THE COLONIAL ESTIMATES FOR 1867-8.

West Coast Times, Issue 608, 5 September 1867, Page 3

THE COLONIAL ESTIMATES FOR 1867-8.

We take the following analysis of the Estimates from the "Lyttelton Times" : —

The financial statement made by the Colonial Treasurer on August 22 has already been published, and will have been read with deep interest by all who care for the welfare of the colony. We have received a copy of the estimated expenditure in detail, and purpose to examine it with the view of comparing it with last year's expenditure.

. The estimates are divided into eight classes, exclusive of the Civil List and permanent charges, namely, Public Domains and Buildings, Public Departments, Law and Justice, Postal and Telegraph Services, Customs Departments, Native, Militia and Volunteers, and Miscellaneous, Special and Temporary. Taking them in order, we come first to the Civil List, for which there is set down a sum of L 27,500, including L7OOO for "native purposes." The permanent charges aniount> altogether to L 305.818, omitting shillings and pence. Of this sum L 238,248 is for interest on loans. The remainder may be placed under the heads of :— Pensions LBIO2, Waste Lands Acts, L 1717 ; Audit Act, 1858, Llso— the sum annually paid to the Audit Committee of the General Assembly — ; Audit Act Amendment Act, 1865, L 80 0; Comptrollers Act, L 800; Attorney General's Act, L 1000; and Subsidy to Panama Service, L 55,000. The stun put down for public domains and buildings is L 4376, as compared witk L 7228 last year. Of the total sum L 1326 goes for Government domains at Wellington and Auckland, as iollows : — Overseer of Government domains, L 20 0; gardener, Government house, L9O ; laborer, at 6s pet diem, L 93 18s ; gardener, at 7s per diem, LlO9 10s ; gardener occasionally employed, L 100; gardener at Lowry Bay, L 12 0: assistant gardener at Lowry Bay, L7O 4s; gardener and assistant Government gardener, Aucklank, Llß_ 12s ; housekeeper and wife, Government House, Auckland, L 120; gardener, Government House grounds, Auckland, L9O; contingencies, Ll5O. The Colonial Museum, in addition to a sum of L 3400 put down for the Geological Survey, comes in for L 950, making the grant to that department in all L 4350. Who will how say that science is not encouraged in New Zealand? 6 The sum set down for public departments is L 45,025, as compared with L 41.380 last year. The principal heads of expenditure under this class are : Governor's establishment, L 1600; Legislative, L 13.32 1; Executive, L9BBl— an increase of about LIOOOj Stamp office, L 58 4; Printing, L 6171 — an increase of Llß3l on last year ; and Geological Survey, L 3400. Theie, as will be observed, are general charges. But there are provincial charges under this class : Treasury, L 3741; Stamp office, L 2450; Electoral, L 3875. Law and Justice are set down at Lt>9,892, as against L 69.076 last year. The-fotal is divided into L 4066 as general, and L 65,825 provincial charges. The latter include :— Supreme Courts, L 8265 ; District Courts, L 4825 ; Eesident Magistrates' Courts, L 32.85 8; Petty Sessions Courts, L 100; Criminal prosecutions, L 8000; Coroners, L 205 0; and Land and Deeds Registry, L 9726. The charges for Law and Justice in Canterbury amount to LIO.BOI, of which L 2420 is on account of Westland alone. The postal services of the colony are

estimated to cost in all L 155,241, being L 93,168 for General, and L 62.073 for Provincial charges. The former include, for General Post Office, L 2730 ; conveyance of mails by sea, L 64,456; telegraph department, L 18.13 1; Marine Engineer s department, L 7850. The following table exhibits the Postal charges in each Province- separately, for the financial years 1866-7, and 1867-8 :—

The collection of the customs revenue is estimated to cost L 44,810, of which L 1555 are general ; and, including L 3750 for sundries, L 43.255 provincial charges. The latter are exhibited in the following table, a comparision being instituted with the previous financial year : —

The sixth class into which the estimates are divided comprises the expenditure for purely native purposes. The estimate given is L 24,058, as compared with L 29.986 in the financial year 1866-7. It will be recollected that the vote for native purposes has always been taken in block, without any attempt at detail. Mr Fitzherbert does not vouchsafe a great deal more information than his predecessors ; but still he divides the total sum into three heads, namely, Native schools, L 400 0; general contingencies, L 650 0; and salaries of European and Native officers, L 13.558. In addition to this sum of L24,d08 asked for the government of the natives, there is another item for " Native purposes" included in the Civil List, and amounting to L7OOO, so that it would appear we are asked to spend L 31.058 on the government of the Natives during the financial year 1867-8. For Militia and Volunteers, the Colonial Treasurer asks for a sum of L' 28,052. The vote last year was taken under the head of "Defence," aud amounted to L 70.000. Of the sum of L 28,052, there is set down for general chai"ges L 8412, and for provincial L 19.640 in the following proportions : —

The following detailed information will show how the vote of L 3,749 15s asked for Canterbury is disposed of : —

The eighth and concluding class of the I estimates is styled, miscellaneous, special and temporary. For objects of this description there is a total sum of L 39,403 set down, of which L 36,403 is on account of general, and L3OOO on account of provincial charges. Altogether, the general charges, as detailed in the estimates, amount to L 540.314, in round numbers. This indues, of course, the sum of L 305,818 under the head of permanent charges, or charges on account of loans. Deducting that sum, the General charges amount to L 234,496. The Provincial charges amount to L 203,859, and deducting this from L 542.000 — one-half the 'consolidated revenue as estimated by the Colonial Treasurer — there remains a sum of L 338.141 to be distributed among the provinces. But we must bear in mind that this latter sum, before any surplus is handed over, will be charged with the interest and sinking fund on the consolidated provincial loans ; that is, such province will be entitled, under the new scheme of finance, to one-half its consolidated revenue apart from its land fund. This half will be charged with the various items we have enumerated, amounting in the case of Canterbury to upwards of L 48.000- and with the interest and sinking fund of the consolidated loans in each province. Should the share allotted to each province not prove sufficient to meet these liabilities, then they will be made a first charge on its land fund.

1867-8. 1866-7. £ s. d. £ s. d. Auckland ... 8,198 0 0 8,028 15 0 Taranaki . . 1,250 0 0 929 15 0 Hawke'sßay... 1,818 0 0 1,794 0 0 Wellington ... 5,081 0 0 4,796 0 0 Nelson ... 3,851 0 0 2,784 0 0 MarlborougU... 1,793 0 0 2,019 0 0 Canterbury ... 20,375 0' 0 20,623 0 0 Otago ... 16,832 0 0 27,004 5 0 Southland ... 2,875 0 0 3,030 0 0 Total ...£62,073 0 0 £71,008 15 0

l s. a. StaffOfficer commanding 400 0 0 Establishment — Adjutant 300 0 0 4 Sergeants 438 0 0 Bugler 73 0 0 Adjutant's travelling aMowance 100 0 0 Sergeants' travelling allowance 136 10 0 Sergeants' forage allowance 51 15 0 Capitation gi'anfc— - Artillery and Cavalry Volunteers, 210 at 60 630 0 0 Engineer and Rifle Volunteers, 647 at 503 . . 1617 10 0 Total £3749 15 0

Auckland ?aranaki lawke's Bay Wellington kelson Jarlboi'ough Janterbuvy )tago louthland ... 3560 10 . 1346 10 ... 1349 10 ... 3998 13 ... 1883 5 ... 667 5 ... 3749 15 ... 2843 0 ... 242 0 Total £19,640 8

1867-8. £ s. d. Auckland ... 7,637 5 0 Taranaki ... 690 0 0 Hawke's Bay 1,260 0 0 Wellington 4,378 2 6 Nelson ... 2,883 0 0 Mavlborougli 915 0 0 Canterbury... 12,097 0 0 Otago ... 7,405 0 0 Southland ... 2,240 0 0 1866-7 £ 8. d. 7,734 12 6 990 0 0 1,320 0 0 4,148 12 6 2,275 0 0 1,235 0 0 14,066 17 0 7,805 0 0 2,630 0 0 T0ta1... £39,505 0 0 42,205 0 0