H.—39

1890. NEW ZEALAND.

AUDIT OFFICE ESTIMATES CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE CONTROLLER AND AUDITOR-GENERAL RESPECTING THE), FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31st MARCH, 1891.

Laid on the Table by the Hon. Captain Russell, with the Leave of the House.

No. 1. The Controller and Auditor-Genekal to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. (No. 124.) Sin— Audit Office, 28th July, 1890. As I learn from the papers that the vote for the Audit Department has been reduced, I shall be much obliged if you will be so good as to send me a list of the gentlemen who are to be retained in the establishment, and of the salary payable to each, as without it I shall not be able to certify to the salaries. I shall be especially obliged if you will say whether salaries for nine Inspectors are allowed, as changes are now taking place in their duties the arrangements for which are pending. I have, &c, The Hon. the Colonial Secretary. James Edward FitzCerald.

No. 2. The Under-Secretary, Colonial Secretary's Office, to the Controller aud Auditor-General. Sir, — Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, 7th August, 1890. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter No. 124, of the 28th July, asking to be supplied with a list of the names of the officers who are to be retained in the Audit Department, and of the salaries to be paid to those officers out of the amount voted by Parliament for that Department for the year ending the 31st March, 1891. I am directed by the Colonial Secretary to inform you that he will be glad to receive from you a scheme for the distribution of the £5,265 voted for the services of the Audit Office for the current financial year. I have, &c, The Controller and Auditor-General, Wellington. G. S. Cooper.

No. 3. The Controller and Auditor-General to the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. (No. 136.) Sir,— Audit Office, 11th August, 1890. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of Mr. Cooper's letter of the 7th instant, requesting me to draw up a scheme for the distribution of the £5,265 voted for the services of the Audit Office for the current financial year. I much regret that, after giving full consideration to the subject, I am unable to comply with this request without further information as to the wishes of the Government. The sum named is £950 less than the vote of last year, which means the dismissal of three or four clerks and the discontinuance of a large part of the audit of the public moneys. It would be impossible to dispense with the services of the older clerks, who have given the best part of their lives to the public service, and whose experience and knowledge of the laws they assist in administering render their services of peculiar value, and who are not receiving any higher remuneration than they would be earning in any other business to which they had devoted such long and faithful service. I beg to point out that the Audit Office in New Zealand is not one of audit only but also of control; the latter being by far the more important, and requiring a staff independent of that necessary for audit only. These duties are imposed by statute and must be fulfilled, or the issue