The Westport Times. TUESDAY, JUNE 24, 1873.

Westport Times, Volume VII, Issue 1083, 24 June 1873, Page 2

The Westport Times. TUESDAY, JUNE 24, 1873.

In his opening speech at tho commencement of tho sitting of the Provincial Council, His Honor the Superintendent, reviewing the financial position of the Province, was compelled by the stern logic of indisputable facts to confess that tho revenue from all sources, for the year ending March, 1873, had not reached the estimated amount by several thousand pounds. He attributed tho deficiency, not to any sins of omission or commision in the management of Provincial affairs, but to the falling off in goldfield revenue and the decrease of gold duty. Two lame excuses, in all conscience, and hardly deemed worthy of even passing comment. But while deploring the falling off in revenue for the year just past, his Honor, with his usual sanguine anticipations and desiro to paint all things provincial in rosiest colors, estimated the revenue for the current year at quite a cheering figure. In 1873 the estimate was £55,000, and the revenue realised £03,000 only. Undaunted by the difficulty of a balance on the wroug side of tho Provincial ledger, it has seemed the easiest possible thing to estimate the revenue for the current year—lß74—at £73,850 ; and not to bo outdone in enthusiastic trustfulness the Council has, by resolutions and appropriations, swelled the amount to bo expended " for defraying the charge of the Government of the Province," to the respectable sum total of £87.5'J0 16s Bd, which means in round num! ers just £21,500 more than tho revenue of the past year amounted to. Our readers may porhaps venturo to express a very fervent hope that tho Provincial Treasurer will be ablo to honor drafts to the uttermost farthing before the next financial statement is presented. The items making up this last amount are of interest as showing what is likely to be expended and what is not, in the event of the revenue again showing a deficiency, a contingency not improbable. Eeferring to the Appropriation Act, the iirsi eight items set down,

amount to £22,835 10s, of which very few pounds will figure as unappropriated moneys. These are, " Executive " salaries to Superintendent, Provincial Secretary, Treasure!', and Solictor, and cost of Executive establishment, £1860; "Land and Public Works," salaries and contingencies, £l-275 ; " Wardens and clerks," £3750; "Gaols," £2107 15s; "Police," £6013 15s; "Harbors," salaries and contingencies, £22-19; " Scab Act," salaries to Chief Inspector, Inspector, and Deputy Inspectors, and contingencies, £BBO ; " Provincial Council," Speaker's salary, £2OO, member's honorarium, £550, incidentals, £350; total, £llOO.

The next items on the list are " Hospitals," £4SOO; divided thus, — Nelson, £1800; Grey, £1000; Wostport, £900; Charleston and Brighton, £OOO ; and Ecof'ton, £SOO. It may he very safely predicted that all this vote will ho wanted. Next comes the headings, " Charitable," £1700; and "Lunatic Asylum," £IOOO. Those amounts, judging from the expenditure during the past year, will be barely sufficient to meet all demands. " Education " is calculated to cost £B7BO, of which every penny should be faithfully expended, whatever reductions may be necessitated in other directions. The next item, " Miscellaneous," £SSGS Gs 8d ; comprises a multifarious array of unconsidered trifles, from £75 for " Farmers' Clubs, Motueka, Stoke, and Totara Flat," which savours somewhat of pipes and beer, ad lib, for bucolic possessors of electoral privileges, to £3OO for " Electoral purposes," and ending with a suggestive, if not explicit, line, " General contingencies, for items not specified," £2500; which wo may hope if needed at all will be wisely expended. Under this heading i 3 sot down £2OOO for " Purchase of Wostport Sections." Then comes " Public Works," £5-130 ; all of which is set down for works in and around Nelson, and also £2305 for grants to " Itoad Boards " in what arc termed the settled districts. These items represent a total of £35,440 Gs Sd, out of the gross appropriations. The last appropriation on the list is £29,225 for " Public "Works—SouthWest Goldlields."

The items making up this amount arc somewhat mixed, but may be approximately appportioned thus: — General maintenance of roads and bridges, £3500 ; new foot tracks and roads, £900; Lyell, Eeefton, and Matakitaki roads, tracks, and water supply, £7330 ; Charleston and Westport road via Addisons, bridge at Four Milo Creek, and road to Buller Lagoon, £1500; Water supply, Ahaura, dray roads No-Town, and Hatter's Terrace, £ 1300; Streets and local improvements, £OOO ; Harbors, buildings, &c., £1500; Cobdon road, and wharf, £075; Bullor Towing Track, £1220; G-oldfields District Boards, £500; Cemetries, .£200; Trade, Mohikiimi to Lyell, £2OOO ; and Brunner Coal Mine, £BOOO.

Tho Goldfields communities will have little reason to complain, if these items are expended during the next nine months, but inasmuch as the major portion of these votes have been placed on the supplementary estimates at the request of the Goldfields members, and the expenditure thereof is contingent first upon the Provincial Exchequer providing the wherewithal, and secondly upon the sweet will of the Superintendent, it will not be wise to trust with too confiding expectation upon the commencement of all or any of tho works indicated. Briefly summarized the Appropriation Bill for 1873-74 provides for a first charge of £22,B£g 10s for departmental salaries and expenses, secondly for £35,440 6a Bd, for general provincial charges and public works in tho "settled districts/' and thirdly for £29,225 for Pubifc Works on the South-West G-oldfieicls. Under the existing order of affairs tho first item must bo met, however disproportionate it may seem in comparison with the need for or utility of such expenditure, tho second item ivill, and the third may be expended if all things favor. It will be tho duty of dwellers on the Goldfields to keep a constant watchfulness on the apportionment of the Provincial revenue, and mark what proportion the expenditure bears to the sums voted. It will also be a matter for the earnest consideration of electors whether they will auy longer tacitly consent to a portion of the Provincial revenues being cxpeuded in keeping up the sham dignity of a Provincial Parliament, wdierein the members recklessly vote moneys they have not and cannot in roason expect to have, and legislate absurdly in framing laws which serve no purpose beyond bringing the Province into contempt and derision.