PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Southland Times, Issue 1118, 5 March 1869, Page 2

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

* TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 1869. « AFTERNOON FITTING. (Continued from last issue.) FINANCIAL STATEMENT. The Pjiovi> T ciAr, Tbeasureb, in moving, " i or leave to biiug in a BiJl intitu'ed ' Appropriation Ordinance, No, 1, 1809,' " said — He presumed the introduction of the Bill would afford as good iiu opportunity as auy for giving the Council a clear view of the financial position of the Province, although it was not usual to make any explanations at tuis stage. During the recess the Government had maturely considered the matter of retrenchment, and had concluded the best course to adopt was to pay the officials well, giving them full employment by reducing their numbers, instead of maintaining their number and reducing their salaries. On a former occasion the salaries had been.reduced by the Government only to be raised again by the Council. In the Bill now tabled it would be observed that opposite the names of several officers blanks were lefc. This was dove that, presuming the officers meantime to receive notice, the correct amounts might be filled in up to the time at which the office would cease. J'he Government had felt great difficulty in making reductions to any marked extent, from the fact that for a series of years a system of retienchment had been going on. By ' Gazette,' published in January, 1864, Departmental Expenditure for the three months previous, was shown to be £20,602. Whereas, now, it did not amount quite to half that sum for six months. This showed the difficulty of effecting such reductions as would make it appear that a large sum was being saved. It was very easy for a province like Otago, where everything had been going on flourishingly, to make a full stop as it were, and show retrenchment on a large scale, but it was very different here, where a system of gradual curtailment had been in force for a long time. By the former Appropriation Ordinance it would be seen that the vote for six mouths was £9,902, on which sum the alterations contemplated by Government would effect a further reduction of £1,300. Referring to the statement of " Estimated iieveiiutj" for the cuirent six months, he said £0,000 had been put down as the provinces share of the consolidated revenue. This w«s a fair estimate, as £2,093 of the amount had already actually been received for the two months whbh were past. The Land, or territorial Revenue was put down at £30,000. This heading included the revenue derivable from rur>s and goldfields. £5.000 of the amount was already received, and tiie pastoral rents would yield £'S,-iOO. £1,028 would be received under Schedule " B " of the Ordinance, and was included in the revenue, although it was simply a cross emry. This amount comprised cer.aia. debts of the Town Board, undertaken by Government on the understanding that laud should be taken in payment, tfland wasnot taken the amounts would not require to be paid. Tuese amounts put together accounted for over £17,000 of the Land .Revenue up to date, and, considering the prospect of the Railway going on, it not did appear that the estimate was too large. They had not yet received from the ttenerai a O yer tt - uif ut a statement of the position of the debt, but had placed the interest at £11,400, towards payment of which there was an acknowledged sum of £1269 in the hands of the Colonial Treasurer. He did nob think the whole debt would exceed £385,000. The Estimate of revenue receivable under the headings of Dog Tax, Cattle Sales and Branding Fees, Jetties, Pilotage, and Licenses, was the same as that actually received during the previous year, so could not be far wrong. Sheep Assessment was nil on this occcasion, as there was a sufficiency on hand to pay the Inspector. £150 had been put down for sheep importation tax,

and was not an extravagant sum. THs sum of £379 16s 3d placed as refund 6h account of tbe trip of the Amherst, was the amount actually acknowledged by tUe General Government. Immigrants Bills were placed at £500. £100 had alreadybeen paid, and miny of the immigrants had made arrangements to pay periodically, so that there was every probability of the full amount being received within the six month. Behind — immigration — £5000 was the sum which would be due the agent of the Government in London when his agreement regarding sending out immigrants was completed. This sum would then be received from htm in the purchase of land, to be handed back again as payments for the immigrants sent out, and was consequently also of the nature of a crossentry. Under the heading "Miscellaneous" £142 had already been received, and £172 was due, so that the £600 expected from these sources was reasonable enough. £3*ooo had been put down as the estimate of Briilway receipts; In 1868 the Eailway had returned £5,246 4s Id, and during that year its recepts had been considerably lessened by the accident of the embankments being washed away, so that £3,000 could not be considered too high a calculation for the present six months — the best half of the year, seeing it included the wool season. This made a total revenue for the six months of £36,429 6s 3d. The total expenditure, exclusive of roads, was £18,246, to which had to be added £13,500 on account of the Oreti Bailway, making £31,746, and leaving a balance of about £5,000 for roads. At present there was no overdraft at the Bank, while the liabilities amounted to only £1,700. Begarding the Bail way Plant, soon expected to arrive, he might say that arrangements had been made with the bank for the payment of the freight, and of acceptances as they became due, on the security of the Pastoral -Bents, which were a certainty, and would fall due on the first of May — the bank to treat such advances simply as an overdraft. Tbe difficulty regarding the Plant had thus been got over. He thought the prospects of the Province hopeful, and that they might get on for the next six months very well. The Bill was then read a first time. Afte some further business of no great moment the House adjourned at 5 o'clock until 8 in the evening.