234 Auckland Provincial Government Gazette.

ultimo. The forty thousand pounds was voted for
works determined on by my predecessor, not to be
applied as I may think proper.

The Colonial Government is very good in offering
me such large advances. I could not accept such an
offer without a total sacrifice of my own independence and that of this Province. I therefore, with
all respect, still stand on the rights of this Province.
If these are ignored, I shall do my duty to the best
of my ability, in poverty, but with independence
preserved.

G. Grey.

(No. 22.)
Government Buildings, 10th April, 1875.

Will your Honor be good enough to direct that
the several mortgages and other securities referred
to in the proposed agreement re fifty thousand for
Thames Goldfields, or copies of same, may be sent
to me as soon as possible.

Daniel Pollen.

(No. 23.)
Auckland, 10th April, 1875.

Copies of mortgages and other securities shall be
forwarded as soon as possible.

G. Grey.

(No. 24.)
Wellington, April 11th, 1875.

Re offered advances. I regret very much the
determination which your Honor announces. Your
Honor’s predecessor (to my interview with whom you
refer) never claimed, nor, I think, imagined a
“right” to make five quarters in a financial year.
We held ourselves very fortunate in being able
frankly and cordially to co-operate with and assist
him in his efforts to promote the interests of the
Province of Auckland.

The Colonial Treasurer will, I am sure, take care,
by prompt payment to the Provincial Treasury of
all monies accruing, to reduce, as much as possible,
the inconveniences of the situation in which your
Honor must find yourself.

Daniel Pollen.

(No. 25.)
Auckland, 13th April, 1875.

Pray observe that the advance of Forty thousand
pounds is not to be given in annual grants. It is an
advance on loan, to be issued in instalments not exceeding Six thousand pounds each three months, and
to be repaid by stoppage of funds passing through
the Colonial Treasury. No allusion to a financial
year is anywhere made. The agreement is “The
first instalment is to be paid as soon as the Auckland Provincial Council shall have passed an Appropriation Act, and Six thousand pounds every three
months thereafter, up to the amount specified
(£40,000).” The Provincial Council passed the
Appropriation Act, by which the whole advance
so authorised was appropriated. Under the agreement an instalment of Six thousand pounds has been
due since the 31st March ultimo.

Pray observe also that the law declares all that is
to be done for carrying out this agreement; that it
says nothing authorising you, on my making an
application in terms prescribed by yourself, to pay
over to the Superintendent any sum “as an advance
of the regular payments.” On the contrary, it
appears to prohibit you from doing so.

I feel sure that the law would never require a
Superintendent, who believed monies were wrong
fully withheld from his Province, to admit that such
monies were rightfully kept back, as a preliminary
to his obtaining funds necessary for the preservation
of its credit, and the continuance of Public Works.
To enforce such a system would be oppressive; and
I cannot join the Colonial Government in dealing
with public funds in a manner which, by its own interpretation of the Act, would be a violation of the
law.

G. Grey.

(No. 26.)
Wellington, 10th April, 1875.

I have just now received your message of last
evening.

His Excellency will be advised to make the usual
delegation of powers without delay.

On reference to my telegram of 27th March, I
find the words used, after specifying the several sums
granted in aid of the Province of Auckland by Provincial Public Works Advances Act, 1874, and the
Immigration and Public Works Act, were: “Your
Honor will, I hope, be able to find in these supplies
the means of carrying on necessary works in the new
goldfield at Ohinemuri.” I did not indicate the fifty
thousand pounds vote specially as being that one
from which such funds might be obtained. I desire
to note this point, in order to correct the error into
which your Honor appears to have fallen.

I am not aware that the Colonial Government
has entered into any agreement with the Pumping
Association, or has any liability to provide “further”
or any funds for that body. The Provincial Government has entered into an agreement with the Pumping
Association. The vote of the Assembly was for
an advance of Fifty thousand pounds to the Province
of Auckland, to be expended in and about works on
the Thames Goldfields. This advance will be repaid
by the Province.

Your Honor says that you are advised that all
other funds (than the Fifty thousand pounds, I presume) have been appropriated. Your Honor may
have been wrongly advised. There has not been a
Session of the Auckland Provincial Council since the
Twenty-five thousand pounds was granted as a special
allowance; and as it was not known that such grant
was to be made, the money would probably not be
appropriated in anticipation by that Council.

I desire strongly to save your Honor from any
misapprehension on these points at this stage.

Daniel Pollen.

(No. 27.)
Auckland, 13th April, 1875.

I beg to point out an error into which you have
fallen in your telegram of the 10th instant. It was
not thought here that the Provincial Council had by
an Act of Appropriation appropriated the whole
special allowance of Twenty-five thousand pounds.
The Provincial Government had allowed the increase
in the amount of “special allowance” to be absorbed
in part in providing for votes of the Council, to meet
which no other funds existed in consequence of the
failure in land revenue, and partly on public works
at the Thames, as you are aware, for which no appropriation had been made. I was, therefore, really
and verbally accurate in saying that it had been all
appropriated.

G. Grey.

(No. 28.)
Auckland, 14th April, 1875.

Re your telegram of 10th instant.

I still think the vote of Fifty thousand pounds can
only be lawfully applied in and about works on what
were the Thames Goldfields at the date of the passing