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THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 20

Notice to Imprestees under “The Public Revenues Act, 1891.”

The Treasury,
Wellington, 22nd February, 1900.

EVERY officer holding advances of public money is hereby required to pay to the Public Account, at the nearest branch of the Bank of New Zealand, the unexpended balance in his hand on or before Saturday, the 31st March proximo, and forthwith to transmit to the Treasury at Wellington the bank receipt for such repayment, together with an account of his expenditure to the same date, as required by clause 4 of the Treasury Regulations.

As respects disbursements which officers may require to make immediately after the close of the financial year, requisitions for the amount required are to be made in such time as to enable them to reach Wellington not later than the 17th March, so that the requisite funds may be placed at the disposal of the officer on the 2nd April or as soon after as possible.

R. J. SEDDON,
Colonial Treasurer.

Memorandum to Receivers of Public Moneys.

The Treasury,
Wellington, 1st March, 1900.

WITH a view to the early completion of the Treasury accounts of the current financial year, ending on Saturday, the 31st March, receivers are directed to prepare copies of their cash-books for the period ended on that day, and to transmit the same by post to the Receiver-General IMMEDIATELY after the close of the bank on that date.

Officers who render four-weekly accounts will extend their account to Saturday, the 31st instant, so as to embrace all transactions from the closing of the bank on the 24th February to the 31st March.

If any bank receipts for moneys paid in on or before the 31st instant are received from sub-offices after copies of cash-books have been posted, receivers are directed to enter all such receipts in a supplementary account, and to transmit a copy thereof to the Receiver-General on the same day.

The first ordinary account for the new year shall be for the period from the 2nd to the 7th April, both inclusive, and is only to contain such revenue as may have been paid to the Public Account subsequent to the 31st instant, or collected after bank hours on that date.

The first four-weekly account shall be for the period from the 2nd to the 28th April, both inclusive.

Receivers are requested to take great care that the copies of their cash-books to be rendered during the current month are promptly posted.

The foregoing instructions are also to apply to deposits and law trust accounts.

JAMES B. HEYWOOD,
Receiver-General.

Bonus for the Production of Mineral Manure.—Notice No. 580.

Department of Agriculture,
Wellington, 12th December, 1899.

THE following sum is hereby offered as a bonus for the discovery and working within the colony of a deposit or deposits of marketable mineral manure, viz.:—

£500 IF FOUND ON CROWN LANDS;
£250 IF FOUND ON FREEHOLD LANDS.

The following are the conditions under which the bonus is offered and will be paid:—

1. That the raw material is easily accessible, and within reasonable distance of a railway or seaport.

2. That the committee appointed by the Minister for Agriculture to examine the deposit is satisfied that there is sufficient to meet all ordinary demands for five years.

3. That the manure can be disposed of at a price which will allow of it being remuneratively used for agricultural purposes.

4. That the composition of the phosphate shall average not less than 40 per cent. of phosphate of lime (tricalcic phosphate); provided, however, should a phosphate of a lower average composition be discovered, the committee may recommend that a portion of the bonus be granted.

The terms of payment will be—
One-fifth on the committee reporting favourably of the discovery;
One-fifth on delivery of first 200 tons;
The remaining three-fifths by equal payments on delivery of each additional 150 tons.

Applications addressed to “The Hon. the Minister for Agriculture, Wellington,” will be received up to and including the 1st day of July, 1900.

W. C. WALKER,
For Minister for Agriculture.

Bonuses for Encouragement of New Zealand Hemp (Phormium tenax) Industry.—Notice No. 535.

Department of Agriculture,
Wellington, 13th February, 1899.

Bonus No. 1.

A BONUS of £1,750 is offered for a machine or process for dressing New Zealand hemp (Phormium tenax) which shall be an improvement on the machines or processes now in use, and which shall, after trial, be found to materially reduce the cost of production, improve the product, or increase the quantity of dressed fibre.

The following are the conditions:—

1. All applications for the bonus must be sent addressed to the Hon. the Minister for Agriculture, Wellington, and must reach him not later than the 31st March, 1900. Each application must be accompanied by a description of the machine or process, particularly stating improvements on present machines or processes, and also the cost at which the machine or process can be supplied.

2. The applicants must be prepared to submit their machines or processes to examination at such time and place as the Government may direct.

3. The Government shall appoint a committee of three or more experts, to whom all applications shall be submitted. Such committee shall, after perusal, state what machines or processes they deem worthy of consideration, and may inspect the same at any place within the colony; and, having so inspected the whole or any of them, may direct that the whole or any of them be brought for further trial to such place as they may think fit.

The cost of bringing the machines or appliances on to the ground, from within the colony, supplying the necessary shafting, motive-power, and buildings, to be defrayed by the Government. If any machine sent from beyond the colony is awarded the bonus or part thereof, then the cost of bringing such machine shall be borne by the Government.

The following shall be the basis of the test:—
The committee shall supply a sufficient and equal quantity of green hemp to each machine or process as a test.

The committee shall take into consideration—
The time occupied by each machine or process in the operation;
The cost of labour and time required after the fibre has left the machine or process before it is ready for baling;
The percentage of dressed fibre and tow produced by each machine or process;
The cost of producing the same;
The cost of the machine, and the simplicity and durability of the working parts.

On completion of the tests the committee shall furnish a report to the Minister on all the machines or processes which they have examined or tested, and shall state,—
(1.) The machine or process which they consider on the whole the most efficient and economic.
(2.) Whether they consider that any machine or process tested so materially reduces the cost of production, or improves the product, as to be worthy of the whole bonus or of a part only.
(3.) Whether, in the event of no one machine or process being entitled to the whole bonus, they deem any machine or process worthy of a part of the bonus, and, if so, how much.

Bonus No. 2.

A bonus of £250 is offered for a process of utilising the waste products of the hemp.

The first three conditions of Bonus No. 1 to apply to this also.

The committee shall supply a sufficient and equal quantity of the waste products to each process as a test.

On completion of the tests the committee shall report to the Minister, and shall give the following particulars of each process: (a.) The nature of the article made. (b.) The quantity produced, and the cost of production. (c.) The value of the product. (d.) Whether any of the processes are of sufficient importance to warrant the Minister in giving (1) the whole, or (2) any part, of the bonus; (3) if a part only, how much.

JOHN McKENZIE,
Minister for Agriculture.

Civil Service Senior Examination.

Education Department,
Wellington, 20th July, 1899.

IN pursuance of regulations under “The Civil Service Reform Act, 1886,” notice is hereby given that for the Senior Examination of January, 1901, the period of literature will be from 1800 to 1850, and the special books will be Carlyle’s “Sartor Resartus” and Milton’s “Samson Agonistes.”

W. C. WALKER,
Minister of Education.