I.—6a,

1881. NEW ZEALAND.

REPORT OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE ON PENSIONS. (TOGETHER WITH MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS AND EVIDENCE)

Brought up \Gth August, 1881, and ordered to be printed.

ORDERS OP REFERENCE. Extracts from the Journals of the Hoiise of Representatives. IIIUESDAY, THE 7tH DAY OP JUIY, 1831. Ordered, " That it is not desirable that the House should come to any decision as to the course to be taken with reference to Dr. Pollen's pension until the circumstances under which pensions have been granted to the Hon. Sir William PiUherbert, the Hon. Mr. Gisborne, and Mr. Domett have been considered by the Public Accounts Committee and repotted to this House." — (Mr. Saunders.) But, until the report of the Public Accounts Committee on the additional pensions referred to has been dealt with by the House, no further payment should be made on account of any or either of such pensions, and that the Committee do report to the House upon the pensions of Mr. Domett, Sir William Pitzherbert, and Mr. Gisborne, within three weeks.— (Mr. J. B. Fisher.)

Thtjksday, the 28th Day oe July, 1881. Ordered, " That the Public Accounts Committee have leave to postpone for fourteen days the bringing up of their report in the matter of certain pensions, referred to them on the 7th. day of July instant."

Thubsday, the 11th Day op August, 1881. Ordered, " That the Public Accounts Committee have leave to postpone the bringing up of their report upon the subject of pensions for one week."

REPORT The Public Accounts Committee, which has been directed by the House to consider and report upon the pensions granted to Sir William Fitzherbert, the Hon. Mr. Gisborne, and Mr Domett,, has the honour to report, — That, on the 2nd December, 1869, Mr. Fitzherbert applied to the Colonial Secretary for a superannuation allowance, having on the 2nd November previous tendered his resignation of the office of Commissioner of Crown Lands. He based his claim on sections 31,82, and 33 of " The Civil Service Act, 1866." To entitle him to a pension under that Act it was necessary, under sections 32 and 33 : (1.) That he should have attained the full age of sixty years at the date of his resignation; (2.) That he should have been fifteen years in the Civil Service of New Zealand. If those conditions were fulfilled, the superannuation allowance would be " an annual allowance of half the average annual salary received by him during the two years preceding his superannuation/ With regard to the first of these conditions, Mr. Fitzherbert seems to have been in his sixtieth year, but not " of the full age of sixty years," when he tendered his resignation, which was accepted to take effect nearly eight months afterwards.