“THE PROVINCIAL TREASURERSHIP.

Globe, Volume V, Issue 585, 4 May 1876, Page 3

“THE PROVINCIAL TREASURERSHIP.

(.brom the Press ) 'We'have'bo.fca requested bj the Provincial to publish the following correspondence. In ordinary circumstances we should probably not have been asked, and .should certainly hive refused, to publish •communications between the Superintendent -and the Executive, on a question at issue .■between them, until they had been laid before the Provincial Council, But it has •been strongly represented to us that the oiesent circumstances are exceptional. There fig to be no meeting of the Council, and therefore the customary channels of publicity, and means of appealing to the public -.through their representatives, are not open. •On these grounds we have thought ourselves instilled in publishing the correspondence. Our readers will observe that it appears in ;an incomplete state, as the last letter to the • Superintendent was written yesterday, and •the documents were handed to us for publication before the receipt of his Honors .reply, , ■“ To His Honor the Superintendent. “ Sir, —In accordance with a promise •verbally made, I lose no time in forwarding ’to your Honor copy of a letter of this day s •date, from Mr Maskell, the Provincial Secretary and the Provincial Treasurer, informing me of his intended resignation of both appointments on the Ist prox. “ I have the honor to recommend that his Ttesignalioa be accepted from h s above date,

and that Mr 0. J. Harper, the member for the Scftou district, be appointed to both the vacant offices. “ I have the honor to be, sir, “ Your most obedient servant, “ (Signed) J Ceacroft Wilson, “ President of the Executive. “ Provincial Secretary’s Office, “ April 21th, 1876.” “ Christchurch, April 2tth, 1876. “My Dear Sir Cracroffc Circumstances, known to yourself and the members of the Executive, compel me to resign my offices as Provincial Secretary and Provincial Treason r. “ I propose to send in ray resignation to his Honor the Superintendent, to take effect from the first of May next. “ I regret exceedingly that I must part with yourself and the other members of the Executive Council, with whom I believe I have worked during the past twelve months without a serious difference of opinion of any kind. “ Believe me, yours very truly, “(Signed) W. Mi Maskell. “ Sir J. C. Wdson, President of Executive Council, Christchurch.” “ Provincial Treasury, “Christchurch, N.Z . May Ist, 1876. “Memorandum for His Honor the Superintendent. “ There are several vouchers in the office (unpaid) for which cheques have been signed by Mr Maskell. Will your Honor bn good enough to instruct me whether these cheques must be cancelled and fresh ones written, or whether they may still he issued; and if so, what date they shall bear ? “ (Signed) W. Jameson, “ Provincial Sub-Treasurer.” “ For the Provincial Auditor. “ What is the proper course, and what the usual course ? “(Signed) W. Rolleston, “ Superintendent, “ May Ist, 1876.” “ This is a difficult case to deal with. The Provincial Auditor is of opinion that in former cases of the retirement of the Treasurer cheques signed by him before resignation have been allowed to issue. As there appears to be a doubt as to the propriety of adopting such a course, the Provincial Auditor recommends that it should be referred to the Provincial Solicitor. It would, however, be better at once to authorise some member of the Executive to act temporarily as Provincial Treasurer, and to sign those cheques de novo. This ought to be done at once, in order to save an otherwise great public inconvenience. “(Signed) J. Ollivier, “ Provincial Auditor. “ May Ist, 1876.” “ For Sir Cracroft Wilsoi. “ The sub-Treasurer informs me that there iaa cheque for £3OBO, duly signedby Mr Maskell, and that he has instructions to pay this to the Bank. I have told him it must now wait till arrangements are made, “(Signed) W. ROLLESTON. “ May Ist, 1876.”

“ Referred to the Provincial Solicitor £>r his opinion. “(Initialled) J, C. W., Presideit, “ May 2nd, 1879.” “ I see no difficulty whatever in the cheques already issued during Mr Maskell’s filling the office of Provincial Treasurer being delivered to the persons entitled, Mr Jameson filling in, as has been his practice, the date, which would be, I presume, the 29th April. “ (Signed) F. J. GARRICK, “ Provincial Solicitor.” “ Sub-treasurer has been instructed accordingly. Submitted to his Honor for bis information. “ (Initialled) J. O, W., President. “ May 2nd, 1876.” “ For Mr Jameson to act upon accordingly* “ (Signed) W. Rolleston, Superintendent. « May 2nd, 1876.” “ Provincial Audit office, “4 p.m., Saturday, April 29th, 1876. “ To his Honor the Superintendent. “Sir, —I have been informed that Mr Maskell has resigned his offices of Provincial Secretary and Treasurer. As there are a large number of vouchers (notably the monthly' salary vouchers) which will be passed for Tuesday next, may I request your Honor to make arrangements for their payment. “ In consequence of my having to proceed to Akaroa on Tuesday morning, I have certified to all vouchers in my possession, so as to prevent any inconvenience which m ght arise from my unavoidable absence.

“ I have the honor to be, sir, “ Your obedient servant, “(Signei) John Ollivier, “ Provincial Auditor.’

“ For Sir Oracroft Wilson. “ I would suggest that pending arra 'gements for the appointment of a Provincial Treasurer, s me member of the Executive should countersign cheques issued by the Assistant Treasurer. This has frequently been the case in the absence of the Provincial Treasurer, and will prevent much incon venience. If you wish it I would undertake to do this. As I verbally suggested, I think the proper course would be to appoint Mr Jameson acting Provincial Treasurer, and I am unable to see any necessity for further appointments involving the payments of salaries. I shall be glad to confer with you on this point, but pending final arrangements I shall be glad to sanction any one of the above courses. “ (Signed) “ W. ROLLESTOK, “ Superintendent." " Provincial Secretary’s Office, “ Christchurch, May Ist, 1876. " Sir, —With reference to your Honor o minute, without date, engrossed upon a letter from the Provincial Auditor of the 29th ultimo, I beg to state that it is of little use my conferring with your Honor upon the subject of appointing a Provincial Treasurer "No answer has been vouchsafed to my written recommendation, concurred in by the whole of the Executive, as contained in my letter of the 24th ultimo, that Mr 0. J. Harper should be appointed Provincia Treasurer, save by word of mouth to the effect that your Honor would not appoint a gentleman of so little official experience. t •• if the inconvenience alluded to by your Honor does occur, the blame will rest upon

your Honor, and not upon the Executive, who wish for a written r;ply to my letter of the 24th ultimo, and who unanimously object to any departure from the regular legal course. “ I have, See., “(Signed) “J. Cracroft Wilson, “ President of the Executive Council. “ His Honor the Superintendent.’' “ Superintendent’s Office, “ May Ist, 1876. “ Sir, —I am sorry if my having verbally replied to a portion of your letter of the 24th instant, in which you recommended a gentleman to the offices of Provincial Secretary and Treasurer, should have appeared in any way to fail in courtesy. I purposely refrained from writing in reference to a matter which I thought should be the subject of personal conference, as the merits of an individual were to be discussed. “ As I informed you verbally, I dissented from the nomination made by you, and I am very decidedly of opinion that under the existing circumstances, it would be proper to appoint the present Sub-Treasurer, Mr Jameson, to the office of Treasurer, or Acting Treasurer, pending the decision of the General Assembly as to the continuance of the provinces ; and that there is no necessity to. make any further paid offices. Such a course would tend to expedite business, and would in no way interfere with the proper constitutional checks npon the Superintendent, who must still act with the advice and consent of his Executive Council. “ I regret that what I consider the highly improper action taken by Mr Maskell should have rendered it necessary to consider these matters without the time they require, and that, delay may now cause considerable public inconvenience. “ I have to request that under these circumstances you will afford me the time to consider any fresh proposals you may desire to make, and I have to repeat that I shall be glad to adopt any course, however troublesome to myself, to carry on the current business until the question is finally settl'd. *' In reference to the hist paragraph of your letter, allow me to assure you that I have not the least intention to deviate from the legal course which should be taken. “ I have the honor to be, Sir, “ Your obedient servant, 44 (Signed) “ Wm. Rolleston, “ Superintendent. “ The President of the Executive.” “ Provincial Secretary’s Office, “ Christchurch, May 2nd, 1876. “ Sir, —I have the honor to inform your Honor, in reply to your letter of yesterday, that the Executive have no fresh proposal to make in respect to the vacant offices of Provincial Secretary and Provincial Treasurer. “ In reference to your Honor’s observation 4 that there is no necessity to make any future paid offices,’ I beg to state that such a view is totally at variance with your Honor’s suggestion made previously to the 24th ultimo, viz, that a gentleman named by your Honor outside of the Provincial Council should be appointed to the two vacant offices. 44 I beg to add that your Honor’s minute on Mr Jameson’s memorandum of yesterday has been forwarded to the Provincial Solicitor for his opinion. I have, See, “ (Signed) J. Cracroft Wilson, President of the Executive Council. *• His Honor the Superintendent,” 44 Provincial Secretary’s Office, 44 Christchurch, Canterbury, N.Z., 44 2ad May, 1876, <( si r —x have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of this day’s date, from which I understand that the Executive Council refuse to advise or assist me further in the matter of filling the vacant offices of Provincial Secretary and Provincial Treasurer. Under these circumstances I have felt it my duty to take care that the public service shall be carried on, and that the numbers of persons awaiting payment at the Treasury should no longer suffer inconvenience. 44 I have accordingly exercised the power vested in me by law of appointing a Provincial Treasurer, and have appointed Mr William Jameson to that office. 44 1 have the honor to be, Sir, 44 Your-obediont servant, 44 (Signed), W, Rolleston, Superintendent, 44 Sir J. Cracroft Wilson, C.8.,K.5.1. 44 President of the Executive Council.” 44 Provincial Secretary’s Office, 44 Christchurch, Canterbury, N.Z., May 3rd, 1876. 44 Memo —The opinion of the Provincial Solicitor is requested on the following question : 44 Mr William Jameson has been gazetted in a Provincial Government Gazette published yesterday, as Provincial Treasurer. This appointment has been made by his Honor the Superintendent, without the knowledge or advice of the Executive Council. Is this appointment valid and according to law ? 44 (Signed) J. Cracroft Wilson, 44 President of the Executive Council. 44 This appointment is not, in my opinion, authorised by law. 44 (Signed) F. J. Garrick, 44 Provincial Solicitor; 44 May 3rd, 1876.” Provincial Secretary’s Office, 44 Christchurch, Canterbury, N.Z. 44 May 3rd, 1876. a Sir,—l have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your Honor’s letter of yester* day, delivered to me at twenty-six minutes past twelve o’clock this day, in which your Honor states— 4 1 understand that the Executive Council refuse to advise or assist me further in the matter of filling the vacant offices of Provincial Secretary and Provincial Treasurer.’ I beg most distinctly to dissent from the inference drawn by your Honor from my letter on this matter. 44 After my objecting to the appointment of the gentleman first named by your Honor, who was not a member of the Provincia. Council, and therefore ineligible, I submitted the name of Mr 0. J. Harper, member for Sefton, for the appointment. The only objection made by your Honor to this gentleman was, that you would not appoint any* one of so little official experience, I would remind your Honor that the same objection would apply to every member of the Provincial Council, with the exception of Messrs Montgomery and Jollie, neither of whom my colleagues were prepared to propose to your Honor for the vacant offices. 44 1 have, &c, « (Signed) J. Cracroit Wilson, 44 President of the Execut tj Council# 44 His Honor the Superintend :nt,”