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Evening Star, Volume III, Issue 808, 7 December 1865, Page 2

The following figures submitted by Mr Macandrew in the Provincial Council last night while, moving the adoption of the report of the Select Committee on the relations between the Provincial and General Governments ought to be generally reflected on : —During the three years previous to June 30th, 1864, this Province paid into the Colonial Treasury, £666,724, and received back in the shape of surplus revenue refunded £294,455. During the same period the General Government had paid out in Otago on establishments, viz.. Judicial, Registration, Electoral, Customs, Postal, and in the erection of public buildings, £120.383, leaving a balance of £251,886 as the contribution of Otago towards the partnership charges, or towards the “Unity of the Colony.” He also submitted the following figures in order to show what would have been the practical effect upon the Provincial revenue of Otago had the late Ministry succeeded in passing the Surplus Revenue Repeal Act, as originally proposed by the late Ministry. He founded his calculations upon the revenue of the year 1864 ; had the apportionment contemplated under the Surplus Revenue Repeal Act been in operation in 1864, the result would have been as follows :—The gross Customs revenue of the Province in 1864 was £243,648; 8-16ths or £121,824 would have in addition to the whole of the postal receipts, fines and fees, &c., gone exclusively to the General Government. The remaining 8-16ths after deducting General Government appropriations for Provincial services—which during the year amounted to £57,262, would have been refunded to the Provincial Government. It will, therefore, be seen that the balance accruing to the Province in 1864 under the proposed arrangement would have been £64,561, whereas under the existing apportionment the province received of sursurplus revenue £114,235. From these figures it will be apparent that had the revenue of the province been the same in amount during the current year as in 1864, the province would have been denuded of £49,673 over and above the amount of which it will be actually deprived under the existing mode of apportionment. These are facts of which every member of the House could satisfy himself by a perusal of the printed accounts of the General Government, and of the Surplus Revenue Repeal Act, a copy of which Mr Macandrew held in his hand. We regret that Mr Macandrew did not enter upon the question of the liability of the province as respects the four-million colonial debt.