TREASURY REQUISITIONS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume 27, Issue 950, 27 June 1883, Page 5

T REASURY REQUISITIONS.

The' following important paper was submitted to Parliament on Thursday last, and was made the subject of attack upon Government in the shape of Mr Montgomery's vole of censure, the result of which will be. found recorded elsewhere :—: —

I am unable to tign this requisition without pointing out that it involves a grave evaeion of the Jaw. It is not an infraction of the law such that I should feel justified in declining to issue/the money, but it evades the clear intention of the Act. The ninth section of tbe Public Revenues Acf, 1882, provides for the expenditure for tjro months after the end of the financial year, authorising the Colonial Treasurer to issue and pay moneys during such two months, '*butno longor," subject to certain conditions. The effect of the present requisition (No. 88) is to draw but on the 31st .May, the last day on which I can, consistently with the law, issuu any money till Parliament meets, the sum of £192,000 from the public account and place it as an imprest in the hands of the PaymasterGeneral so so to carry on tbe expenditure until the meeting of Parliament. If suoh a step can be taken in an emergency arising from the Parliament not being called together within the time for which supplies are provided, I cannot but point' out that the same course might bo adopted by the Government at any tim« and for any purpose, and the whole expenditure of public moneys be changed "from , that of direct payment to 6ns of imprest payment, and from one, of pre-audit to- the old system of audit after ' payment, which it was th« whole object of the Kiivenues 'Act to abolish. It is trn* the Uw^pttttsab specific limits to the issue of impr«sts,ibut'lhey have hitherto been treated as exceptional, and used wh»re direct payment could not bejmade without inoonvan* ienqe.t!p;|.be.sesviee. -„ But the Audit Office has ;always felfc itjts, duty ,tp rempnstraV *g»«nst the-issu* of moneys on imp/dst for payment which might baVe bean ma.de directly from .the'lrijasury. I therefore, read it that the assue ,^f the.mo.neyi which I iiave no' power to rtiuse, discloses a mode ifx wKich'.tn»clear intention of Parliamtn't U bein^a'rid may be at any^time'fe^djScl^Sind moneys expended in a manner which the la'dft'Cfllci must bare deolioed to' sanction bad 'tW blaim been presented to it before the expenditure took place. As the point is one seriously affecting tho manner in which tbe duties of the Controller and Auditor'G-enersl are to be fulfilled, liavo the honor respectfully, to. request tl}at this memo., .together with the .requisition to which it relates, may . be laid ■ before Parliament as soon as it meets.

I Jas. , Ed wabd FnaaßßAia), Contrqlter.and Auditor-General. May 31, X 833. ' ". , '' ' P,B.—^,sh9uld also point out; that 'when the Paymaster submits fits vouchers for credit and it appears bj the receipts th»t payments hare been made before the meeting of Parliament, it.may be the duty of the AuditOffioe to refute to recognise euch payment or to reHere the P»jmnßter-Qenwalrwithont the expteti sanction of 'Parliament,' on.' the ground that the law exprewly; fochid«;aot only the mue, but also the^/meDtofimoney ijfter the : IJ.it iJay.fJ. &vJC»MB4JfrP., . „\