57
EXPENDITURE for the Six Months ending 31st December, 1854.—Continued.

OTAGO.
Customs .. .. .. .. £ 264 8 0
Post Office .. .. .. .. 78 11 1
Resident Magistrate's Department .. .. 126 10 3
Government Brig .. .. .. .. 13 6 8
Interest on Debentures .. .. .. 72 10 8
Land Department .. .. .. .. 491 9 9
Land Purchases .. .. .. .. 632 13 7½
Provincial Treasurer .. .. .. 2,267 16 10
Total Otago Expenditure .. .. .. 3,947 6 10½

IN ENGLAND
ENDING 30TH SEPTEMBER, 1854.)
DISBURSEMENTS.
Private Secretary's Half-Salary .. .. .. 50 0 0
Miscellaneous .. .. .. .. 5 5 11
Stationery .. .. .. .. 314 15 7
Survey Instruments .. .. .. 132 12 0
3 per cent Consols. .. .. .. 204 4 4
Postage Stamps Printing Press, etc. .. 522 3 0 1,229 0 10
Charges on Bank Remittances ... .. 0 2 6 0 2 6

RECAPITULATION.
Auckland .. .. .. .. 58,911 5 3
New Plymouth .. .. .. 3,689 16 0
Wellington .. .. .. 19,909 8 9
Nelson .. .. .. 13,714 14 81
Canterbury .. .. .. 28,220 7 9
Otago .. .. .. 3,947 6 10½
Agent General .. .. .. 1,229 3 4
Total Expenditure .. .. .. 129,622 2 8

CHARLES KNIGHT, Auditor-General.

that the dissolution of the Assembly ought to take
place immediately afterwards. Should this, how-
ever, on further consideration not be deemed
advisable, it still appears to His Excellency in-
dispensable that the Assembly should be
prorogued for some months, in order that the
Responsible Ministry may be afforded sufficient
time to make themselves acquainted with the
affairs of the Colony, and to prepare such measures
as they may deem necessary to propose to the
Assembly.

I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient humble servant,
ANDREW SINCLAIR,
Colonial Secretary.

No. 39.

Downing-street,
8th December, 1854.

SIR,—

I have to acknowledge your despatches of
the numbers and dates specified in the margin,
reporting the proceedings which have taken place
in the General Assembly of New Zealand on the
subject of the future Executive Government of
the Colony.

As regards the most important portion of that
subject, I have taken the earliest opportunity of
informing you that her Majesty's Government
have no objection whatever to offer to the estab-
lishment of the system known as "Responsible
Government," in New Zealand. They have no
reason to doubt that it will prove the best adapted
for developing the interests, as well as satisfying
the wishes, of the community. Nor have they
any desire to propose terms, or to lay down re-
strictions, on your assent to the measures which
may be necessary for that object, except that of
which the necessity appears to be fully recog-
nised by the General Assembly, namely the
making provision for certain officers who have
accepted their offices on the equitable under-
standing of their permanence, and who may now
be liable to removal. The only officers men-
tioned in your despatches as likely to fall within
this category are the Colonial Secretary and
Treasurer, and the Attorney-General: nor am I
myself aware of any others; but I do not wish to
fetter your discretion, if farther consideration
makes it in your opinion desirable to alter the
list.

Should the arrangements made for this pur-
pose be in your judgment satisfactory, you are
authorised to admit at once the new holders of
office under the responsible system, reporting
their names for confirmation in the usual man-
ner. There will be no occasion on this supposi-
tion, for a further reference to the home Govern-
ment before the change is carried into effect.

But if the arrangements proposed should not
meet with your approval, which I trust will not
be the case, the appeal to the Home Government
for ultimate decision will unavoidable.

The preliminary steps for the introduction of
Responsible Government being thus few and plain
I do not understand the opinion which some por-
tions of this correspondence appear to convey,
and which is supported by the language of your
address of August, 1854, that legislative enact-
ment by the General Assembly is required to
bring the change into operation. In this country
the recognised plan of Parliamentary government,
by which ministers are responsible to Parliament.