CORRESPONDENCE ON PROVINCIAL MATTERS.

Marlborough Press, Volume I, Issue 32, 11 August 1860, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE ON PROVINCIAL MATTERS.

SUMS VOTED AND EXPENDED BY THE NELSON GOVERNMENT. (Copy.) Superintendent’s Office, Marlborough, May 5, IS6O. Sir —I have the honour to forward you a copy of the Marlborough Press, in which a short report of the first meeting of our Provincial Council will he found. I shall be obliged by your informing me what part of the sums voted by the Nelson Government for the public works in these districts have been expended. I have also the honour to request you to inform me if you arc prepared to pay over to the Treasurer of this Province any balance remaining of the- sums voted. I have, &c., William Adams, His Honour Superintendent. The Superintendent, Nelson. (Copy.) Superintendent’s Office, Nelson, May 21, 1860. Sir—l have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Honour’s letter, dated the sth instant, requesting to be informed what part of the sums voted by the Nelson Government for Public Works in the District of Marlborough have been expended; also, if lam prepared to pay over to the Treasurer of that Province any balance remaining of the sums voted. lu reply, I have to remark, that no reference being made by you to the period for which you require the information, 1 am unable to state what amount of the sums voted by the Nelson Provincial Council, to which I imagine you refer, has been expended; if, however, you are desirous of ascertaining the amount expended during the Financial Year, 1850-00, the enclosed statement will show it. With regard to your second enquiry, I have to state that it is the invariable practice to treat all sums voted by the Provincial Council out of the Public Revenues, and not expended by the close of the Financial Year for which they are voted, as revenue belonging to the succeeding year to be again appropriated to such purposes as the Council may think proper, and that, as no sums were voted by it during its last session, just ended, for the. Province of Marlborough, I have none at my disposal which I can pay over to the Treasurer of that province. I have, Ac., J. P. Robinson, His Honor . Superintendent. The Superintendent, Marlborough. Extract from Statement alluded to. Voted. Expended. Waitohi — £ £ s. d. Jetty 300 . Lock-up . . . GO . Wairau — Trunk Line from Wairau River through Beaver and Taylor’s Pass to limit of Wairau Road District . 1,500 . 338 10 0 District Trunk Line up Wairau Plain .... 300 Ditto continued in Narrows and Wairau Valley . . 150 . Ditto continued over Traverses . . . 50 Opawa Foot Bridge and Ford 30 . Dray Bridge over Ornaka, at Beaver .... 300 . Bridge at hack of Simmonds’ House . . . GO . Wairau Road Board . . 200 . 200 0 0 Waihopai — District Trunk Line from junction of Avon River to Falccm Point . . . 2 00 JJeuocr — Bridge over Creek near Lock-up . . . 30 . Completion of Court House and addition for Post-office 200 . District Road between Beaver and Boulder Bank (if acquired) .... 100 . Buoys for Wairau River Mouth, and charge of same 100 .

Voted. Expended. Beavet —concluded. , 0 £ £ s. d. District Road from Boulder Bank to Ferry at Terminus of Waitohi Road . „ . 50 . Ferry Boat over Wairau at ditto 300 . Dray Bridge over Tuamarina 200 . Bridge over Spring Creek 100' . Fencing in Cemeteries . 100 . Awatere — Trunk Line through Taylor s Pass .... 200 . _ Ditto from Taylor’s Pass to Shearing Reserve . . 300 . Bridle Track by Upcot to Barefell's Pass . - 160 . 160 0 0 Trunk Line from Taylor’s Pass to Awatere River Mouth . . . 50 . Nautical Survey of Awatere River Mouth . . . 200 . 76 1 3 (Copy.) . TRUST FUNDS. To Donald Sinclair, Esq., David Monro, Esq., Mr. Oswald Curtis, J. D. Greenwood, Esq., W. Wells, Esq., Mr. J. W. Barnicoat, Mr. Charles Elliott, Trustees of the Nelson Trust Funds. I hereby give you and each and every of you notice that I claim and demand from you on the part of this province a statement and account, showing the full amount of the Nelson I rust Funds, moneys, and premises received by you or some of you, or the predecessors of you or some of you. as Trustees of the Nelson Trust Funds, or otherwise howsoever. And I hercbv on behalf of this province, give you further notice, that I shall hold you, and each and every of yon, responsible for any part of the said Trust Funds, moneys, or premises you hereafter expend, lay out, or part with, until it is settled and arranged how much of the said. Trust Funds, moneys, or premises belong to this province, or the settlers. •" •" As witness my hand'this seventh day of May, one thousand eight hundred and sixty. William Adams, Superintendent of the Province of Marlborough. (Copy.) » “ Trust Funds Office, “Nelson, May 31st, ISGO. “ Sir—l am instructed by the Trustees of the Nelson Trust Funds to forward to you the annexed resolution unanimously passed this day. “ I am &c., “ A. G. Jenkins, “ Secretary. “To William Adams, Esq., Superintendent of the Province of Marlborough.” “ Resolved with reference to the Messages received from William Adams, Esq., Superintendent of Marlborough; “ That the Trustees refer Mr. Adams to the various Acts relating to the management and application of the Nelson Trust Funds, and to the published accounts of the expenditure of those Funds. “ The Trustees decline to recognise any right on the part of an individual elector to demand any accounts other than those which are published in accordance with the Trust Funds Acts.”

(Copy.) BLENHEIM SCHOOL. Superintendent’s Office, Marlborough, June 11, 1860. Sir— ln the letters, estimates, and expenditure laid before me relating to the Nelson Central Board of Education for 1859-60, there appears the item “Received Wairau Rate, £79 155.; Vote bv Provincial Council for Schools, £3,000; Grant ‘by the Central Board for payment of Master at the Wairau, £SS. And by a letter of Mr. Wells, of October, 1859, Mr. James White was appointed master at the Wairau School, by vour recommendation, you being at the time Secretary of the Central Board; and by a circular of the Central Board, dated October 6,1859, the payment of £7 appears as a payment towards the salary of the said schoolmaster; and Mr. Wells, by his letter of the 10th October, 1859, states that £7 will be placed monthly by the Central Board to the credit of the Local Wairau Branch, for the master’s allowance. By yours of the 3rd December last, you say that “ The proclamation constituting the new province at once dissolved the connection,” and you refuse any more aid. In making this statement, I presume that you forgot that the Nelson Education Acts, and all others, were not severed as regards this district by the proclamation ; as long as the Nelson Education Acts are in force, this district forms one under the Nelson Central Board, and is clearly entitled to have all engagements made by the sanction of the Central Board fulfilled. The master was engaged at your recommendation, and one payment made by the Central Board towards his salary; you (Central Board) are clearly bound by this contract to the 30th of this month. The balance due to the master to that time is £56. The full liabilities of this Board including the said £56, are £l3l 11s. Id. The Central Board having received £79 15s. from this district, and having only expended £7 of that money, are in all fairness bound to refund the balance of the £79 15s. I am instructed to apply for payment of these liabilities, and I trust you will place the same to the credit of Mr. Dodson, the Secretary of this Board. Should your Board be inclined to meet this request, so far as to the balance of £79 155., after deducting the £7 payment, I believe the Board here will let the matter rest. As a matter of course the master’s salary and the other liabilities must be paid, and I am inclined to think the legal adviser of the Central Board will agree with me that the Central Board is liable to fulfil the contract made with the master, should he not consider the Central Board bound to fulfil the other contracts. I trust to receive a favourable reply. Will you oblige me by informing me if any conveyance was ever made of the laud on which the Wairau school stands, and if so, to whom ? And if made, whether the present trustees are agreeable to convey the same to me, as Superintendent of this province, and my successors. Any further information on this head I shall be thankful for. I have, &c., William Adams, J. D. Greenwood, Esq., Secretary Central Board of Education, Nelson. (Copy.) Central Board of Education, Nelson, July 6, 1860. Sir—l have the honour to inform you that I yesterday laid before the Board your letter res-

pecting the school in the Wairau, commenced under the provisions of the Nelson Education Act. I am instructed to transmit to your Honour the subjoined resolution passed thereon : “ That this Board, having read the letter of the Superintendent of Marlborough, direct the Secretary to point out to his Honour that the Board is a body acting under the Provincial Government of Nelson ; and that the separation of the province put an end to the means of collecting the rate then uncollected, but which, it collected, would be- more than sufficient to discharge the liability which he assumes, being of the estimated amount of £80.” I have, &c., J. D. Greenwood, Secretary. His Honour, W. Adams, Esq., Superintendent, Marlborough..