33

8.—14 a

over the stock to be inscribed in the names of the Agent-General and Audit Officer. Once the stock is so inscribed the Stock Agents have no further control of it, and it passes, in fact, into the control of the Audit, since no sale can be made by the Agent-General without the participation of the Audit Office, and. the Audit Officer is responsible that when a sale takes place the proceeds go into the Public Account. The stock is taken over by the executive authorities of the Government, and the Stock Agents are then relieved from responsibility in regard to its disposal. I have, &c, The Hon. the Premier, Wellington. F. D. Bell.

No. 29. The Agent-General to the Premier. (No. 1432.) Westminster Chambers, 13, Victoria Street, London, S.W., Sib,— 25th September, 1891. It was indispensable for the work of the successive conversions that all the important despatches and other documents connected with each operation should be set up in type at the time, as it would have been quite impossible to carry on the details safely and correctly if these papers had only been in manuscript. Year after year I have wished to put the matter so set up in type into a connected shape for record, dividing them into appropriate classes, and prefixing to each class an explanatory minute, but year after year the incessant pressure of work has prevented me from doing it. At last, however, the papers set up in type from year to year since 1881 have been brought together and classed into definite parts, numbered from I. to VIII., as mentioned in the list annexed ; but, still, I have not had time to prepare the explanatory record before my departure from England. I have therefore requested Mr. Kennaway to send the last revises of all the parts to me, on the supposition that, although the offices I hold will all be vacated by the expiration of my term of office as Agent-General, the Government may perhaps deem it advisable that I should be allowed, as a private person, to complete in the way I had originally designed the record of operations which have had so important a bearing on the public debt of the colony. I have, &c, The Hon. the Premier, Wellington. — F. D. Bell. Enclosure in No. 29. List of papers now in type relating to the conversions of the public debt of New Zealand, dating from 1881 : Part I. Proposals and Suggestions; Part 11., Conversion of 1883; Part 111., Conversion of 1885; Part IV., Conversion of 1886 ; Part V., Conversion of Debentures issued under the District Railways Purchasing Acts, 1885 and 1886 ; Part VI., Release of Sinking Funds (1886 and 1889); Part VII., Conversion of 1889 ; Part VIII., Conversion of 1891.

No. 30. The Premier to Sir F. D. Bell. (No. 430.) Sir, — Premier's Office, Wellington, 17th November, 1891. With reference to the papers you had originally designed as a record of the conversion operations which have had so important a bearing on the public debt of the colony, and which you have very kindly offered to complete, I shall be much pleased if you will carry out your intentions, and shall be happy to afford you every assistance you may require to complete so desirable a work. I have, &c, Sir F. D. Bell, K.C.M.G., C.8., Wellington. J. Ballance.

No. 31. The Premier to the Agent-General. (No. 58.) Sir, — Premier's Office, Wellington, 3rd December, 1891. Eeferring to Sir F. D. Bell's letter of the 25th September last (No. 1432;, stating that for the work of the successive conversions it was indispensable that all the important despatches and other documents connected with each operation should be set up in type, also that Sir Francis had kindly offered to arrange and complete, on his return to the colony, the record of conversion operations in the manner suggested by himself, I have in reply to inform you that the Government quite concur in the course suggested by Sir F. D. Bell, and accept with pleasure his offer to complete the record. I have written a letter to Sir Francis on the subject, which was delivered to him on his arrival in New Zealand, and shall be glad if you will afford him any assistance he may require of the London office towards completing so desirable an object. I have, &c, The Agent-General for New Zealand, London. J. Ballance.

No. 32. The Agent-General to the Premier. (No. 1434.) Westminster Chambers, 13, Victoria Street, London, S.W., Sir,— 28th September, 1891. I herewith transmit the under-mentioned statements of account, together with an explanatory memorandum relating to the account between the Stock Agents and the Public Account : — 1. Statement showing the Financial Eesult of the various transactions which have passed between the Stock Agents and the Public Account from the 31st January, 1891, to the 25th September, 1891, with respect to the Conversion of the Public Debt. (In continuation of statement transmitted with my letter No. 466, of the 21st March last.) s—B. 14a.