FURTHER PAPERS RELATIVE TO THE APPORTIONMENT OF THE PUBLIC DEBT OF THE PROVINCES OF WELLINGTON AND HAWKE'S BAY. (In continuance of B.—No. 6, Sess. Papers, 1864.)

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1865 Session I, B-04

B.—No. 4.

FURTHER PAPERS RELATIVE TO THE APPORTIONMENT OF THE PUBLIC DEBT OF THE PROVINCES OF WELLINGTON AND HAWKE'S BAY. (In continuance of B.—No. 6, Sess. Papers, 1864.)

PRESENTED TO BOTH HOUSES OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, BY COMMAND OP HIS EXCELLENCY.

WELLINGTON.

1865.

B.—No. !

No. 1. The Superintendent, Napier, to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. Sm, — Superintendent's Office, Napier, 10th February, 1865. I have the honor to request that, before any further directions are given to the Eeceiver of Lund Eevenue, to retain from the Land Eevenue of this Province the usual amount of interest which is payable under a resolution of the General Assembly, by half-yearly instalments of £1250 on account of the Wellington Debt, the adjustment of which is still pending, you will have the goodness to cause certain advances, as shewn by the Statements herewith enclosed, and amounting to £2,233, made by the Government of this Province on account of the Government of Wellington, to be taken into account of any future interest due by this Province in respect of the aforementioned debt. I beg to state for the information of the Government, that the advances as shewn in No. 1 Statement, amounting to £1013 10s. 4d., now sought to be recovered, are chiefly refunds of deposits for runs on land over which the native title has not yet been extinguished, and for which refunds the Government of this Province (setting aside the question as regards the illegality of receiving such deposits) is in no way liable, they having been paid into the Provincial Treasury of Wellington. In No. 2 Statement, the advances amounting to £295, comprise refunds on deposits made on application for ss. land, and which deposits were paid into the Provincial Treasury at Wellington, the Commissioner of Crown Lands having subsequently refused to certify to the land applied for under that designation. In No. 3 Statement will be found the amount of £325, still liable to be refunded to the parties therein named, the amount of deposits on land over which also the native title has not yet been extinguished were received from those gentlemen, and have been paid into the Provincial Treasury of Wellington. The several vouchers in support of the refunds made are herewith forwarded. I have, &c, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. Donald M'Lean, Superintendent. No. 2. The Hon. the Colonial Seceetabt to the Superintendent, Napier. Si it, — Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, 22nd March, 1865. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter (10th February, 1865) respecting 1 lie debt between the Provinces of Wellington and Hawke's Bay. With a view to enable the General Government to decide on the question raised by your Honor, a copy of your letter and the vouchers forwarded therewith have been forwarded to his Honor the Superintendent of Wellington, with a request that he will favor the Government with any remarks which he may think it desirable to make. I have, &c, His Honor the Superintendent, Napier. Feed. A. Weld. No. 3. The Hon. the Colonial Secretary to the Superintendent, Wellington. Sir,— Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, 22nd March, 1865. I have the honor to transmit to you the enclosed copy of a letter, dated the 10th February, on the subject of debt between the Provinces of Wellington and Hawke's Bay, and also the vouchers received therewith, and to request your Honor to be good enough to favor the Government with any remarks which you may think it desirable to make thereon. I have to request you to return the vouchers to this office. I have, &c, His Honor the Superintendent, Wellington. Feed. A. Weld. No. 4. The Deputt-Supebintendent, Wellington, to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. Sir,— Superintendent's Office, Wellington, 27th March, 1865. I do myself the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 22nd instant, covering a letter from the Superintendent of Hawke's Bay, in reference to certain refunds stated to be due to that Province, and requesting that the same may be taken into account of any future interest due by Hawke's Bay, in respect of the apportionment of the debt owing to the Wellington Province. In reply, I beg very respectfully to observe, that these are only a portion of many matters of long standing account between the Province of Hawke's Bay and Wellington, and that until the principle ou which all these accounts are to be adjusted has been settled, I trust His Excellency's Government will not feel itself authorized to sanction any interference with the payment of interest settled by the Legislature, and acted upon during the last few years. I have, &c, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. C. W. Schultze, Deputy-Superintendent. No. 5. The Deputy-Superintendent, Wellington, to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. Sib, —* Superintendent's Office, Wellington, sth April, 1865. I do myself the honor to request that the Government will be pleased to cause the sum of £1250, due from the Province of Hawke's Bay, on account of interest on the permanent debt of the

FURTHER PAPERS RELATIVE TO THE APPORTIONMENT OF THE PUBLIC DEBT OF THE PROVINCES OF WELLINGTON AND HAVRE'S BAY.

B.—No. i

original Province of "Wellington, to be paid to the Provincial Treasurer of this Province as early as convenient; the amount required to pay the half-yearly dividends due in London on the 30th June and the Ist July, will be transmitted by the mail leaving here on the 14th instant. I have, &c, John Knowles, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary, Wellington. For the Superintendent. No. (j. The Assistant Treasitbee, "Wellington, to the Eeceiver of Land Bevenue, Napier. Sin, — Colonial Treasury, Wellington, 24th June, 1865. I am instructed by the Colonial Treasurer to request you to pay over to the Sub-Treasurer the sum of one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds (£1,250), out of the Land Eevenue of the Province of Hawke's Bay, on account of its proportion of the half-year's interest on the debt of the original Province of Wellington, due in London on the 30th instant. I have, &c, J. Woodward, The Eeceiver of Land Eevenue, Napier. Assistant Treasurer. No. 7. The Deputy-Superintendent, Napier, to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. Sir, — Superintendent's Office, Napier, 6th July, 1865. I have the honor to call your attention to instructions lately received by the Eeceiver of Land Eevenue of this Province from the Hon. the Colonial Treasurer (copy enclosed), directing that officer to impound the sum of one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds (£1,250) out of the moneys accruing as Land Eevenue in liquidation of the interest on the portion of the original debt of the" Province of Wellington, for which the Province of Hawke's Bay is at present made liable. On the 10th of February last, Mr. M'Lean had the honor to address you a letter (copy enclosed) covering vouchers, showing a claim the Provincial Government of Hawke's Bay have against the Provincial Government of the Province of Wellington, amounting to £2,233, and requesting that the same may be taken into account as a set-off against future claims of the Wellington Province for interest on the aforementioned debt. Mr. M'Lean was informed in reply, by the Hon. the Colonial Secretary (copy enclosed), that his Honor the Superintendent of Wellington had been requested to report upon the claim raised, and that the General Government would, when in a position to do so, decide the question. No further information on the subject having reached the Provincial Government of this Province, I beg most respectfully to urge that instructions may be sent to the Eeceiver of Land Eevenue not to impound any portion of the Land Eevenue of the Province of Hawke's Bay in satisfaction of claims of the Wellington Provincial Government, until the counter-claims put forward on the part of the Province of Hawke's Bay, and which are of long standing, have been enquired into and decided. I have, &c, J. O. Osmond, The Hon the Colonial Secretary. Deputy-Superintendent. No. 8. The Hon. the Attorney-General to the Superintendent, Napier. Sir,— Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, 10th July, 1865. I have to acknowledge the receipt of your Honor's letter of the 6th instant, drawing my attention to the instructions lately given to the Eeceiver of Land Eevenue of the Province of Hawke's Bay, to pay the Sub-Treasurer the sum of one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds (£1,250) sterling out of the Land Eevenue of the Province of Hawke's Bay, on account of its proportion of the half-year's interest on the debt of the original Province of Wellington, due in London on the 30th June, 1865. The Government had carefully considered the letter to which you refer, dated the 10th of February last, from his Honor the Superintendent of Hawke's Bay, covering vouchers in support of a claim on the part of that Province against the Province of Wellington amounting to two thousand two hundred and thirty-three pounds (£2,233) sterling. The Government were, however unable to admit this disputed account between the Provinces as a sufficient reason for varying the practice with regard to the debt of the original Province of Wellington, which had been pursued in accordance with the Eesolution of the House of Eepresentatives, passed on the 6th of September, 1861. I regret that the decision of the Government was not, by an accidental oversight, communicated to his Honor the Superintendent of Hawke's Bay by the same mail which took the instructions of the Hon. the Colonial Treasurer to the Eeceiver of Land Eevenue in that Province. I have, &c, Henby Sewell, His Honor the Superintendent, Napier. For the Colonial Secretary. No. 9. The Hon. the Attorney-Genebal to the Supeeintendent, Wellington. Sir,— Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, 10th July, 1865. I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, of the sth April last, and in reply to inform your Honor that instructions have been sent to the Eeceiver of Land Eevenue at Napier, to pay over to the Sub-Treasurer the sum of one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds (£1,250) sterling, on account of the Hawke's Bay proportion of the half-year's interest on the debt of the original Province of Wellington, due in London on the 30th June, 1865. I have, &c., Henry Sewell, His Honor the Superintendent, Wellington. For the Colonial Secretary.

PAPERS RELATIVE TO WELLINGTON AND HAWKE'S BAY DEBT.

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