to its being applied in the manner, provided
for by the Ordinance. I need hardly point
out to you the importance of securing to the
Province at as early a date as may be practicable the means of instructing the children
now growing up; and I would hope that
however great differences of opinion may exist as to what religion should be taught in
schools aided by the state few will be found
to advocate the doctrine that it is unnecessary to teach any. If then, the necessity of
establishing schools and the importance of
providing that in those receiving aid from the
state, religious instruction of some kind be
given, be admitted, I think this Council
will find no fairer or more satisfactory principle than that laid down in the Education Ordinance under which an amount of assistance
is given by the state towards promoting education amongst every class of the community
belonging to any Christian denomination, in
the exact proportion which the number of
persons belonging to that denomination bears
to the whole number of Christians in the
Province.

Public Offices—Court House—Council.

In laying before the Council an estimate
under this heading it may be necessary to
state that the Local Government have no
public buildings of their own whatever, that
at present various scattered and inconvenient
buildings are rented at exorbitant rates, and
that some of them—as the Court House and
Registry office—are in an untenable condition—whilst no other or more suitable buildings
can be obtained. In the present state of the
revenue, however, the colony is not in a position to undertake the construction of the various and expensive public buildings, which
are so much required, and among which may
be enumerated a Court House, a Council
Chamber, a Resident Magistrate’s Court, and
offices for the various public departments. I
propose, therefore, to meet the difficulty and
put off the necessity of building for two or three
years by leasing at a fair rental from the
Board of Management of Native Reserves
the premises known as Barrett’s Hotel, of
which the lease falls in next July, but as the
present lessees, or their sub-tenants, have incurred very considerable outlay in building, in
expectation, as they allege, of a renewal of lease,
the Executive Council of the Province has recommended that a sum of £800 should be awarded to them in satisfaction of all claims to
compensation. These premises are at present, I believe, very much out of repair, and
will also require some alterations to adapt
them to the purposes of the Government, but
the expenses of doing this will not, it is estimated, after a careful
calculation, exceed
£500, provided that such repairs and alterations only be undertaken as are absolutely
essential.

These two sums would, therefore, amount
to £800, to which must be added another
£100 for rent of the present offices from the
1st April until such time as the new ones
can be got ready, making in the whole
£900.

Wanganui Boat.

The estimate under this heading is to provide for the expenses connected with a boat
now building for Wanganui. Great difficulty
has hitherto been experienced, and considerable expense incurred, from the Government
having no boat suitable for crossing the bar,
a disadvantage of no inconsiderable magnitude, during the disturbances at Wanganui,
and one which it is very important should not
continue, whilst that settlement is occupied as
a military post. The boat now building will
be of about 25 tons burthen, and though rather flat in the bottom, and more especially
suited for the particular purpose for which it
is intended, may occasionally be useful in
keeping open the communication between the
various settlements in the vicinity of Cook’s
Straits.

The total estimated expenditure of the
whole Province for the service of the year
ending 31st March, 1850, may be taken at
£21,704 : 9 : 4, viz. :

Wellington ............ £13,809 6 3
Nelson ................ 2,934 3 11
Otago .................. 1,203 12 11
Wanganui.............. 328 5 0
Akaroa................. 341 1 3
Legislative Council ... 450 0 0
General Charges ....... 2,638 0 0
————————
£21,704 9 4

The Ways and Means to meet these charges
are as follows, viz. —

Estimated Revenue, Wellington £15,000 0 0
Nelson .... 2,500 0 0
Otago .... 1,500 0 0
————————
In all ... £19,000 0 0

Leaving, therefore, a deficiency to be provided for from the Parliamentary Grant to
the amount of £2,704 : 9 : 4.

In estimating, however, the probable revenue of the several settlements of the Province,
I have carefully confined myself within such
moderate limits as may leave little doubt of
the calculations being fully realized, and I
hope even that they may be exceeded, and the
actual deficiency be found at the close of the
year less than is now anticipated. In Wellington the revenue has progressively and
steadily increased during the last two years.
For the financial year ending 31st March,
1848, the amount of nett revenue was
£13,432 : 17 : 3, whilst for the corresponding
period terminating 31st March, 1849, it was
£14,400 : 17 : 8, being an increase during
the year of £968 : 0 : 5. I think, therefore,
that I cannot be regarded as forming too favourable an estimate in assuming that the
revenue for Wellington will amount to
£15,000 for the year ending 31st March,
1850.

For Nelson I have taken the estimate of