Original Correspondence. MILITIA.

New Zealander, Volume 1, Issue 31, 3 January 1846, Page 3

Original Correspondence. MILITIA.

To the Editor of the New-Zealander. Sir,— ln your late remarks on " Colonial Finance," you most pertinently pointed out the excessive, surprising expenditure for several departments of the governmeut, from Ist January to 30th September, 1845>— and youterminatedyour observations by promise of further exposition on some future occasion. Every individual interested in the colony, must approve of your arithmetical labours in this respect, and be no less desirous to assist In the least degree, to the exposure of that fallacious, deceptive system of renuenng official accounts and returns, which has hitherto been so long practised, and endeavoured to be palmed on the public as inimitable and faultless. With this view, I would call your attention to an item, in two of the quarterly returns, published in the Gazette, of 16th December, 1845, of Revenue and Expenditure. Your remarks have been made on departments, the expenditure of which fur the three quarters, has far exceeded the amount proportional to its annual estimate : that on which I would make a few remarks, is one, quite as palpably erroneous, but of which the actual expenditure has been misstated ; and I am of opinion Sir, that if these startling accounts were properly dissected, by a real accountant, or competent Auditor of accounts, that much of the excess in several departments, would be placed to the true account,— which is the subject of my present observations,— the "Militia." The Ordinance for raising a Militia, passed the Legislative Council on the 25th March 1845, consequently in the official return of expenditure, for the quarter commencing Ist January, and ending 31st March, there is no mention of the Militia; but in the return for the second quarter, from Ist April to SUth June, there appears against the word " Militia,'' £265 15s. Od. and fn the subsequent or third quarter £40 10s. 3d., making as stated by you, under the head of " General Contingencies,", the total of £306 ss. 3d. Now Sir, this is certainly to use the mildest term, a most flagrant mis-representation and concealment of the actual expenie of this Military force. It is neither necessary nor relevant, for my present purpose, that I should discuss the expediency or propriety of raising the Militia ; but Ido contend that in publishing under official sanction and authority, financial statements, that they ought to be, without deception and actually correct. To endeavour to impose on the public that the strati sum of £306 5. 3. was the whole expense of the Militia in the three settlements of Auckland, Wellington, and Nelson, for the six months, is almost an insult to their understanding. It is very well known, Sir, that some thousands of pounds have been incurred on such service ;— aud why not, I ask, fairly and plainly so put down and state it, in these official returns ? Either the chief clerk in the Audit office, who so grandiloquently subscribes his name to the three quarterly returns, of which any real accountant would be perfectly ashamed; must have been misled by documents, or the expenses have been studiously and intentionally charged to other departments. These departments, I tbiuk, are pretty obvious : the Public Works may have had some portion out of its unaccountable charge of £2,205 Is. 3d.— the Land Claims Commission certainly canoot have incurred an expense of £1,776 9s. 6d. from January to September, 1845: —then follow Local Courts, £970 15s. 2d. which, as you observe, is an incomprehensible item : after which, appears m General Contingencies, that anomalous item'of " Imprests," In the expenditure under this head, there appears the sum of £3,784 17s. 6d., and on the revenue side, there appears to have been received, £2,648 10s. 4d., leaving a balance of £1,136 7s. 2d. unaccounted for. Without further trespassing on your valuable columns, I shall only observe, that if one item of revenue or expenditure, is proved to be incorrect and falsely stated, the whole official returns ought at once, to be repudiated. However, without dwelling further on these past inaccuracies, and unintelligible official documents, it is to be anticipated, as it is devoutly wished, that the ensuing mouth of March, will banish the whole host, from the highest to the lowest, of incapable officials, and place them in their proper sphere. I am Sir, &c. One not in the Audit Office. Dec. 29, 1845.

[For any assistance in exposing the present system of colonial accounts we shall always feel obliged If what our correspondent intimates be true, — as to placing expenditure under improper heads, for the purpose of concealing an excessive amount for one department,— there ought to be a regular revision of the colonial accounts. We shall not let; the matter lie dormant, f or n almost every item of the official returns for the three quarters, there is matter for animadversion. We would now merely mention another, the private subi>cript\on raised in Hobart Town, for the sufferers at Kororarika, — -appears in these accounts as Revenue ot New Zealand ! ! It is high time that such a senseless deceptive system should be terminated,— Ed.]