8.—2

12

Moiety of Stamp Duties paid to Public "Works Loan Account ... ... 55,319 0 2 Treasury Bills redeemed ... ... ... ... ... ... 100,000 0 0 Transfer to Public Works Loan Account to provide for Interest and Sinking Fund payable in London to 15th July ... ... 277,163 4 7 Temporary Advances repayable,— To Trust Fund ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 20,000 0 0 To Land Fund ... ... ... ... ... ... ' ... 184 18 0 Total Colonial Charges ... ... ... ... ..."£1,409,082 7 8 Provincial, — Capitation Allowances ... ... ... ... £233,171 5 0 Special Allowances ... ... ... ... ... 48,363 7 6 281,534 12 6 Less payable in July... ... ... ... ... 10,372 5 6 271,162 7 0 Advances under " Provincial Public Works Advances Act, 1874" ... ... £51,500 0 0 Less repaid ... ... ... 1,314 19 10 50,185 0 2 Total Provincial Charges ... ... ... 321,347 7 2 Total Actual Expenditure to 30th June... ... ... ...£1,730,429 14 10 It will be seen that the actual expenditure embraces several items not included in the estimate submitted by my honorable friend. The items I refer to are: — £ s. d. Increase in Moiety of Stamp Duties .. .. .. 5,319 0 2 Advances to Provinces .. .. .. .. 51,500 0 0 Temporary Advance to Trust Fund .. .. .. 20,000 0 0 „ „ Land Fund .. .. .. 184 18 0 And they amount to .. .. £77,003 18 2 If, for the sake of comparison with the estimate, these sums be deducted from the actual expenditure of £1,730,429 14s. 10d., we have a sum of £1,653,425 16s. Bd., and adding thereto the liabilities outstanding on the 30th June, estimated at £55,984 4s. Id., we have an excess of £49,093 6s. 2d. on the estimated expenditure. I will not trouble the Committee with any lengthened remarks on the several items of expenditure; but there are one or two points to which it seems proper to call its attention. There is an excess of expenditure of £14,874 16s. 3d. on the estimates under Permanent Acts, arising out of payments to the amount of £16,905 17s. lid. made under " The Excise Duties Act, 1874,"—an Act which, as the Committee will remember, was passed after the estimates of expenditure for the year had been laid before it. In the class Law and Justice there is also an excess of some £4,400. This excess is however very nearly balanced by a corresponding increase in the judicial revenue. The votes for Postal and Telegraph Services also show an expenditure of £11,300 in excess of the estimate. The excess upon the Postal vote is traceable to two causes : first, to the increased payments made under the contract with the Australasian Steam Navigation Company; and secondly, to the increased use of the Suez Service, owing, no doubt, to the irregularity and subsequent interruption of the San Francisco Service under the Hall-Forbes Contract. The excess on the Telegraph vote is owing to expenses incurred in opening new stations, and to some costly repairs made upon the lines. In the class Miscellaneous there is an apparent saving on the vote for Miscellaneous Services of £13,300. This arises mainly from the Government having made no expenditure on the items "Trigonometrical Survey, £5,000," and "Purchase of Steamer to replace the 'Luna,' £5,000." £500 only of the vote of £1,200 for Steam Launches had been expended up to the 30th June, but the balance will be required when the contract is completed, and that amount has accordingly been reserved for expenditure during the present year. As respects the other items in

Table F, page 27.

Table P>, page 7.