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large sums of money produced any. The proceeds of our land sales this year was only £6,000, nevertheless it was £3000 more than last year, and notwithstanding that a large number of our people have forsaken the gold digging for road work, and many of the land offices have occupied under business licenses have now been sold, our Goldfields revenue has not been much less, I shall now ask the Council to consider the estimate of revenue submitted in a message by the Superintendent yesterday lay. Under the head of Capitation Allowance the revenue is estimated at £14,500. Perhaps I should weary the Council by going into details, and therefore I shall not do so, particularly as honorable members will have an opportunity of questioning me respecting the accuracy of the figures. We estimate the probable revenue for the current year at £74,891, and the figures are arrived at after very close and careful computation, without any desire to exaggerate a single item. They are based, for the most part, on the receipts of last year. There is one item to which I think I may appropriately refer, that is the balance of the immigration funds. This is a fund which has for a long time been lying until in the Provincial Chest and I think now that the General Government have taken immigration matters into their own hands, the Province should utilize that money. There is a large uncollected balance regarding which the Government desire to take the vote of the Council. We do not wish to do anything respecting it until we know what the Council may decide on the subject. A number of people owe the Province money on account of this fund; but they say they feel a great injustice that they should now be called upon to pay for the maintenance of their friends long ago when persons are now brought here free of cost, at any rate to themselves, and, moreover, are received with open arms, and treated better in every way than they themselves were. Under the head of "Land Receipts" we have estimated the probable revenue at £17,800. A large expenditure will be asked for under the head of "Surveys," but the Council must understand that the Executive has nothing whatever to do with the land sale, except in the way of taking whatever money may accrue from them. I would point out that under the new system of leasing there is a great probability that a larger quantity of land will be taken up, and this new system of leasing is capable of great abuse. If the best lands of the Province are situated in area out of the question on the terms stated in the new Act, the land revenue will be reduced to almost nothing. In that case where is the money for the making the roads to come from? Under the head of "Lunatic Asylum Loan," the sum of £3,000 is put down, because the loan was not obtained till the end of the financial year. There are a number of items under the head of "Miscellaneous," and amongst others the interest on money that we have to obtain, but there is no use in detail. I shall turn now to the Estimated Expenditure. You will notice that the salaries of the Executive are put down; when the matter comes before the Council we for consideration I think the Government will propose some reduction. The executive establishment is much the same as it was last year, except that the salary of the Messenger is closed distinctly, and not included in Contingencies The Provincial Council charges are the same as they have been. The total for Provincial Council charges is £3,395. Under the head of "Justice," the Council will see that a considerable saving has been effected. Hon. members will remember that the Clerks to Resident Magistrates and Wardens are put down at half salary in consequence of an arrangement by which members of the Police force are competent to discharge the duties of clerks will be employed in that capacity. The expenditure on Gaols is much the same as in previous years. The total cost of Justice, Police, and Gaols is estimated at £8,942 17s. 6d. It may be necessary that I should explain a change that has taken place. Among the reductions proposed by the Executive, was one effected by combining the offices of Inspector of Police and Gaoler in this City. Upon enquiry it will be found that the present holder filled both offices with satisfaction to the Government and credited to himself, it is only just to that he has done so. The Executive now, with great regret, find themselves compelled to cancel that arrangement, as the General Government would not consent to the amalgamation of the two offices. I am quite aware that the General Government are liable to err, and may be misled, perhaps it is due to the political opposition that the Executive have to contend against, that the mandate has been done them. Several parties have endeavored to induce the General Government to interfere with our operations elsewhere, but they were unsuccessful; and if Nelson had been properly represented at Wellington they would not have been successful in this instance. However, we have so managed that it has not entailed upon the Province any greater expense—£4 or £5 a year. Before passing from the items Police and Justice, I wish to draw the attention of the Council to a matter in which the Province does not receive justice from the General Government. The fees and fines of the Magistrates Courts on the Goldfields amount to annually about £1500, and I think they should in justice be paid into the Provincial chest, since the whole expense of the Courts is thrown upon the Province. If that sum were handed over to the Province it would pay more than half the expense of justice. Under the head Education will be found a sum of £2000 which I think, will I believe be deemed sufficient by the Central Board of Education, but it is for the Council to consider whether it should not be increased, from the ordinary revenue, and whether at present it would right to follow the example as in other Provinces, and to adopt some means calculated to place the educational establishment on a better and sounder basis. I have heard a good deal said about the manner in which the money is spent. The efficiency cannot very little be improved by the expenditure of the large sums of money annually handed over to the Central Board. The Council should, before the close of this session, investigate whether it would be advantageous and necessary and consider whether it would not be better to make the Central Board of Education accountable to the representatives of the people. Under the head Charitable, the expenditure is about the same as last year. The expenses on the Surveys will be found to be increased, and the Provincial Engineer and Chief Surveyor is put down at a higher salary. For the last few years the head of people, the survey establishment was very poorly paid, the appointment of the Provincial Government. It has now been necessary for me in the discharge of my duties to call upon the Provincial Engineer for his services but I should not obtain them because he was engaged in doing work for the General Government. There is no branch of the Provincial service so thoroughly disorganized as the Survey Department. We were not limited in the number of applicants for the office of Provincial Engineer, and the present Chief Surveyor was unanimously chosen by the Superintendent and Executive out of seventeen candidates. His testimonials were such as to warrant our placing perfect confidence in him, and I trust he will answer our expectations in the service of the Province. It is intended to Head quarters of the Survey department from Westport to Nelson, as it is impossible to conduct the business properly while one portion of the books and papers are at Westport and others at Nelson. I defy any man to arrive at anything like a rational conclusion as to how the accounts of the Province stand or the rents under various leases were collected. A great number of the leases were in arrear. If the Survey Department is not efficiently conducted there can be no security in land transactions. I know that in many cases important surveys were made in this Province with a double charge throughout. The money for the Harbor Works was borrowed at 7 per cent., and the money from the General Government at 5 per cent., with 1 per cent. for sinking fund. It is not anticipated that the trough road will be completed before the end of this year, and the amount asked for coach subsidy will, if it thought, be sufficient. I hope, however, that the Council is in Committee on the Estimates this sum will be increased. It is proposed to reduce the subsidy for steam service.