distinct provisions of the law, is very considerable, and that each of those Boards is deeply interested in seeing the law complied with. The County Council has already addressed the Government on the subject, but as the Road Boardi have actually more at stake in this matter than the county, it is probable that direct communication from them to the Government will be more likely to have effect than the unsupported application of the Council.

I have the honor to be, Sir, Your obedient servant, W. Jameson, Clerk to the Council The Chairman of the— —Road Board.