The Aelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, APRIL 30, 1866.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 48, 30 April 1866, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, APRIL 30, 1866.

The Provincial Auditor's report for the financial year ending the 31st March last has been published. It contains a comparative statement, of the revenue and expenditure of the province for the three past years ; the particulars of the unauthorised expenditure incurred by the Government, in connection with the management of the South-west gold-fields ; particulars of the miscellaneous expenditure, amounting to £1,035, which was provided for last year by a rote of £2,000 * the balance sheet of revenue aud expenditure for the year 1566 ; and a statement of the assets and liabilities of the province, on the 31st March, 1866. The revenue for the year ending 31st March, 1866, was £55,691 7s. 5d., from all sources. This exceeds the amount raised during the "financial year ending March, 1864, by nearly £20,000, or considerably over 50 per cent.; and it exceeds the amount raised during the year ending March, 1865, by £11,273, or over 25 per cent. As, however, there was a decrease in the amount realised by land sales amounting to £17,000, the actual increase of the revenue proper for the past year over 1865 was £28.000, or over 64 per cent. This large increase was principally due to the Customs' s receipts and gold duty which have yielded £29,854, or £18,572 (about 260 per cent.) in excess of last years returns. About £14,300 of this was collected afc the Grey, as well as over £7,000 for miners' rights, &c, which shows how largely our increased revenue was due to the recent discovery of gold in that district. Many of the other items of increase may be traced to the same cause. Thus, the harbor receipts have increased from £954 iv 1865, to £2,084 iv 1866 ; and publicans's licenses, from £1,275 to £1,545. The receipts from- the Collingwood gold-field have increased from £108 to £208 ; and the education receipts, from £1,687 to £1,821 during the past year.

The expenditure is divided into two heads — departmental aud public works. The first named is set down for the year at £13,652 18s. lid., which amount is in excess of the amount so expended iv 1864 by £1,763; and over the similar expenditure in 1865 by £227. Tbe amount set down for public

works for the year ending March, 1866, t is £38,29 1 . This is less than the, expenditure for the same purpose in 1864- hy £16,000, although the revenue then was nearly £20,000 less. It, however, exceeds the expenditure for 1865, hy nearly £9,000. The gross expenditure for the year ending March, 1866, was £51,844, while the revenue for the same period was £55,691. The statement of the assets and liabilities of the province very properly forms a portion of the report. By it it is seen that the total liabilities of the province, on the 31st March last, were £25,850 ; there were, however, various balances due to the province, amounting to ,£22,570 35.: therefore, the actual amount of indebtedness was only £3,275* 175., an amount certainly not large for so prosperous a province, but, nevertheless, an amount which we do not wish to see exceeded.