Wellington Notes.

Southland Times, Issue 13501, 18 July 1896, Page 4

Wellington Notes.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT). THE LANDS FOR SETTLEMENT. A preliminary return has been furnished in advance of the report of the De P» rt ™“f of Lands and Survey. It gives a digest of the eetates purchased by lt tables showing how they are paying* shows that during the past parties have been bought and paid for, costinrt L 57.455, and five others not yet paid for, for which L 157.172 will have to be> palout of borrowed money l c v oU l r . 6 “~ t o h “' strengthening the silver “ ord u , that . to England, home and the bloated, bloodsucking bondholder. Altogether since .we started developing-the system of turn g desirable settlers off their land and paying them out with foreign money L534,,726 has been spent or is owing. The attached report is like many commercial and political doou- t moots, “faked” to “make th. worse appear the better cause.” In it a summary of IS out of 28 purchased estates is given, andl the, results stated as follows :-On March 31st, 1896, 19 estates had been offered and alter deducting forfeitures,the rental at which they were let amounted to L 9987 per annum. The amount of money sunk in the purchase, was L 209.559. This shows a return in capital of 4'76 per cent. This poking" is worthy of a wizard of finance, for, far from the annual rental being L99B<, the total sum received since the inception of the scheme, when Pareora was bought on Sept. 29th, 1893, till March 31st, 1896,. was L 7815 17s sd. The method is ingenious, but altogether wrong and misleading. To estimate the results from the rental at which the farms are let, instead of from the cash received, and then announce a return of 4’76 per cent, is not business, and in commercial circles with claims to morality would be called by a harsher name. Taking particular instances Studholme Junction comes first. It is 107 acres in extent, cost L 1339 and was bought in November, 1893. The report states that it has 2 bouses and 17 souls residing on it, and it returned in rent altogether since its start Lll5 19s lid; this is at the rate of L 3 12s Id per cent, per annum. The annual rent payable is L 73 4s 6J, but all that was received last year under the head of “ rents and other payments ” was L 42 15s sd. Nothing is stated regarding forfeitures or evictions on this block, although it.is well-known that such occurrences did happen. Next take Pomabaka, 7462 acres, cost L 21.837, purchased October, 1893. Total rents received to date L 842 os2d; percentage of return, L 3 17s Id for whole period or LI 10s lOd per annum. Annual rent payable, L 927. Rent and other payments received last year, L 192 13s Id ; area open for selection, 3096 acres ; resident, 41 souls. -Then Blind River: area, 5507 acres; cost, ' L 16.212; date of purchase, Aug Ist, 1894. Total receipts up to date, L 639 6s 3d. Return, L2 12s 6d per cent per annum ; but of this sum LlB5 was rent paid in advance by the owner to allow his sheep to remam. This would reduce the genuine rent to LI 16s 8d per cent. Annual rent payable, L 468 10s ; rent and other payments received during year, L 326 7s 7d. Area not occupied, 1249 acres. Resident, 40 souls. I'a'oa, in North Canterbury, 7347 acres; cost, L 6693 ; March, 1896 ; 4139 acres still remain on hand, and the report states it “is inferior in quality and only suited for a small run ” ; for this 18s per acre was paid. Residents, none. It is needless to quote more. There is sufficient evidence here to prove that the expenditure of over half a million of money has, in place of being a financial success as Ministers have told the country in their stumping tour, been a most ridiculous breakdown. This is no manufactured Tory lie, to use a favourite term of Ministers and Ministerial journals; the figures arc. those of the lands department, and no twisting or juggling can alter them. The Minister has had his own way in spending. money broadcast and has made a miserable shipwreck. Ministers stated when they initiated this scheme Government must bo absolutely unfettered in its policy of distributing the lands, t and must have the sole benefit of its own administrative machinery.” They have had all this and their administrative ability has produced a Pomahaka and a Struggler’s flat. COMING EVENTS

A tolerably largo and comfortable room is allotted to the leader of the Opposition in Parliament House. For anyone to intrude there, not be>ng a whip or an intimate friend who is a member of his party is an impertinence. However, a day or two ago half a dozen members of the Opposition who were sitting there chatting about' the price of “ bikes” and the prospects of the London wool sales, were somewhat astonished to see an unexpected visitor enter without knocking. This was no less a personage than the Premier, accompanied by a livetied menial. He glanced round the room with a lordly air aud with a lordly wave of hia hand remarked “ Haw, I think this room requires a new carpet.” The orderly took a note of it and these Opposition members are still in doubt whether that intrusion was a search for “ scab” members or if his highness expects to occupy the Opposition leader’s place at an early date, and means to take time by the forelock and furnish it to his -taste while he has the chance. THE YEAR’S BALANCE SHEET. The annual accounts as published in the Gazette being a puzzle to most readers tho following statement will be found more easily understood by your readers. Receipts for Year Ending March, 1896.

TAXES FOR SERVICES RENDERED Railways . • L 1,182,279 16 6 Registration and . / other Fees .. 18,431 12 8 Marine Dues .. 20,560_0W 1( , Q TAXES PROPER AND TAXATION’ FOR SERVICES RENDERED, MIXED Stamps, Postal and Telegraph Receipts .. L 707.187 12 0 Misc e 11 a neous, - Deeds, &o .. 72,4U> 16 g 8 TERRITOIUAI. RBVEXVK

Note (Bj—-There has been paid in the item interest and sinking fund a sum of about L 80.400. This amount has gone in reduction of debt, but a separate t ible will show the net incrsase of debt fur the year. Note (c)—Thia is a payment to the F.’VV. fund to be cxpinled in railways, roads, te.ea aphs, buildings etc. Sums varying in e mount have for years past b,-.( n paid out of the consolidated fund to the public works :uod, and it is then f-re proper to be charged to ord nary expend.hr, Note (i>)— This sum wdlbi repaid when t he advances to settlers account is in funds J meanwhile it is an expenditure and must be chart'd as ordinary expenditure so as to get 'a eoneet’-alsrce fo- the vear. But it. m»v be several yearn before the Riorwy w repaid.

This fully explains the conundrum of how, during the two months before larliament met Messrs Seddon, Ward and McKenzie were announcing, amid applause to country audiences, thu there was a surplus ofover L 200.000, while Mr Hall-Jones wia bewail ing to deputations his inability to find work for the unemployed or funds to carry on public works. The above figures a™ like those regarding the Lands Department, taken from official records, and. are not of Tory manufacture. The only difference is that they are tabulated so' that the ordinal y mind can grasp them. When we r e permitted to Hspect mother return or tw® I will forward a rewme of our progress in debt; the not increase of which for the year is about two and a half millions. 13th July.

TANKS PROPER Customs .. .. LI,649,310 7 2 Land Tax 271,314 8 2 Income Tax 42,778 •j 11 Property Tax Beer Duty 54 62,657 18 11 8 6 L2,076,195 9 5

Cash for Land sold, _ „ Rents, &c .. L2OT.6/3 9 30 L291,673 0 10 Repayment o! advances made to Cheviot, etc. and charged to other accounts .. •• (A) 11,000 1 7 Sinking funds released, but held to be applied to redeem dcben- __ tures previously issued .. 4i,701 1 3 Net deficit if credit at beginning of year and loans are not included 109,865 9 9 £4,508,181 16 6 (A) This is hardly a credit proper. It is a repayinput of previous payment?, but the accounts wouid not be complete were this item omitted. EXl’KXDITURB. J ermanent appropriations by Act; not voted : mnually by Parliament. Civil List.. .. •• • s 1 23 044 15 Interest and sinking funds on loans(B) 1,683,/78 0 11 8 Other permanent charges, including pensions, expenses of members, subsidies, etc. • • • • 345,8o3 0 10 £•2.052,073 6 5 Normal departmental appropriations, including all departments, Railways, Postal, Education, etc. .. •• •• 3,297,307 8 10 Payment to public works fund for 1EnKnn rail waj s and roads .. •• (0 150,509 Advawe to Advances l o Settlers De0 0 partment to be hereafter refunded (») 20,0 < » 0 0 debentures redeemed out of S.F .. 4/,d»i 1 3 Total M,568,181 16 6

the alleged subflus. The method by which the alleged surplus was arrived at is os follows : Dr. Cash credit at beginning of year 1180,024 5 0 Moneys borrowed under the Consoli dated Stock Act, 1884, as against sinking funds and their increases 145,40c 0 0 1.325,424 6 9 Or. Balance of deficit, shown above -- llfi'tss 10 0 Surplus shown in accounts • • L325.424 S 9