THE LAND REVENUE OF NEW SOUTH WALES.

Southland Times, Volume 3, Issue 102, 16 October 1863, Page 6

THE LAND REVENUE OF NEW SOUTH W ALE S.

(From the Sydney Morning IJeraM) Inhispreliminaryapotogyfor the gloomy view he was -about to present of our finances, Mr Smart said that his predecessor had been too sanguine, and had calculated on getting income that was never realised. Bat a glance backwards over the financial documents of the past few years will show that the over-estimate has come mainly from the Lands' Department, and that the Will-o'-the wisp that has led the Cabinet as ray, and at last landed them in a financial beg is no other than that brir* liant genius John Robertson himself. We are not sure, after all, that Mr Weekes is not more sinned against than sinning, and that he ii nut entitled to shift the blame on to the shoulders of his more pretentious colleague. Each dep trlment furnishes itfc own estimates, and Mr Weekes merely accepted and combined them. How gro<sly Mr Jlobettson has misled him the following figures will show. We shall compare Mr Roberts m's estimates of land revenue with his receipts for four successive year?. These figures are not disputable. They are al 1 taken froai published parliamentary documents, and they tell their own tale plainly enough. Here a c Mr Robertson's estimaies and his receipts : — ■ For IS.O — Eiiiinate £55-2,8.30 lleceipts... 312,rfvi'J Defk-k-ncy £2:JJ,WI For 1801 :— Estimate £45">.500 ltc't'cipts 381,3-Jl D.-fu-ioru-y i,71,4ji) For lSi'2: — JsiniHtj JC-!7">,580 Rjcoipls 410,770 Denciuncy i.'SS,SLO For 1883 :— Estimate £19,5.800 It cuipts „ 87 I.UiJo D finoncy £I2A,S'JS The receipts ~ll]C>3 are conjectural so far ns the hitter luilf of the year is concerned, but they are based on the stippoMtioa that tiie liind sules will yi-ld as much during the last six months as they did dining thu first six months; and that the pastoral rents and assessments for next year, payable on or before lilst December, will turn in L 107,11"). Now let us iiild, these deficiencies j together, and tot them up : — J)( Ticifincy for ISUO ... .t'2. o »9 DSI Do ISU ... ... 7t'sii.) D . ISC3 ... ... oStl) Do ISJ3 ... ... ]^-1.t1>5 Totrd ... L\L';s ; l.33 So that in tho short sp.ve of four years Mr Ko'K-rtson has misled his colleagues and l'tiilianient to the extent of half n million sterling. Isitany wonder that the: 0 is a defi.it, considering th'it on the faith < f hi* assurances that the money would be forthcoming, fhe anticipated revenue was all .o ed away. The Minister for I/inds lias not only never been right in his calcu!a ions, but he has never been even ne-irly right, while in the agsrfcgato he lias been gi\ sily and egivgiously wrong. The land re\er<m> is mainly compounded of the proceeds of land sales nnd the rental (if i rovvn lands. There are a few oilier miscellaneous items, but they are of ra'nor importance. The rental is subdivided into rents proper and assessments; but they may be <irm. ped together, because they are payable by the same class of people and for the same consideration. Tho assessment was mere I}'1 }' an artifice for increasing the rent. Mr Robertson's most grievous en or was in over-estimating ihe proceeds of laud sales. But he was also as uniformly, though not so extravagantly, excessive in over-eritimating the proceeds of the rentals. We miijiiin a statement of his estimates of each smr.ee -of revenue for the i'our years (assessment being included under the term rentals) : —

J-ferc arc eight different estimates, yet 1101 ones, not even bj accident, was the Miiiister for Lands right. Such a peisi.s- ■ tent perversity in going wrong is not often j to be met with. 1 This over estimating is carried out not only in the original but even in ihe revised Estimates. A large part of the ye<ir has generally clipped, before the financial statement is made to Par.iament. There are six or nine mouths of jvali-cd revenue to go by as n criterion for the rest of lhe year. Yet ev.-n in these revised Estimates Mr Robertson's incurable propensity to go wrong n ver forsakes hrn. Thus in October, 18 >1, a icvised estimate wnsplaced before the Assembly. The land dales for the }e:u - bud been originally put d»wn at L\i7o.(-00. .Nine months of the year bad gone, an i only L 137,000 liful baen realised. Yot, though only three months of the year tt.cn remained, a statement U put. before the Assembly showing that before the close of lhe year the receipts would not only come up to the original expectation but would even go beyond it by L 20,000. The Assembly swallowrd it without a murmur. Of course, this amount was never realised — [his revised estimate being neaWy 1j70,000 from the truth- 15ut it served its purpose of bolstering up lhe credit of the Government for the moment, and the promised money was voted aw.iy. In otlic: years ths di.sciepancy is not quite so gross as this. Still on every occasion the same sort of error re-appears, and the revised estimates of land revenue are invariably in excess. Thess facts are sufficient lo show the degree of confidence that is to be reposed in Mr Robertson's estimates ; and therefore, if he comes forward again, as he has come forward in time past, to declare that there need be no fear of a deficit, as he knows how to fetch up all arrears, by means of an increased land revenue, we must take his assyxvß.iicecunigra.no. We shall know what his promise is worth.

I 18 ( 3O. j IS;ST. 1832. W>3. Saws. \ a \ a a; j £ Estimate. i3X>.i'OO 270.0)0 J2f>i).ooo I 30:),000 Receipts . ,lsr>,:',[7 22^59i !^Ui^S9 '■ I^*^o2 Pofifiencj '■ Ui,()S3 j 4-7,400 03,011 110.,7 ( j8 R.CWTALS. | Eslimatc .: 2 1-0.0 >0 KSI.OQO -215.500 lOO.nnO liv'ccipts . il-sl,iJ'.)J jlolM.U'J \h)4,5T3 ■ 17;\!)0:j Doficicncj 50 ,005 ! 20,9:;0 2-3,077 j 11,01)7