ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE. To the Editor of the Otago Witness.

Otago Witness, Issue 302, 12 September 1857, Page 5

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE. To the Editor of the Otago Witness.

Dunedin, 11th September 1857. Sis, — Permit me to direct your and public attention to a specimen of the manner in which the time of our public officials is wasted and public business retarded. When a person goes to any place of business to pay in money, the usual course is, to pay the money, stating the object to which it is to be applied. A receipt is given, and the transaction is completed. In our land office here, however, not only has this to be done, but no less than three copies of the receipt given have to be made, and each of these three copies must be certified as true copies by the person paying in. the money. The useless absurdity of such a system must be evident to any one conversant with business. Thus, yesterday, I had occasion to examine the Waste Land Board minutes, for which the usual inspection fee of 2s. 6d. was paid. The money paid and the value in inspection obtained, I supposed the transaction was completed ; but no, a receipt for 2s. 6d. was given me, and I had to certify three separate copies of this 2s. 6d. receipt as correct ! The form, I presume, would be the same for 6d. ! The Land Revenue for last quarter is over £5440. Suppose the average amount of each receipt to be £20. This would entail the writing of 1088 receipts, -and the certification of 816 of these by the parties paying in the amounts. Take an average of three minutes for each receipt and certification (I suspect it occupies much more), this will give fully nine days each quarter, or six weeks per annum at least spent in this single operation. No wonder that more paid officials of various grades are required, if such is the system of conducting public business. I believe that it is not our local Government who are to blame for the above state of affairs, as it is ordered by the General Government; but surely the public and our local Government ought earnestly to remonstrate against such unnecessary waste of public time and money. I am, yours truly, Thomas B. Gillies.