The Short Title of this Act is “The Appropriation Act, 1898.”

The Colonial Treasurer may issue out of the Consolidated Fund, and apply towards making good the supplies granted to Her Majesty for the services of the year ending on the thirty-first day of March, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-nine, the sum of one million one hundred and ninety-three thousand seven hundred and seventy-eight pounds, together with the amount of the fees hereinafter mentioned.

All sums granted as aforesaid out of the Consolidated Fund by this Act, together with the sums granted out of that fund by the other Acts mentioned in First Schedule hereto, amounting in the whole to two million six hundred and seventy-eight thousand one hundred and thirty pounds, as appears by the said Schedule, together with the fees collected by such public officers as are authorised to retain the same in lieu of salary, are hereby appropriated for the several services and purposes expressed in the several votes specified in the Abstract in the said First Schedule.

The Colonial Treasurer may issue and apply, out of the Public Works Fund, towards making good the supplies granted to Her Majesty for the works and services of the year ending on the thirty-first day of March, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-nine, any sum or sums not exceeding in the whole the sum of six hundred and seventy-four thousand and thirty-seven pounds.

All sums granted as aforesaid out of the Public Works Fund by this Act, together with the sums granted out of that fund by the other Acts mentioned in the Second Schedule hereto, amounting in the whole to one million one hundred and eight-seven thousand five hundred and thirty-six pounds, as appears by the said Second Schedule, are hereby appropriated for the several works and services expressed in the several votes specified in the Abstract in the said Second Schedule.

Out of the respective Accounts mentioned in the Abstract in the Third Schedule hereto the Colonial Treasurer may issue and apply, towards making good the supplies granted to Her Majesty for the services of the year ending on the thirty-first day of March, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-nine, any sums amounting in the whole to fifty thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine pounds.

All sums granted as aforesaid out of the said respective accounts by this Act, together with the sums granted out of those accounts by the other Acts mentioned in the said Third Schedule hereto, amounting in the whole to one hundred and sixty-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven pounds, as appears by the said Third Schedule, are hereby appropriated for the respective services and purposes expressed in the several votes specified in the Abstract in the said Third Schedule.

The Colonial Treasurer may issue and pay out of the Consolidated Fund all moneys lawfully payable to any Natives under and by virtue of the agreements validated by “The Auckland Goldfields Proclamations Validation Act, 1869,” or to any persons lawfully entitled to the lands from which the revenues accrue in virtue of any such agreement.

There shall be issued and paid by the Colonial Treasurer out of the Consolidated Fund to the Council or Board of each county, road district, town district, and borough, in respect of the general rates described in the Schedule to “The Local Bodies’ Finance and Powers Act, 1885” (in this section referred to as “the said Act”), levied for the year ending the thirty-first day of March, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-nine, and actually collected on or before the thirtieth day of June ensuing next after the said thirty-first day of March, one-fourth of the amounts to which they would be entitled under the plan of distribution described in the Schedule to the said Act:

Provided that upon the application of the local body setting forth the amount of general rates collectable for the year ending the thirty-first day of March, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-nine, and showing separately how much thereof is in respect of Native lands, seventy-five per centum, and no more, of the amount which it is estimated by the Commissioner of Taxes may become payable to such local body for rates other than rates on Native lands may be advanced to such local body within that year:

Provided also that on receipt by the Commissioner of Taxes of returns, duly verified by the declaration of the Chairman or Treasurer of a local body, showing the amount of the rates aforesaid actually collected to the thirtieth day of June, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-nine, the amount of subsidy found to be payable in respect of such rates, less the amount (if any) advanced as aforesaid, shall be paid to such local body; and any sum advanced in excess of the amount so found to be payable shall be repaid by the local body to the Public Account, or be recovered by the Colonial Treasurer out of any moneys payable to such local body.

In case any doubt arises as to the several payments to be made under this section and the Schedule to the said Act, or as to payments to be made in respect of newly-formed districts wherein the Board has not had sufficient time to levy and collect rates, the Governor in Council may authoritatively decide the amounts of such payments.

The Colonial Treasurer is hereby authorised to issue and pay out of the Consolidated Fund, by way of temporary advance, any sum or sums, not exceeding one thousand pounds in the whole, for the purpose of defraying any charges or expenses incurred by or on behalf of any local governing body.

All such advances shall be repaid to the Consolidated Fund out of the first moneys thereafter accruing to such local governing body, and may be deducted or recovered by the Colonial Treasurer accordingly.

For the purposes of this section the expression “local governing body” means a County Council, Borough Council, Town Board, Road Board, River Board, Harbour Board, and an Education Board, and includes any other body or persons, however designated, to whom any moneys are paid or payable out of the Consolidated Fund.

It shall be lawful for the Governor, in the name and on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen, to enter into any contracts, or to incur any liabilities, for carrying on the works and services for which money is appropriated by this Act: Provided that the amount, of liability thereby incurred in respect of any work or service shall not, together with the sum appropriated therefor, exceed the sum set down in the ninth column in the Fourth Schedule opposite to each railway or other work or service for which money is appropriated by this Act.

The moneys appropriated by this Act for the construction of public roads and such other public works as are usually constructed by or are under the control of local governing bodies may be paid over to such local governing body or bodies as the Minister in charge of the department in connection with which such roads or works are constructed determines, upon such terms and conditions as are agreed upon between such Minister and any such local governing body, to be expended by such body upon any of the works or services for which the same are appropriated by this Act; and the Colonial Treasurer shall make all such payments in accordance with any such agreement.

The moneys appropriated by this Act for the construction or improvement of public roads, or for other public works in Class IV., Public Works Fund, and out of the Government Loans to Local Bodies Account, shall be deemed to include or be available for paying severally for the construction and repair of roads, drains, buildings, bridges, jetties, wharves, the protection of and the improvement of the navigation of rivers and lakes; for the purchase of lands for roads; for the payment of the wages of workmen; for the purchase of material and provisions; for the payment of wages, furniture, provisions, and other necessaries for the maintenance of sanatoria and other establishments for which any sum is voted; for the expenses incurred in the purchase of tools, plant, provisions, clothing, or other requisites necessitated by the employment of labour, whether the same are to be used for the benefit of, or sold or lent to, workmen employed on such works or not; and also the expenses incurred in the payment of fares and freights by land or sea in respect of the transit of such workmen and their families and effects to or from such works; and generally for the cost of any material or stores required for the effectual carrying-out of the works named in the estimates. The cost of tools, plant, provisions, clothing, or other requisites sold or lent to workmen as aforesaid may be deducted from time to time in one or more sum or sums from the money earned, whether by day-labour or co-operative contract, by the persons to whom the same are sold or lent.

Whereas under “The Lands Improvement and Native Lands Acquisition Act, 1894,” the Colonial Treasurer is authorised to make advances to settlers for improving their lands: Be it enacted that the amount required for such advances and the expenses connected therewith, whether such advances are made directly to any member of an association or expended by or under the directions of the Minister of Lands, may be paid out of the vote taken in Class IV., Public Works Fund, for settlement roads, bridges, and other public works, although the things to be paid for are not further specified in such vote than by the name of the improved farm for which the advances are to be made.

Whereas the Colonial Treasurer has, under the authority of section forty-eight of “The Public Revenues Act, 1891,” issued, during the twelve months ended the thirty-first day of March, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight, in excess of or without the appropriation of Parliament, the respective sums mentioned in the Fifth Schedule hereto out of the Consolidated Fund, the Public Works Fund, and the other accounts mentioned in the said Schedule, amounting in the whole to the sum of ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and sixty-six pounds four shillings and ninepence, and has also discharged from the Public Account the sum of one pound eighteen shillings mentioned in the said Schedule as being due to but irrecoverable by the Crown, and has caused the said sums to be applied to the several purposes and services mentioned in the said Fifth Schedule: Be it enacted that the application and discharge of the said sums are hereby sanctioned.

Whenever it becomes necessary that money should be expended on account of the Government Insurance Department, the Public Trust Office, or the Government Advances to Settlers Office, in excess of or without the appropriation of Parliament, the Government Insurance Commissioner, the Public Trustee, or the Superintendent, as the case may be, may, with the sanction of the Colonial Treasurer, but not otherwise, pay such money in excess of or without the appropriation of Parliament.

All such expenditure shall be charged to the Unauthorised Expenditure Account.

The Colonial Treasurer may transfer any sum or sums not exceeding in the whole four hundred and twenty-five thousand pounds from the Consolidated Fund to the Public Works Fund, to be issued and applied to the purposes and services provided for in this Act; and out of that sum seventy-five thousand pounds may be applied as follows, that is to say: twenty-five thousand pounds in aid of harbour defences and defence services; twenty-five thousand pounds in aid of the additional requirements of lunatic asylums; and twenty-five thousand pounds in respect of the cost of the new Parliamentary Buildings.

From and after the passing of this Act the cost of collection referred to in section three of “The Local Bodies’ Finance and Powers Act, 1885,” shall not be defrayed out of the revenues which by virtue of that section form part of the County Fund, and that Act is hereby amended accordingly.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in “The Governor’s Salary and Allowances Act, 1873,” a sum not exceeding one thousand pounds may be expended out of the general vote for public buildings of the Public Works Fund in refurnishing Government House, Auckland, and a further sum not exceeding four hundred and fifty pounds may be expended out of the said vote and fund in refurnishing the unofficial rooms in Government House, Wellington.