8.—20 c.

Session .1! 1906. NEW ZEALAND.

SOUTH AFRICAN EXPENDITURE: CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO PAYMENTS.

Laid on the Table of the House of Bepresentatives by Act.

The Hon. the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Audit Office, 24th August, 1906. The Controller and Auditor-General has the honour respectfully to inform the House of Representatives that some further payments made on behalf of the Government in connection with its service in South Africa have, though unsupported by the vouchers necessary to audit, been passed by the Audit Office at the request of the Treasury; and he begs leave to submit a copy of correspondence on the subject. I have, &c, * J. K. Warburton, Controller and Auditor-General,

No. 1. D. 06/561. Defence Office, Wellington, N.Z., sth April, 1906. The Hon. the Minister of Defence. Re Major Pitcher's Imprest Account. I beg to submit herewith vouchers for expenditure by Major Pilcher in his account from July, 1900, to December, 1904, which being unsupported by receipts credit could not be given for same by Audit Department when the accounts were submitted. These accounts have been in the Imperial Pay Branch for a considerable time, and were referred to this office for action on the 27th January last. A schedule showing payments by Major Pilcher unsupported by receipts was submitted for your decision in March, 1904, but unfortunately it appears to have been lost, and nothing has been done. If you approve of these present payments, I will submit vouchers at once to Audit Department so as to have expenditure charged in account for 1905-06. Notes re Vouchers. Voucher 262, for £34 2s. 4d. : Payments to Lieutenant O. Hovell were made in accordance with instructions from this office. Voucher 263, for £188 16s. Id. : Expenditure on account of cabs, telegrams, stationery, petty cash, &c. Voucher 264, for £33 13s. 2d. : Expenditure charged by Major Pilcher in connection with Coronation Contingent. Voucher 265, for £449 15s. Id. : Expenditure on cables in connection with New Zealand contingents. A recovery of £120 7s. 2d. was made by Major Pilcher and credited to Consolidated Fund " Deposits, Miscellaneous." Voucher 266, for £25 lis. lid., is mostly on account of comforts for members of contingents. Voucher 267, for £506 Bs. 3d., is expenditure on account of comforts, &c, for New Zealand contingents out of moneys received from various sources by Major Pilcher, and which are credited to Consolidated Fund " Deposits, Miscellaneous,"

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