REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4338, 13 February 1875, Page 2

REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE.

The New Zealand Gazette , of the 28th January, contained the official statement of the revenue and expenditure of the colony, for the December quarter, 1874. The total receipts for tho quarter, irrespective of recoveries, treasury bills, and advances, were £306 810. This total represented the Consolidated revenue. The treasury bills renewed amounted to £IBO,OOO ; and the advances, Immigration and Public Works Loan account, footed up £IOO,OOO. Wo have given, above, a detailed statement of tho Customs revenue. We now give a general view of the Consolidated revenue for the last quarter of 1874. -Thus : Receipts : £ B. a. Auckland 68,380 11 B Taranaki 2,064 0 0 Wellington .-. ~ .. 47,290 12 8 Hawke’s Bay .. .. .. 13,593 10 11 Nelson 25,685 7 0 Marlborough 3,160 14 0 Canterbury 00,098 .10 8 Westland.. 17,440 5 6 Otago 120,852 17 0 These figures are highly significant, especially if wo consider tho population of the colony. It is altogether unparalleled in tho history of new countries for a community something like 300,000, mon, women, and children, to raise a yearly revenue, apart from local taxation, of a million and a half sterling, for that is what tho figures above quoted mean. If anything were wanting to show the wealth and capability of tho country, tho publication of theso figures would be sufficient for the purpose. But it is when we come to examine those returns in detail, that the inequalities of the fiscal system of tho colony become apparent. One would be apt to think, running his eye down tho formidable array of figures disclosing tho revenue of Now Zealand, that there was a uniform fiscal system for tho colony, and that wherever a man may chance to land in it—a united colony—the burden of taxation would bo equal. Never was there a greater

mistake than such a supposition. In one half of the colony the inhabitants are permitted to sell the Crown lands, and apply the proceeds in aid of local taxation ;in the other half of.the colony, the colonists are not permitted to sell an acre for that purpose, but are compelled to tax themselves, or do without schools, roads, bridges, and other local improvements. This system of inequality is called iiiterprovincial reciprocity, and two members of the Government, Messrs. Reynolds and Bowen, have pledged themselves to maintain it or resign their seats. There cannot bo any mistake about that, whatever there may be about Mr. O’Rorkb’s charge of personal dishonesty against one member of the Executive, because the speeches of these gentlemen are on record. But leaving this point, which is certain to crop up again, and coming to the returns before us, we have a moat suggestive table in the ‘ ‘statement of account ‘ ‘ under the Payments to Provinces Act, “ 1872, &c., for the quarter ended 26th “ Dec. 1874.” It will be remembered that the provinces contributed £366,810 10s. lOd. during the period under review; ■the payments to the provinces, after satisfying the General Government, and meeting the interest and sinking fund of tho provincial debt, and tho Immigration and Public Works Act, for the same period, was £10,949 14s. 2d.; —rather a beggarly balance, and a sufficient reason for abolishing tho provinces, no doubt. But, (for there is a “but,”) and it must not be lost sight of ; —while the Northern provinces were stripped of their Consolidated revenue, and forced to tax themselves for local purposes, the Southern provinces were enabled to sell the Crown land, and save themselves from taxation. The following figures, quoted from the return, will explain our meaning. We refer to the Consolidated Revenue payable to the provinces for tho December quarter, 1874, and the Territorial Revenue for the same period. Thus : CONSOLIDATED. TERRITORIAL, £ s. d. £. a. d. Auckland .. 2,341 16 4 .. 3,764 7 2 Taranaki .. 409 12 6 .. 02 10 0 Wellington .. 1,834 4 4 .. 30,976 7 9 ' Hawke's Bay .. 314 5 8 .. 2,400 12 11 Nelson .. .. 2,914 6 6 .. 6,075 17 9 Marlborough .. 697 010 .. 374 12 8 Canterbury ~ 759 10 0 .. 76,125 11 8 Westland .. 1,678 12 0 .. 4,329 11 8 Otago ~ .. 84,789 12 6 Total .. £10.949 14 2 ’ '£208,863 1 3 ' The reader will be able to understand the distinction we have drawn between tho two divisions of the colony, in point of revenue, after perusing the foregoing figures. They require no interpreter beyond this, that “the Compact of “ 1856” provides that the Territorial revenue in the North Island shall be local revenue as it is in the South Island, whereas by the colonial legislation, dating from 1862, this “compact” is broken, and the North Island has been legally spoiled of its beneficial interest in “ the Compact of 1856.” We may say, however, that we religiously adhere to tho resolutions.