Wednesday, 19th August, 1868.
The Committee met pursuant to adjournment.
Present:—Mr. Cargill, Mr. Carleton, Mr. Rolleston, and Mr. Tancred.
The minutes of the two previous meetings were read and confirmed.
Mr. FitzGerald was called in and examined, and gave the following evidence:—
1. | Are you Comptroller?—I am. |
2. | Were you Comptroller in the month of September, 1867?—I was. |
3. | Are you aware of an item that appears in the Public Accounts for the quarter ending September, 1867, under the head of Dunedin Disputed Reserves?—I only know of it from seeing it in the accounts. |
4. | Was it never made a subject of requisition to you?—I remember its being included in a requisition, which, to the best of my recollection, I returned to the Treasurer with a request that the Act might be stated appropriating the money. |
5. | What course did the Treasurer adopt?—I heard nothing further about it. |
6. | Did you countersign the requisition?—I did not; if I had, it would now be in my office. |
7. | Has any money been drawn from the Public Account for the payment of this item?—It has not. |
8. | Are you aware of whether this item of £6,031 18s. 9d. was ever paid into the Public Account? —I have no means of knowing whether it was or not. I know the total sums which are paid into the Public Account, but not the sources from which they arise in detail. I may state, however, that a few days previous to the close of the last financial year an account of Trust Moneys was made up by the Colonial Treasurer after conference with me. There was some, discussion as to what constituted Trust Funds. A sum of about £24,000 was withdrawn from the Public Account and placed in the Bank of New Zealand at interest. After the Public Revenues Act was passed and four separate accounts were established, I called on the Treasury to pay in this sum to the Public Trust Fund, which was done. If this item of £6,031 18s. 9d. was included in this amount, it was paid into the Public Account. The deposit in the Bank was not operated upon; it was refunded in full to the Public Account, as explained in Mr. Fitzherbert's Financial Statement. |
On the motion of Mr. Cargill, the Committee adjourned till Thursday, the 20th August, at 10.30 o'clock a.m.