The Lyttelton Times. TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 1868.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2376, 4 August 1868, Page 2

The Lyttelton Times. TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 1868.

Among the papers laid before botb Houses of Assembly, at the opening of the session, we find a statement of the receipts and expenditure of the several provinces for the year ended December 31,1867. This statement professes to be compiled from returns furnished by the several Provincial Auditors, and a glance at its contents can hardly fail to be interesting to our readers, who are beginning to learn the importance of attending to these dry financial details.

Taking the provinces in the order put down in the statement, we find that the gross receipts of Auckland amounted to £168,723, omitting shillings and pence, which we shall also do in all other cases. Of the sum Btated above, £43,831 was the province's share of the colonial revenue, and £74,700 was derived from loans. Auckland raises £5671 in local taxes, £4435 of which represent tolls on roads and bridges. The land fund receipts amount to £lllß, and of this £975 is set down as refund by immigrants. In effect, Auckland has no such thing as a land fund. We ought to mention that £11,473 of the total receipts was not legally available for appropriation, as it represented deposits on trust. Auckland began the financial year of 1867 with a balance of £l6 in hand, and closed it with a credit balance of £2158, thus making the expenditure £166,549. largest single item of expenditure was £42,675 on roads, bridges, and public works. Police, gaols, and courts of justice cost £16,039; harbours, £4,646; and the official, salaries of the Government, including Superintendent, are set down at £3227. The total income of Tnranaki was £12,251, a third of which was drawn from the province's share of the colonial revenue. "We notice among the receipts what is called " guaranteed land iund, £2000." We are not aware what this inoaua, but we presume it indicates an arrangement peculiar to the province of Tnranaki. The principal item of expenditure is one of £2837 for mads, bridges, and public works, and the year is closed with a credit balance ol £B7. The revenue of Hawke's Hay amounted to £46,859, less ft sum ot £17,085 representing deposits in l rust. The provincial share of the colonial revenue was £8355; £IOOO is raised by local taxes; and £11,996 derived from land sales, pasturage lieeuseß, &c. Hawke's Bay spent every penny of its reveuue, the chief items boiug those for roads, bridges, and other public works, as well as immigration, on which £3676, or more than one-fourth of the land

fund was spont. The revenue of Wellington amounted to £2l-7,235. Of this sum, £3-1,410 was the provincial share of the consolidated revenue • £9l-50 wan derived from local taxes' £25,955 is not down as the proceed* of the land fund; and ,£112,270 was obtained from loans, The whole of this revenue appears to have been expended, principally follows-roada bridges, public works, and immigration, £1.02,851; repayment of loans, £73,701-; repayment of advances' £35,892,

Wo come now to the Middle Wand provinces, Nelson commenml the year with a credit balance of £1.0,157, and the receipts tire represented bv £178,G7G, lens that sum. The provincial share of the colonial revenue wan £27,061 ; £3832 was derived from local tfixc'H; £GI33 from land fund; £58,807 from the gold fields; and £20,851 is sot down as trust deposits. The whole of the revenue was expended, tho principal item being that of £70,218 on roads, bridges, and other public works. The revenue of Marlborough is set down at £15,018, of which £8582 was derived from the salo and leasing of land. The chief item of expenditure was £1587 on roads, &c. The Canterbury revenue, excluding Westland, amounted to £310,525. This sum was' chiefly derived as followsshare of colonial revenue, £48,301; provincial revenue from auctioneers' and other licenses, £5330; local taxeß, £1798; incidental receipts, £12,282 ; land fund, £128,431; loans, £77,170; and deposits not legally available, £33,407. The main items of expenditure were—on law and justice, including the police, £18,172; hospitals, lunatic asylum, and charitable aid, £12,646; surveys, £15,313; roads and bridges, £14,271; harbour works, £28,487; railways, £105,530; grants in aid of local rates, £42,143; repayment of loans, interest, and bank advances £20,796. The "Westland revenue amounted to £120,627; of which £48,304 was the district share of the colonial revenue; £14,402 was received for auctioneers' and other licenses; and £47,827 was goldfields revenue proper. The expenditure was chiefly on the administration of justice, £24,505, and public works, £61,085. The revenue of Ofcago amouuted to £400,570, derived mainly as follows—share of colonial revenue, £88,092; auctioneers' aad other licenses, £13,332; local taxes, £22,139; incidental, £18,464; land sales and pasturage rents, £167,713; goldfields, £22,122; repayment of advances, £38,122; loans, £27,575. The largest item of expenditure is £102,804 on account of roads, bridges, and public works, and the year is closed with a balance of £57,464 to credit. The Southland revenue amounted to £39,148, of which £11,915 was the provincial share of the colonial revenue, and £17,635 was received from land sales and pasturage licenses. The province had a credit balance of £10,084 at the end of the year. Taking a general view of the table which we have been examining in detail, we find that the sum of £315,900 was paid to the provinces out of the colonial revenue; that £46,205 was raised by local taxation; £370,283 from the sale and lease of land; £130,101 from goldfields ; and £292,021 from loans. The expenditure shows that about £30,000 was spent in salaries; £111,082 on the administration of justice; £34,128 on education; £03,826 on charitable aid, including hospitals aud lunatic asy* lums; and £734,131 on public works of various kinds,