Treasury funds would have been from Imperial funds as he had no claim upon the revenue of the Colony.
11. Another reason, I think, why the benefit of the doubt in this case should be given to the Colony is that for many years before 1834 considerable overpayments were made to the Home Government on account of income tax. The aggregate amount of the 1880/1 Parliamentary Grants for the 4 years before 1834 was £56,200, whereas income tax was collected in the Colony and transmitted through the Commissariat chest to England.
Votes Salaries 1851/2 20,000 1852/3 15,000 1853/4 12,000 9,200 Total votes £56,200 Salaries for this period amounting to 1850/1 28,943.17.7 1851/2 22,789.13.10 1852/3 19,359.6.10 1853/4 20,771.9.9 Total salaries 86,184.0.8or about £30,000 more than was liable. Attention was called to this in 1834. No. 103, 25 Nov. 1854, and subsequent grants were specially appropriated by Parliament, but the overpayments were never returned.
12. Before closing this Despatch, I must request to be informed what are the actual liabilities of the Colony as regards pensions for the officers at present in the public service of the Colony. They may be divided into three classes:
1. Those who entered the service before 1847, and who were allowed the option of contributing or not as they pleased to the Superannuation Fund. Will the Colony be called on to provide pensions from time to time for the contributors only in this class, or for the non-contributors also?