PROPOSED SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMAIES.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue III, 26 May 1870, Page 5

PROPOSED SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMAIES.

Amongst no fewer than forty contingent notices of motions for " when in Committee of Supply" we find the following :—: — Debate to be resumed on Mr. Bkown's motion as follows :— " That it be an instruction to the Government that Agricultural Blocks be proclaimed for settlement without unnecessary delay, in the neighbourhoods of I>loa Flat, Roxburgh. East, Black's, Naseby, Macraes, and Messrs. Boyes Bros' Run 3ip, Franktqn District, and that this Council is of opinion that in all cases the Depasturing Licenses should be cancelled on such Blocks so set apart." Mr. Hay to move—" That the sum of £200 be be placed on the Supplementary Estimates, for the erection o| a Foot Bridge across the Pomahaka River, on the Main Itoad fiom " Lawrence to S withers.'' Mr. Hay to move— "The sum of £S0 be placed on the Supplementary Estimates for the puqjose of fencing the Tapanui Cemetery." Mr. Hat to move— "The sum of £100 be placed on the Supplementary Estimates, for the purpose of forming, draining, and gravelling the road between Mr. Dickson's Accommodation House and the Waipori Bridge, on the Waipori Road to Lawrence." Mr. Hat to move— " The smjj, of £75 be placed on the Supplementary Estimates f,or the purpose of repairing the branoh road from the Main Trunk Road to the Horse Shop Bend, Mount Benger district. Mr. Hat to move— "That the sum MOO lie placed on the Estimates for the erection of a foot-bridge across the Winding Cieek, between Switzers township and Welshman's Gully." Mr. Hay to move -"That the sura of £200 be placed on the Supplementary Estimates for the erection of a foot-bridge across the creek at Evans' Flat, between Lawrence and the Beaumont, on the Main Truuk Road." Capt. M'KknzlE to move— "That steps be taken to place a foot-bridge acioss the Pomahaka on the road from Beaumont to Switseis." Mr. Fraseu to move—" That the sum of £500 be placed on the Supplementary Estimates, a» a special grant to the Dunstan Hospital." Mr. Hat to move — "That this Council do .sanction the construction of a road from Waipahi to Tapanui, with a bridge over the Pomahaka River, under the provisions of Section 51 of the Otago Waste Lands Act, 1866 ; and that Government be authorised to select (with consent of lesspes) and reserve in the above locality, blocks of land to the extent of six thousand acres to be given by way of payment to the party or parties who may contract with the Superintendant for the due completion of the above .Works ; and in the mean time a competent Engineer be instructed to prepare plans, sections, &c, of the best and most direct route for said road, and the best site for Bridge."

In the event of these forty motions being passed, a sum of nearly L 21,000 will be placed upon the estimates, which, with the Government estimates, will make a total of L33,oooproposed expenditure over the estimated revenue. The Provincial Treasurer estimates the revenue for the current year at L 327,900, and the expenditure, supposing his estimates are adopted, at L 339,329 Is. lOd. The question how is this additional L 33,000 to be made up will require a more able financier than Mr. Duncan to answer. It is true the Council so far as the treasurer's estimates passed, while we write these lines, have lopped a few pounds off the salaries of some Government officials ; but we venture to say that the estimates taken as a whole, will not be reduced by above L2OOO, or say L3OOO, and that amount will go but a small way towards the L 21,000 for supplementary estimates. Very probably not above one-half of the L 21,000 will be voted, but even then there will be a sum of L19,0000rL20,000 estimated expenditure over estimated revenue, how is that sum to be raised ? The sale from Crown lands last year fell far short of the anticipations of the Government — only realising L 35,000 -s-and yet in the face of that the fictitious sum of L 135,000 is. the estimated revenue from that source this year. The Treasurer may know where that amount is to come from. For ourselves, we fail to have the faintest conception of it. Were all the

proposed Hundreds opened and disposed of at an average of LI an acre to-morrow, still that sum would not be realised. Perhaps the Government is looking forward Avith fond anticipation to the LOOO,OOO loan as the panacea for all their difficulties. But what if neither the Hundreds Regulation Amendment Bill nor the proposed loan are sanctioned by the Assembly, the result of that will be, instead of a deficit of L 40,000 next year, there will be 4a4 a deficit of over LIOO,OOO. It is well. known that Mr. Stafford and his party have no- faith in provincial loans, believing that the money so ■appropriated is generally frittered away to very little purpose ; and if the Opposition shows anything like a steady front, we have some idea they will turn the balance in their favour. But whether or not that prove the case, j^o fear the roads and public works of the province will suffer this year as they did last, and only one-Jialf, or perhaps less of the estimated expenditure will be forthcoming for the purposes for which it is at present allocated. As we remarked in our last week's issue, this system of bringing down false estimates with no other apparent intention than that of calming the public mind and exciting hopes never to be realised, has a most injurious eflect upon the up-country inhabitants of the province. Such a system must sooner or later work its own cure ; people will not be satisfied with an array of calculations based upon a hypothetical basis, similar to the estimates for the present year which have been laid before the Council.