A (2) 13
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LIABILITIES.
83. Deposits.
Contractors' and Officers' Deposits.
Miscellaneous.
($588,810.00) ($1,466,962.07).
A statement, prepared by the Accountant-General, which supplies details of the above, is submitted as Enclosure No. 10.
84. With the exception of certain deposits totalling $434.91, which are under query, it has been verified that no deposit has been outstanding for more than five years.
85. Deposits-Poor Box.
Included in the above statement is an item entitled "Poor Box", the balance of which at the end of the year being $6,084.67. The origin of this account is obscure, but it is certain that it has existed for over thirty years. It has been customary to pay into the account the proceeds of seizures and forfeitures arising out of Police raids on gambling establishments. Payments from the Poor Box are made at the discretion of the Magistrates, apparently for the relief of distress, for the giving of small rewards, and latterly for granting financial assistance to needy persons who are willing to be repatriated.
86. A suggestion by the Accountant-General to transfer $5,000 at the end of the year from the Poor Box account to the Revenue Head "Forfeitures", on the ground that the balance of the account seemed to be in excess of requirements, was opposed by the Magistrates.
87. On the matter being referred to Audit it was pointed out that from a Colonial accounting standpoint the procedure followed was irregular and contravened Colonial Regulation No. 232, further it did not permit the Legislature to have any control over the expenditure of moneys obtained from the source mentioned. In this connection it is worthy of note that the amount credited to the Poor Box during the year was $4,462.98, while payments from it in the same period totalled $2,255.65. It is now understood that the "Poor Box" deposit account will be closed at the end of the present financial year, and that any unexpended balance will be transferred to Revenue. Provision will be made in the Estimates of the following year for a sum sufficient to meet the possible requirements of the Magistrates for expenses which had hitherto been met from the Poor Box.
88. Deposits balances.
Reconciliation of Departmental with Accountant-General's
Where necessary detailed statements of deposits were called for from the departments concerned, and the totals shown in these lists were reconciled with the balances appearing in the books of the Accountant-General. The particulars in these statements were also checked by Audit at the time of the local inspections of the departments.
89. Government House and City Development Fund (Nil).
During the year Ordinance No. 30 of 1934 (Government House and City Development Scheme Ordinance, 1934) was repealed by Ordinance No. 4 of 1939 (Government House and City Development Fund Winding Up Ordinance, 1939), and section 3 of the latter provided for the transfer to the general revenue of the Colony any balance standing to the credit of the Fund. The balance amounting to $839,704.12, was therefore credited to revenue under the Head "Land Sales."
90. Notice of non-disallowance of Ordinance No. 4 of 1939 was published vide Government Notice No. 401 in the Official Gazette dated the 19th May, 1939.
+
A (2) 13
―
LIABILITIES.
83. Deposits.
Contractors' and Officers' Deposits.
Miscellaneous.
($588,810.00) ($1,466,962.07).
A statement, prepared by the Accountant-General, which supplies details of the above, is submitted as Enclosure No. 10.
84.
With the exception of certain deposits totalling $434.91, which are under query, it has been verified that no deposit has been outstanding for more than five
years.
85. Deposits-Poor Box.
Included in the above statement is an item entitled "Poor Box", the balance of which at the end of the year being $6,084.67. The origin of this account is obscure, but it is certain that it has existed for over thirty years. It has been customary to pay into the account the proceeds of seizures and forfeitures arising out of Police raids on gambling establishments. Payments from the Poor Box are made at the discretion of the Magistrates, apparently for the relief of distress, for the giving of small rewards, and latterly for granting financial assistance to needy persons who are willing to be repatriated.
86. A suggestion by the Accountant-General to transfer $5,000 at the end of the year from the Poor Box account to the Revenue Head "Forfeitures", on the ground that the balance of the account seemed to be in excess of requirements, was opposed by the Magistrates.
$7. On the matter being referred to Audit it was pointed out that from a Colonial accounting standpoint the procedure followed was irregular and contravened Colonial Regulation No. 232, further it did not permit the Legislature to have any control over the expenditure of moneys obtained from the source mentioned. In this connection it is worthy of note that the amount credited to the Poor Box during the year was $4,462.98, while payments from it in the same period totalled $2,255.65. It is now understood that the "Poor Box" deposit account will be closed at the end of the present financial year, and that any unexpended balance will be transferred to Revenue. Provision will be made in the Estimates of the following year for a sum sufficient to meet the possible requirements of the Magistrates for expenses which had hitherto been met from the Poor Box.
88. Deposits
balances.
Reconciliation of Departmental with Accountant-General's
Where necessary detailed statements of deposits were called for from the depart- ments concerned, and the totals shown in these lists were reconciled with the balances appearing in the books of the Accountant-General. The particulars in these state- ments were also checked by Audit at the time of the local inspections of the depart-
ments.
89. Government House and City Development Fund (Nil).
During the year Ordinance No. 30 of 1934 (Government House and City Deve- lopment Scheme Ordinance, 1934) was repealed by Ordinance No. 4 of 1939 (Govern- ment House and City Development Fund Winding Up Ordinance, 1939), and section 3 of the latter provided for the transfer to the general revenue of the Colony any balance standing to the credit of the Fund. The balance amounting to $839,704.12, was therefore credited to revenue under the Head "Land Sales.'
90. Notice of non-disallowance of Ordinance No. 4 of 1939 was published vide Government Notice No. 401 in the Official Gazette dated the 19th May, 1939.
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