NEW ZEALAND
GOVERNMENT GAZETTE,
PROVINCE OF CANTERBURY.

Published by Authority.

All Public Notifications which appear in this Gazette, with any Official Signatures, are to be considered as Official Communications made to those persons to whom they may relate, and are to be obeyed accordingly.

By His Honor’s Command,
WILLIAM ROLLESTON,
Provincial Secretary.

VOL. XI.] MONDAY, MAY 2, 1864. [No. XVIII.

ADDRESS OF HIS HONOR THE SUPERINTENDENT
On Proroguing the Provincial Council,
April 29, 1864.

MR. SPEAKER AND GENTLEMEN OF THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL,

In bringing this present short session to a close, I have to thank you for the earnest attention you have given to the subjects which have been submitted to you, and I have no doubt that the measures you have adopted will be productive of lasting benefit to the province. No time shall be lost in forwarding the preliminary operation necessary to the efficient carrying out of the great work to which you have given your sanction. I entirely concur in the bold and liberal policy which you have adopted in reference to the contract negotiated by Mr. Ward for the establishment of a mail service by way of Panama. With a view to giving greater effect to your decision I have deputed a member of my Executive Council to proceed to Auckland and the intermediate provinces, in order the better to represent the views of this province on this subject. I am gratified to be able to state that since the adoption of this step I have already received from the Superintendent of Wellington the satisfactory assurance that the Government of that important province is desirous of co-operating in the measures you have decided upon.

I have assented on behalf of his Excellency the Governor to the Railway and Harbor Works Fund Ordinance.

I now declare this Council prorogued to the 30th day of June next.

S. BEALEY,
Superintendent.

AUDITOR’S REPORT.

To C. Bowen, Esq., Speaker of the Provincial Council, Canterbury.

Provincial Auditor’s Office,
Christchurch, April 28, 1864.

Sir,—I have now the honor to forward my comparative statement, showing the over expenditure on the different votes of the Council during the last nine months; as also, schedules shewing the items of expenditure made without vote.

The first head on which there is an apparent over-expenditure, is that for “Interest and bank charges.” This includes a sum of £625 paid to the Union Bank of Australia for negotiating £50,000 of debentures in London.

Under the head “Administration of Justice” there is an over-expenditure in the Expenses of Session and Gaol. These expenses being regulated by the Court, are beyond the control of the Executive, and the addition is to be attributed to the increase of population and consequent increase of crime.

The next item of over-expenditure is on immigration, and is very large, being not less than £4650 3s 5d. It would have been satisfactory had this large over-expenditure represented a corresponding increase of population; but this is, unfortunately, not the case, a large portion having been incurred owing to the necessity of placing two of the ships in quarantine. But, large as this excess appears, the immigration account is, in my opinion, properly chargeable with a still larger sum. The difficulty experienced by the Lancashire operatives in finding employment on their arrival, induced the Government to place a large number of them on the public works in the province. In answer to an application from the Immigration Officer, I wrote the following memorandum on the 8th of October last, as to the mode in which I thought the wages paid to these men should be appropriated:—

MEMORANDUM FOR IMMIGRATION OFFICER.

The Auditor is of opinion that it would be unfair to charge the whole of the rations or wages paid to the Lancashire operatives, against either the Immigration or Charitable Aid Fund solely. Neither would it be fair to debit the whole amount to any special