Land for Settlements Act. Proclamations closing roads ... ... ... ... ... ... 3 Government Loans to Local Bodies Acts. Proclamations setting apart loan areas ... ... ... ... 35 " Wellington Harbour Board Empowering Act, 1898." Proclamation taking land for streets and other purposes ... ... 1 " Wanganui River Trust Act, 1891." Order in Council: Power to erect jetties, &c. ... ... ... ... 1 This makes a grand total of 182 Proclamations, 128 Orders in Council, five commissions, and 286 warrants, &c, issued. There was also a good deal of correspondence and work in connection with claims under the Naval and Military Land Acts, which still continued to be made. The whole of the grass-seed issued to burnt-out settlers last year was weighed, mixed, and despatched principally under the supervision of an officer acquainted with seeds. The total quantity supplied to the settlers amounted to 270,8171b., valued at £4,453 10s. The seed was issued, to 230 settlers, who gave 532 promissory notes, amounting in all to the sum above mentioned. These promissory notes, after being signed, were forwarded to the Treasury for collection. Acting on your instructions, I personally inspected the clerical work done in the Christchurch and Dunedin branches of the department; and also held statutory inquiries under the Governor's Commission in respect to the control and maintenance of the Hurunui Greta, Lower Waiau, Apiti, Coalgate, and Glentunnel Bridges, reports upon all of which have already been furnished to you. The compilation and revision of the annual tables and report of the department, and many other returns and statements required by the General Assembly, now also require great care and time. Accounts. Mr. H. J. Knowles, Chief Accountant, reports as follows: — The number of vouchers authorised for payment, credit, or refund during the year was— £ s. d. 5,911 charged to Lands and Survey vote, covering gross expenditure of ... 133,763 15 10 834 charged to Lands and Survey, Miscellaneous, vote, covering gross expenditure of ... ... ... ... - •• ... 16,753 6 1 302 charged to State Forests Account, covering gross expenditure of ... 4,044 3 2 3 charged to Cheviot Estate Expenses vote, covering gross expenditure of ... 113 1 7 105 charged to Land for Settlements Expenses vote, covering gross expenditure of ... ... ... ... ... ... *3,476 18 2 7 charged to Immigration vote, covering gross expenditure of ... ... 508 11 4 9,860 charged to Settlement Eoads, Bridges, and Other Public Works vote, covering gross expenditure of ... ... ... ... 250,421 19 5 685 charged to Government Loans to Local Bodies Account, covering gross expenditure of ... ... ... ... ... 16,97112 3 26 charged to Cheviot Estate Account, covering gross expenditure of ... 16,383 15 5 713 charged to Land for Settlements Account, covering gross expenditure 0f... *518,412 18 1 5 charged to Unauthorised Account, Consolidated Fund, covering gross expenditure of ... .. ... ... ... 188 10 6 56 charged to Civil Service Act, and General, covering gross expenditure 0f... 1,703 14 5 94 charged to Eefunds of Eevenue, &c, covering gross refund 0f... ... 27,137 19 10 19 charged to Eefunds of Contractors' Deposits, covering gross refund of ... 182 14 6 18,620 £990,063 0 7 Details of the net expenditure will be found in the various tables on other pages. In addition, 356 credit vouchers for work done by the department, 579 applications for imprest advances, and about 1,350 outward letters, memoranda, returns, &c, have been dealt with or prepared. The correspondence has been considered, and the necessary action taken in respect of some 6,000 subjects. Three hundred and eighty-two agreements (prepared in triplicate) have been issued, representing grants to local bodies of £74,798 165.; and the payments under agreements amounted to £47,977 Is. 2d., including payments under agreements of previous years. A detailed statement (97 pages) of the expenditure, liabilities, &c, in respect of each of the 1,498 separate appropriations, and a full statement from the commencement of the position of the Government Loans to Local Bodies Account, has been issued within the department quarterly, and the various authority and expenditure registers have been balanced as between themselves, and also with the Treasury books. A large amount of work has been performed during the year in preparing returns for departmental information, compilation of reports, statements and tables for the last annual report, supplying information daily as to the condition of road and other accounts, preparation of Consolidated Fund, Public Works Fund, and other estimates under the direction of the head of the department, and general supervision of the accounts of the district offices.

* Includes Land for Settlements Department charges.

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