COST OF THE NATIVE. DEPARTMENT.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 213, 30 July 1887, Page 4

COST OF THE NATIVE. DEPARTMENT.

Wr. aie indebted to the Hon. J. A. Tole,Minister of Justice, for copies of the following telegiams addiessed to him by the Hon. J. Ballance, Minister of Native Affairs :—: — " Yickcis's letter a tissue of misrepresentation. The McLean period, with which comp.iri.xon made shows suppression of number of salaries and excludes enormous sub' depaitments scattered over North Island, i doing work now eentied in Wellington. ! Since prescntMini->tiy in office L2,ooomedical assistance and charitable aid formerly on annual appropiitations now charged to chillist. Four clerk interpreters in head office being trained and about to be attached to Commissioners under vote taken for Native Land Administration Acfc, lea\ing oilicc with less assistance than for Ion:; time, though at present a rush of Native Land Court business. The total expenditure civil list and appropriations combined much less than in pre\ ious years. Financial statementshowed, without taking into account Fox's vote, appropriation of L3OOO less than previous year. Shall send you later the quarter's expenditure, showing we have kept well within the vote. In fact, ha\e ascertained that the expenditure, Civil, District, Native, and Land Court) appriations will be actually 1.6000 les? than expenditure last year on same purposes, through the change? made in getting rid of useless and highly paid officers, and reducing travelling expenses, etc. I have always compared favourably native expenditure, including civil list, with that of predecessors. All this is 1 capable of verification, and you can make fullest use. — J. Ballaxck." '•'The following returns have been furnished showing appropriation for the following periods of Civil list for natives,, Native Department, Native Land Court : — 1883-4, L 30.115; 1886-7 (exclusive of Foxvote of L 2.000), L 27,830 ; 1887-8, L 24,828. The Treasury return of last quarter's expenditure is L 5,312, or at rate of L 21.248 per annum. With changes now going on by way of reduction the total for year will not exceed £20,000. The bulk of the expenditure is for Land Court work which is revenue-producing and cannot be materially reduced below present amount about L 1,200., 200. The expenditure on Land Court last yeai was nearly L 20,000. Return furnished of Europeanofficers in Native Department. Ist. July 1869, shows 34, costing L 8972. Present, number of officers corresponding, 15, costing L3llO. Annual return expenditure 1569-70, i Native Department gives total L 33,299, and of this amount only LGIBB was for Native Land Court. The Court in two years ending March last put through 3£ million acres. Hansard vol. 55, page 460, gives Mr Bryce asking. ' ' Mr Bryce pointed out that last year L 2,000 had been transferred from Ci\ il list to this class, but this year there was no provision made for that on the estimates Had the item gone back to the Civil list ? Mr Ballanbo replied that in consequence of savings which had been made in the Civil list, last year was now made to bear the sum of L 2,000 for medical officers, &c." This shows how savings on the Civil list have been usocl by transfer from appropriations. As a fact the savings in native department this year will be equal to £8,000 on last year at- least. The extra clerks engaged by the day for extra sessional work and usual arrears in ' consequence of session have almost finished. — J. Balance* " Auckland Star."