WHAT WILL THE NORTH GAIN BY SEPARATION.

Auckland Star, Volume X, Issue 1736, 7 September 1875, Page 2

WHAT WILL THE NORTH GAIN BY SEPARATION.

(To the Editor of the Evbning «J CONSOLIDATED REVENDp % NORTH ISLAND 3

Sib, —In my last letter on this W_\ endeavoured to show what the fcMir Jf ct I upon the people of this island on_uf_'l!ng I have now to speak of the revenue! V ing to this island out of which th t % might be met. Mr Da_g avi j] c j* b?t<ien, that we could not pay the cost of G Eta^ and the interest on Joans out of this* 6"1111 '1* but, as I have shewn already, he V,16^ 1"^ exaggerating the extent of onr'burde^ 11 as I shall now prove, he went on to d ' the extent of our revenue. I n the i separation such as would throw the6^* o'* Government upon each island separatrfß *B of secure to each its own revenue th . * of the North Island would 1,4 jSftgj" mamly from four sources—Fi rs t «, Blle4 dated revenue now paid into' thef !°, nsolichest ; secondly, the land revenue now ' paid to the provinces, and partly MW* esse of the confiscated land to tH_ 1 °( treasury; thirdly, the provincial S^ now paid to the provinces, and arisini 2v ■ from license and other fees and fr J duties and goldfields revenue; and foStS the revenue derivable from railroad y> other public works in excess of -wo y^ expenses. The consolidated revenn o this island was manifestly under.*-.. V* by Mr Dargaville. For m_ny jS,*?. it has steadily and invariably mcJ^J year by year, and yet it suited his « pose to suppose that the revenue of n ' year would be the same as that of 1. year. Taking, however, the returns of fv half-year ending 30th June last, we 6nd tt.. ! the consolidated revenue of the Ltt !+w_ Island was at the rate of £641 f.fW „ ll Taking the last quarter as an averaop •?! would amount to £(159,745 19s Bd. WeLlll be quite safe, therefore, in estimating t__' revenue under our first head at £650 000 .1 the very least. ' a "r THE LAND REVENUE OF THI. NORTH ISLAND, " it will be admitted by most person, is likely to inorease rather than din-* nish for many years to come. For th year ending 30th June last, the receipts from sales of land in this island appear to h«__ amounted to £129,430 9_ 7d. The pmJSjj of this raised in the Province of Auckland seems to have been about £13,000, but th Colonial Treasurer anticipates, according to a return laid before the Assembly, a revenue of at least £60 000 from land sales itf-this ' province next year. We can, therefore scarcely be far wrong if we estimate the land revenue as being at least £150,000 a year fori the North Island in future. What are termed provincial revenues will apparently amount to at least £80,000 a year for this island' the. share of this province, including gold-duties and revenue being from £35,000 to £40 000 a year. ' RAILROADS. ;r The last source of revenue to which I have referred is that from our public works It suits Mr. Dargaville to state that this is not likely to be worth^mentioning, but it is fair to mention that the Co'.onial Treasurer, in whom he so implicitly believes in other matters, ia of a very different opinion. The Colonial Treasurer looks for a Tevenue of at least £50,000 from railroads next year in excess of expenditure, and of this he appears to expect about £10,000 to be derived from railways in thef North Island. Taking it, then, attic' Treasurer's estimate, and the fact that upwards of £6.000 has been obtained last yean from these lines in excess of working expenses Mid repairs, seems to strengthen his position. GENERAL SUMMARY. We arrive at the probable revenue of the North Island from all sources. It will .stand Consolidated Revenue at least.. ... ..'i650,'000 Land Revenue at least .. .. .. .. .; 150;000 Provincial Revenue ... 80, WO Railway Receipts above Expenses ... .. 10,860 £890,000 In my last letter I stated the liabilities of the North Island, but for the sake of comparison I will tabulate them here:— ; 7T Annual Charge on Loan of 1863 nearly.. £60,000 Ditto on Loans Provincia'ly charged .. 67j879 Ditto on Share of Public Works Loans .. __t9,KH. Ditto on Loans, 1873 and 1874 .... .. 16,648 Total Liability on Loans "*'. _826*,027 Annual Charge for Government Departments, &c ~,£130,000: , Ditto Militia and Native Departments .. '27,000 Ditto Defence Force as at present .. .. 91,000 Total for Cost of Government ..___tß,ooo AN AVAILABLE BALANCE OF £378,000. The total charges therefore against the revenue of the North Island* would be £512,027, and the total revenue not'le^s, but probably much more than £890,Q00.. r ,The balance £378,000 would in case of financial separation be available for strictly North Island purposes, and in case of non^separation £378,000 a-year will be the least amount at the disposal of the Colonial Government to be expended either upon us or not as may seem best to them. I have not, as.l-should in all justice have done; capitalized the cost of the Defence Force and Native department and charged two-thirds of it to the* South.; Island in annnal relief of this island from the burden of interest, but thefeicah!be no doubt that the South would readly accept __ share of the expense! . i

WHAT THE GOVERNMENT MEASURES PROPOSE. Ap_,rt from this, however, let me ask wh»t it is proposed to give lis fori our £3. $000 a year under the new system?*.v.sti" Our license fees for public-houses, auctioneer*, and dog-collars are to be secured to] 108. 2nd. Gold duties and eoldfields' revenue is to be spent on the fields on which it is raised. 3rd. One pound for each pound Taised in highway districts is to be paid out of the consolidated revenue so long as the districts don't increase their rates. 4th.TOne 'poiind for each pound raised in rates is tobe p»id out of land revenue raised in this island after the interest on loans is deducted, to all Highway Boards and Municipalities in the island. And sth. The balance of the land revenue is to go to pay for immigration and public works. Let me put the result of this, oncemore in figures, calculated in each case,: upon the figures given by the Treasurer. 1. Licence Fees, *c , nearly .. .. £25,000 2. Gold Duty and Revenue .. .. 13.200 3. 20s for each £1 raised by Highway Boards.. ,;.."> .. 23.800

4. 20s'for each £1 by Highway _. Boards and Municipalities (out of : Land Fund) about .. 39,000 5. Balance of Land Fund, for Immigration and Works, less interest on Loans and Charges under _. o. _. . 44,000 i_ 145.000 It is, of course, right to add to this sum the amount expended for "police, gaol*> asylums, hospitals, charitable institutions, and education, so far as the same are not otlierwise ly law provided for." This, c*lcn" latedon the basis of breiserit expedMnrej amounts to about £64,000 a-year. The total sum, therefore, proposed to be given to the North Island by the 'Go'verhinehturideM 116 new system does not amount, at the ou_sro*» to more than £210,000 a year out of __378«0W» which they would receive, and we shoal* pay- . , <_% GENERAL ADVANTAGES OF SEPARATION. Thus, upon separation, this island, so fct. from being unable to pay its way with tlie revenue at its command, would be better _m than the best which has been proposed J°£j| by the Government now in power, by £16$***' a-year. It may be said that a separategovernment for the North Island wouldj&os* something, and, no ,■ doubt, it is true. J» , apart, from the vast advantage '^^ governed by our>own people, who kn^o^ wants, and have no interests , our own to consult^there remain?^^___l_^ the Central Government is .grossly <*»**?; garit, and that great savings could easily

""T^xnany departments of Government. /■%, then, to Mr. Dargaville's ques+?flh-- will the North Island gain by p ''ton ?" I reply, this :— We shall gain a p Government knowing our wants, jj Uaving no interests but ours to serve. Jf shall gain, as compared with what we --#2eive at present, after paying our fair share of all costs for interest, and for Government, about £92,000 a-year. We shall gain, as compared with the proposed scheme, which Mr Dargaville in the confiding innocence of his political youth, would have us accept as a boon, no less a sum than £168,000 a-year. I need not cay that this would pay for education, for immigration, and for many roads and works not now attainable, for every intelligent citizen can see that self government, with a balance of £168,000 a year, must be be better than government by Canterbury and Otago with no balance at all in our favour. —I am, sir, &c,

Hugh H. Lusk