3

H.—24,

a despatching officer for ships at £400 ; a foreign correspondent (who manages the large German correspondence of the office) at £175 ; and two Emigration Clerks and a messenger (together), £378. Extra clerks, in consequence of increased emigration, have had to be appointed, at salaries amounting to £497. The ordinary office contingencies, including firing and light, printing and stationery, postage, &c, come to about £300 a year. As regard inspection of railway material, &c, Queensland has its own officers in England : an executive engineer at £800, with travelling allowance of one guinea a day and first-class railway fares when travelling on service ; an assistant engineer at £156 ; and two inspectors (together) £364, (with thirdclass railway fares). Queensland does not pay the English income-tax on its London office salaries. The interest on the Public Debt is paid by the Queensland National Bank, at a charge of \ per cent, including commission and exchange ; for payments involving the receipting of documents, bills of lading, &c, the Bank receives per cent. The Queensland Office has a very good plan, by which its emigration expenditure is audited in London, by Messrs. Quilter, Ball& Co.,'_at a trifling cost compared with our system. All the emigration expenditure, including rent of offices, <fee, is at present charged against loan. The other London payments of the Queensland Office are audited at Brisbane. Vl. — New Zealand. The salary of the Agent-General is £1,250. The rent of the offices is £400, and £50 for the Audit Office. The regular staff consists of a secretary (Mr. Kennaway), at £600, an accountant at £300, and three clerks (together), £565. Contingencies, including fire and light, stationery, postage, &c, and messenger and housekeeper, come to about £280. The interest on so much of the Public Debt as is domiciled with the Crown Agents is paid by them at a charge (settled by the Secretary of State) of \ per cent. The Inscribed Stock is managed, and the interest thereon paid, by the Bank of England, at a charge of £600 per million, to be reduced if the Stock exceeds ten millions to £550 per million. The services of the Consulting Engineers are paid for by a commis-ion of 1J per cent. New Zealand does not pay the English income-tax on its London office salaries. The audit of the office accounts and of the Crown Agents' payments is made in London by an audit officer, under the Public Revenues Act, at a salary of £400. This expense, however, does not form part of the cost of the Agent-General's department. VII. — Summary. Tabulating the particulars I have given above, the following statement enables the cost of the regular staff for the various Colonies to be compared, exclusive of extra charges and special expenditure ia connection with emigration in the case of Canada, Queensland, and New South Wales : —

I have given to the High Commissioner and the Agents-General a copy of this letter, telling them they are at liberty to communicate its contents to their respective Governments. I gladly take this opportunity of expressing my acknowledgments to them, and to their Secretaries, for the courtesy with which the information I have given you was placed at my disposal. I have, <fee, F. D. Bbm,. The Hon. the Premier, New Zealand.

Authority: Ceokbe Didsbert, Government Printer, Wellington. 1882.

Service Dominion of Canada. New South Wales. Victoria. South Australia. Queensland. New Zealand. ligh Commissioner of Canada, and Agents-General of other Colonies Assistant Agent-General iSoard of Advice Secretaries .... legular Staff lent of Offices )ontingencies £ £ £ £ £ £ 2,800 2,250 2,000 1,500 750 1,500 1,250 350 968 475 2,000 600 580 470 350 180 700 945 400 550 1,150 398 400 800 1,733 500 300 600 865 400 280 Totals 6,593 4,250 4,775 4,198 4,833 3,395 Consulting Engineers and Inspection late per cent, for managing Public Debt . None Commissions None Commissions 1,320 Commissions J% to Crown Agents ; £600 per million to Bank of England. -J- "/ __ la 17. 1 °l 2 lo nil 1 % |