THE TREASURER AND THE CONTROLLER.

Otago Witness, Issue 928, 11 September 1869, Page 2

THE TREASURER AND THE CONTROLLER.

When Mr Vogel made his Financial Statement, he ventured to stigmatise the system of Control established by law in this colony as * a farce.' He gave his reasons for holding this opinion, and some of them certainly appear to be very cogent. The Controller is a man of sensitive temperament, and probably did not like the Treasurer's off-hand way of speaking of his office as a sham, and suggesting that he should come down from the solitary dignity which at present surrounds it, and join some other official to make a Board of Audit. The Controller's office has no halo of time-honoured tradition about it, but he would be a sorry official who did not himself believe in his own work. The hands that are raised to abolish his office must appear to him to be sacrilegious, unless indeed in the rare chance in which he has himself suggested the change. Some such feelings, unconsciously perhaps to himself, have no doubt had their influence in rendering the Controller restive. Last week he to all intents and purposes shut up the Treasury, and left all officialdom in dread of unpaid salaries. The Treasurer says he has plenty of money at his credit, but the Controller says « No.' And so little does Mr Vogel find the control 'a farce' in this particular case, that he has been obliged to ask Parliament to declare that whether he is right or wrong he shall have his own way, and the money he considers his own also.

It is to be regretted that while this curious matter its fresh in the minds of the public, information as to the details of it will not be obtainable until, at the earliest, tho next Session of the Assembly. Nothing coxild have been more instructive in connection with the subject of Colonial Finance than a complete exposition of the causes of this deadlock between the Treasury and the Controller. Mr Vogel informed us that up to the time of his Budget speech the two oittccs could not bring their accounts to agree. Beyond tho iaot, however, that the disagreement is as to what sums belong to each branch of the Revenue, wo have no information. Besides tho Consolidated Fund which represents tho balance in the hands of the Treasurer in respect of the Consolidated Uovcnuc, thcro Ls of course a Trust Fund Account. But theso arc not, all. Though tho Territorial Rovenuo belongs to tho Provinces, it passes through the hands of tho Colonial Treasurer. Honce one of tho branchosof the public account* established by the Public Revenues Act, 1807, \» called the Land Fund. Again, othor roceinto have to bo credited to what is called a Special Fund. To tikis latter fund bolong tlio moneys that aro raised by loans cither for special or general purposes, tho gold duty and othor goldfioldH rovonuc, tho proceeds of confiscated landH, and some other minor special receipts. It w as to how much money thcro ought to bo at the credit of each of these branches of the public funds that the officer! of the TreMury wt4 *fc« Co*

trailer are at variance, ffie .have fnb hesitation in saying that it is 1 a disgrace-; ful'thing that this should ; be ,the case. So long as this, dispute remains" unadjusted, all that we hear from time to time of the extraordinary efficiency and assiduity of the principal officers' of the public departments must necessarily be received with a spice of incredulity •by the public. So long as the late Government remained in office, difficulties appear to have been smoothed over. Mr Hall and Mr Stafford had a happy way of manipulating the public accounts which enabled them to avoid the unpleasant necessity which has been forced upon their successors of confessing themselves controlled, and having to ask the House of Representatives to play the part of a 'big brother' for them. The public is indebted to Mr Voget, for boldly declaring the state of things which he found existing when he took office to be * a farce.' But it is still more indebted to the Controller for refusing any longer to be accommodating, and determining to abide by his own interpretation of what are the balances of the different branches of the account he is intended to control. It is nearly two years since his office was first organised, and if the disagreements between his accounts and those kept in the Treasury are not already adjusted, we may take it for granted that they never will be. It was high time that public attention should be forced to a state of things which, in short, amounts to this — that money has been received and spent, and that two sets of books, compiled from the same vouchers, tell different tales as to where it came from, and what was done with it. At the first blush such a thing- would appear to be all but impossible, except perhaps in regard to very trifling matters. But the Treasurer, in the measured and carefully weighed phrases of his Financial Statement, admits that it is so, and the Controller has, in the most significant manner, corroborated the statement. Under these cir-cumstances, we think it is greatly to be regretted that the House of Eepresentatives did not insist upon having" the details of the dispute between the Treasury and the Controller laid before it, when it was asked to interfere. No doubt to keep the Treasury closed on the first day of a month would have been highly uncomfortable for not a few of our representatives besides those who are in the Ministry— a state of things which it is high time there were an end of. No doubt also the inconvenience would have extended itself to a numerous class of very moderately paid persons who serve the country. But v few days would have hurt no one very much, and might have served a most important purpose. Nothing is more undesirable than that the House should be too facile in relieving the Government from any of the responsibilities which attach to it. Had this Bill boon brought in during the early part of the Session, vre cannot doubt but that it would have met with different treatment, and we cannot help regretting that tho Controller was not in a position, or did not choose, to do at tho end of July what he has now taken the opportunity of doing.