1887-1903
HER MAJESTY'S COLONIAL POSSESSIONS.
7
even more needed public works must be chiefly attributed to the undue weakness of the Staff of the Surveyor General's Department. The extraordinary density of the population, living for the most part on or under the abrupt slopes of a hill 1,100 to 1,800 feet in height, together with the comparatively recent and very rapidly increasing settlement of Europeans on and in the neighbourhood of the summit, requires from this Department, in the interests of public health and safety, a far closer supervision of Private Works than is ordinarily necessary elsewhere, and imposes duties which are probably more in number and far heavier in degree than are required for any similar area or population in the world.
14. From various indications it would appear open to question whether for years past the Department referred to has been strong enough in numbers to discharge its duties satisfactorily in a climate which every summer renders unfit for duty a large proportion of out-of-door officers. The health of the able and indefatigable Surveyor General, Mr. Price, who has just retired from the service, gradually succumbed and eventually broke down completely in the endeavour, naturally but very imperfectly successful, to do the work of several ordinary men; and the Department has consequently now to cope with the arrears and difficulties, resulting from these shortcomings, in addition to the new demands arising from the large increase of population. For the above reasons the reorganisation and strengthening of the Department now under your lordship's consideration are imperatively required, as it is only by that means that we can hope to make energetic progress in the various sanitary and other public works which are already, and are becoming more and more, grievously required. And I refer to the subject in this place in order to show that, notwithstanding the completion of the great works specially referred to, there are others equally required and as yet not commenced which will in the next few years necessitate an expenditure on permanent improvements at least equal to, if not greater than that of recent years. Fortunately, as remarked elsewhere, there is every prospect of a sufficient supply of funds to meet the necessary cost without increase of taxation.
Military Expenditure.
15. "Military Expenditure" (apart from "Defence Works"), which is included in the above total of expenditure, was $134,594 in 1888 as against $128,815 in 1887, the increase being almost altogether due to the depreciation of silver, and the consequently increased number of dollars required to make up the annual contribution of £20,000 towards the support of the troops.
16. With reference, however, to the contemplated increase of this contribution, it is to be remembered that the above expenditure by no means fairly represents the burden which is really borne by the Colony. The War Department and the Admiralty occupy land in various localities which in its aggregate area is of great
45