General.
69. Government has also agreed to a suggestion made by the Secretary of State, that the power of remission formerly possessed by the Colonial Treasurer (i.e. of items not exceeding $50 in each case) should now be vested in the Financial Secretary, and not in the Accountant-General. General Order No. 296(2) will no doubt shortly be amended to accord with this ruling.
70. In the case of refunds of a routine nature made under the authority of Ordinances, approved Regulations or instructions, or refunds of sums erroneously assessed or collected, it has been proposed by Government that the authority of the Accountant-General should be regarded as sufficient.
Writing off Court Fines.
71. In regard to the remission of Court fines imposed by Magistrates, the Secretary of State considered it inadvisable to empower a Magistrate or other officer of the Court to reduce or remit fines except within the process contemplated by law or as a judicial act.
Nature of Revenue.
Crown Rents
Court Fines
"Writes off" of Revenue.
72. According to information supplied to the Audit Department the following revenue considered irrecoverable was written off under authority during the year under review.
Authority Amount Colonial Secretary. Financial Secretary. $ 524.65 Ambulance Fees 293.10 23.00 Accountant-General. Hospital Fees 192.50 Accountant-General. Financial Secretary. Hospital Fees (Consultants Fees) 115.00 Financial Secretary. Scholastic Fees 3.00 Accountant-General. Financial Secretary. Conservancy Fees 186.00 Water Rates 29.79 Accountant-General $1,367.04G. EXPENDITURE.
Control over Expenditure.
73. The control over Expenditure continues to be satisfactory. According to the information contained in the vouchers every charge against an expenditure head has, as far as it has been possible to ascertain, been applied to the purpose or purposes for which the head was intended to provide, and (subject to the errors of classification detailed in Appendix "A" to this report) has also been charged to the most appropriate sub-head of expenditure.
Expenditure appears to have been adequately vouched for.