Abolition of the Provinces.

Bruce Herald, Volume IX, Issue 820, 18 July 1876, Page 4

Abolition of the Provinces.

FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS.

The Provincial Abolition Financial Arrangement Bill, introduced Into the House of Representatives on Friday night, provides that it shall come into operation September 29th. The land revenue within each district to be charged with expenses of surveys, and general administration of waste lands within such district ; such expenses to be apportioned by the Commissioner of Audit. In the case of any waste land sold (not being town lands), at a price above 40s an acre, the amount realised in excess to be expended in the construction of roads and bridges, such money to be paid either to the governing body of County or Road District, or to be divided between such bodies as the Governor thinks fit. If the amount available be not sufficient to carry out such works, the Governor may cause the same to be retained unil other moneys have been derived from the like source, or the Governor may direct it to be expended as may seem nearest to the above provision. Taranaki land revenue shall only be subject to Act after deducting the percentage provided by the Harbor Board Act, 1874. The land revenue of each district is to be further charged as follows : — With a payment to their .Superintendent of two years' salary, with charges imposed hereafter for education, with subsidies to Counties and Road Boards, one pound to one pound ; with subsidies to Kiver District Boards, one pound to one pound received from rates ; with expenses of construction of railways, viz. : For first three year after coming into operation of the Act, two per cent, on sums expended ; next three years, If per cent. ; next three years l£ per cent. ; balance to be divided as follows :—threefifths in proportion that the area of each County bears to the whole district, the other two-fifths in the proportion that the general rates received by any County or Road Board bear to the general rates raised in the district j from the whole of the Counties and Road Boards therm. If the land revenue in any district is insufficient to meet the above charges, advances are to be made out of the Consolidated Fund. Such advances are to be repaid to the Consolidated Fund as the land revenue accrues. Treasury bills may be paid annually for five years to every road district andborough for every £1 of general rates received during the year, such subsidies to be equally apportioned by the; Colonial Treasurer between Districts and Counties. No subsidy to be paid on any rate in excess of the scale provided by the Act to be a shilling to a pound. The Colonial Treasurer may make advances to boroughs and road dis- * tric^.-.] ; Ml licensing fees to be paid to coun- . ty or borough -within ■which licensed premises ■•

! axe situate ; rents from powder magazines to be paid to public account ; fines and penalties for scab in sheep to be paid to a county within which same are incurred (provided only cost of and charges of administering enactment are borne by the connty) ; all fines for breach of bye-laws to be paid to that governing body whose bye-laws have been infringed ; goldfields revenue to belong to county according 1 to the proportion of . miners' rights and business licenses to respective counties, charitable institutions to be maintained at cost of County or Borough, if governing body fail to provide for s me Governor may withhold payment of subsidy ; charitable institutions are not to include lunatic asylums ; out of consolidated revenue a subsidy of five shillings out of every pound raised by private subscription is to be paid for maintenance of charitable institutions ; cost and charges of providing primary pn' 'ie education within Counties and Boroughs, after deducting fees and other reveim. '-3I ceived by the Board of Education and consolidated revenue, shall be charged on revenue received within each Provincial District, provided by subsection three of section nine, and one-third Hereof on the consolidated revenue. All charges for inspection of schools provided by the Education Boards Act, 1876, are to be borne by the Consolidated Revenue. After this Act has been in operation i.ye years so much as the General Assembly shall determine of the charge of keeping school buildings in repair and erecting new buildings shall be borne by the Counties and Boroughs in which such school buildings are situate. With respect to schools for higher education, the revenue of which, from endowment or school fees, may from time to time be added to by votes of the Guif-ral Assembly, such votes shall from time to i;ne U3 charged against the Land Revenue of districts, as soon as conveniently may be, after com ng into operation of said Act ; the Governor in Council shall cause au account of debts and liabilities of each district to be taken from time to time, as occa^iv.n may require. — Debts and Liabilities. Each district shall comprise following matters ;-nd t'lings : — Payment of interest and sinking fund. All loans which, at date w he Abolition of Provinces, comprised wit 1 - i^ +h.e district, were chargeable against the Province ; payment of all other debts, iiaLJities, engagements of every kind whatsoever, together with interest thereon, at rate :iot exceeding 5 per cent, per annum, payu mt of interest and sinking fund (if any), loiins raised for purpose of paying off or otherwise providing for such debts, liabilities, and engagements of such district : any expenditure made under the Provincial Appropriation Extension Act, 1875, on which, under said Act, the Governor or Governor in Council has authorised any Superintendent to make up to the 30th day of September, 1876, and which expenditure has not been made, shall be held to be a liability of the district in which it is incurred, and the Government shall accept same and take all necessary measures to ensure that the amount is expended in accordance with the original intention. No person employed as above is to acquire any right under the Civil Service Acts. The balance of Provincial liabilities to be raised by Treasury Bills on loan. Amounts so raised to be added to the Provincial debt of tlie district. Any cash in hand in excess of Provincial debt to be expended in Provincial districts, as agreed upon between the Government and the late Superintendent. Clause 32 makes provision for the extinguishment of Provincirl loans. Permanent Provincial officers are of the General Government, though not to acquire any rights under Civil Service Act, 1870. Members of the House of Representatives holding office under the Provincial Go • vemment are not to liable to disqualification, provided they resign said offices. AY 'railways are to be property of the Colony, ;md Provincial districts are to be relieved o» liability in respect thereof. With r-spect to Canterbury branch railways, £49,000 oaid by the Government for such branch railways is to be considered in arriving at amount to be deducted from permanent funds of the district. The Provincial railways in Ota^o :i ad Canterbury are to be taken over by iha General Government at a valuation to be fixed by three valuers — one appointed ?>y the Minister of Public Works, one by the superintendents, and the third by other two. The unexpended portion of the Middle Island railway fund is to be credited to district water races and such like, to be vested in the governing body of the County. If such works extend into more than one County, the control and management is to be vested in suoh governing body as the Governor shall fh ik fit, or jointly in the control of both. Such works are to be kept in repair by the County, and, in case of neglect, the Governor i~ ly withhold subsidies The Governor may agree to pay £10,000 towards the completion of the Mikonui water race, in addition to tfte existing appropriations, but on conditio^rthat the governing body of the County complete said race. Sections 14 to 16, 18 to 22, and 24 of the Abolition of Provinces Act are repealed.