8.-~I [Pt. II |.

Statement of Royalties payable to the Grown and unpaid at the 31st March, 1938. Section 91 (2) of the Public Revenues Act, 1926, reads as follows : — " The Controller and Auditor-General shall include in the report to be prepared by him pursuant to subsection two of section eighty-nine hereof a statement as to all royalties payable to the Crown and for the time being unpaid, setting forth in respect of such-royalties— " (a) The name of the person by whom the same are payable ; " (b) The amount payable by each such person ; and " (c) The steps (if any) that have been taken to recover the said royalties, and, if no such steps have been taken, the reasons for allowing the said royalties to remain outstanding." In the figures hereunder are included all amounts which were shown in the books of Departments as owing and unpaid on the 31st March last. Many of the amounts have since been paid, and returns received from the various Departments concerned show that steps are being taken to collect moneys which are still owing. As it has been the practice in previous years not to include in the report the names of the persons by whom the royalties are payable I have adopted a similar course in the preparation of this year's report. In view, however, of the definite requirements of the section quoted above, I feel that I am not justified in omitting the names, and I propose to include the names and amounts in next year's report, unless Parliament indicates in the meantime that it does not desire this course to be followed. No good purpose appears to be served by publishing these particulars in my report each year, and it does not seem to be reasonable to draw a distinction between amounts owing to the Crown by way of royalties and other debts. Department. Amount unpaid. Forestry— £ s. d. £ s. d. Auckland Region . . . . 22 5 7 Rotorua Region . . . . 305 15 6 Wellington Region . . . . 312 3 11 Nelson Region . . . . 216 19 1 Westland Region . . . . 224 710 1,081 11 11 Lands and Survey — North Auckland District .. 1,337 16 2 Auckland District . . . . 23 11 2 Napier District . . . . 91 16 11 Taranaki District . . . . 0 0 6 Nelson District . . . . 315 17 6 Westland District . . . . 995 4 9 Canterbury District . . . . 1 13 0 Otago District . . . . 120 0 0 Southland District . . 129 1 6 3,015 1 6 Marine . . . . . . . . . . 548 3 9 Mines .. .. .. .. .. 6,628 6 8 Native .. .. ... .-.". .. 1,994 18 7 ' Public Works .. .. .. .. 202 1 0 State Coal-mines .. .. .. . . 2,099 10 6 Total .. . . .. £15,569 13 11 Audit of Accounts of Public Stores. During the year Stores Audit Inspectors made inspections of 395 financial and store accounts in the following Government Departments : Prisons, Public Works. Health, Navy, Army, Air, Education, Marine, Mines, State Forest Service, Industries and Commerce, Tourist and Publicity, Agriculture, Legislative, Police, Mental Hospitals, Native, Railway Workshops and Post, and Telegraph Workshops and Stores, Lands and Survey, and Internal Affairs. .....

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