The Short Title of this Act is “The Appropriation Act, 1905.”

The Colonial Treasurer may issue and apply out of the Consolidated Fund, towards making good the supplies granted to His Majesty for the services of the year ending on the thirty-first day of March, one thousand nine hundred and six, any sums not exceeding in the whole the sum of one million eight hundred and twenty-one thousand two hundred and sixty 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 four million three hundred and forty-two thousand eight hundred and forty-four 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 His Majesty for the works and services of the year ending as aforesaid, any sums not exceeding in the whole the sum of one million four hundred and seventy-two thousand two hundred and thirty-one 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 two million four hundred and thirty-four thousand two hundred and fifty-nine 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 His Majesty for the services of the year ending as aforesaid, any sums not exceeding in the whole the sum of two hundred and thirty-two thousand seven hundred and twenty-two 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 five hundred and sixty-two thousand three hundred and seventy-one pounds, as appears by the said Schedule, are hereby appropriated for the respective services and purposes expressed in the several votes specified in the Abstract in the said Third Schedule.

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 nine hundred and five, 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 seventy - three thousand seven hundred and thirty-four pounds sixteen shillings and eightpence, and has also discharged from the Public Account the sum of nine hundred and fourteen pounds nineteen shillings and eleven-pence, 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.

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, and town district, 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 as aforesaid, 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.

Upon the application of the local body, setting forth the amount of general rates collectible for the year ending the said thirty-first day of March, 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 Valuer-General 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.

On receipt by the Valuer-General 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 said thirtieth day of June, 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.

Where a local body has adopted “The Rating on Unimproved Value Act, 1896,” no subsidy shall be payable on any amount exceeding the sum which would be recoverable on a rate of three farthings in the pound on the capital or gross value of the rateable property in its district.

The provisions of the first paragraph of the Schedule to the said Act, and of the last preceding subsection hereof, shall apply to subsidies payable to Borough Councils under “The Municipal Corporations Act, 1900.”

In case any doubt arises as to the several payments to be made under this section, or as to payments to be made in respect of newly formed districts wherein the local body has not had sufficient time to levy and collect rates, the Governor in Council may decide the amounts of such payments, and his decision shall be final.

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 in the whole the sum of one thousand pounds, 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 payable out of the Consolidated Fund.

Whenever it becomes necessary that money should be expended on account of the Government Insurance Department, the Government Accident Insurance Department, the Public Trust Office, the Government Advances to Settlers Office, or the State Fire Insurance Department, in excess of or without the appropriation of Parliament, the Government Insurance Commissioner, the Public Trustee, the Superintendent, or the General Manager, 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 is hereby authorised to arrange with any or all of the banking institutions doing business in this colony for the purchase on their behalf (including the expenses incidental thereto), without further appropriation than this Act, of silver and bronze coin from the Royal Mint in London, or from any branch thereof in Australia, to an amount not exceeding one hundred thousand pounds.

The Colonial Treasurer may transfer any sum or sums not exceeding in the whole seven hundred and fifty 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.

It shall be lawful for the Governor, in the name and on behalf of His Majesty the King, 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 in the case of the works and services specified in the Fourth Schedule hereto the amount of liability thereby incurred shall not, together with the sum appropriated therefor, exceed the sum set down in the ninth column in that Schedule opposite to each such work or service.

Out of 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, sums 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, to such amounts and upon such terms and conditions as such Minister prescribes, 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 accordingly.

The moneys appropriated by this Act for the construction or improvement of railways, roads, bridges, buildings, and other public works shall be available for all or any of the following purposes:—

The cost of tools, plant, provisions, clothing, or other requisites sold or lent to workers as aforesaid may be deducted from time to time, in one or more sums of money, from the money earned, whether by day labour or by co-operative contract, by the person to whom the same are sold or lent.

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 Gold-fields Proclamations Validation Act, 1869,” or to any persons lawfully entitled to the lands from which the revenues accrue in virtue of any such agreement.

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 all 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 XXXVIII., Public Works Fund, for improved-farm settlements.

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.

In any case where the Colonial Treasurer is satisfied that any local authority liable to make any payment in respect of the costs and expenses incident to the election and meetings of the Licensing Committee, as provided in section sixteen of “The Alcoholic Liquors Sale Control Act Amendment Act, 1895,” has made default in so doing, he may pay the same, and may cause the amount so paid to be recovered from the defaulting local authority as a debt due to the Crown, or to be deducted from any subsidy or other moneys at any time payable by the Government to such local authority.

The Public Trustee, with the sanction of the Trust Office Board, may, notwithstanding anything contained in section thirty-seven of “The Public Trust Office Consolidation Act, 1894,” or any Act, out of any balance to the credit of the Profit and Loss Account, apply any sum not exceeding fifteen thousand pounds in the purchase of land with buildings thereon, and in any alterations thereto, or in the purchase of land and the erection of buildings thereon, in the City of Wellington, and in providing office accommodation and furniture for the purpose of carrying on the business of the Public Trust Office.

Out of the vote for Miscellaneous Services taken in Class XVIII. (Consolidated Fund), under the item “Bonuses or advances to assist fruit-canning factories,” the Minister for Agriculture may grant bonuses or make advances for that purpose to such persons, in such manner, and on such terms in all respects as he thinks fit, and in the case of advances may make the same with or without security and with or without interest, as he thinks fit:

Provided that the total amount of all such bonuses and advances shall not exceed two thousand pounds.

Whereas doubts have arisen whether certain employees of the New Zealand Midland Railway Company who, on the taking-over of the railway owned by that company, joined the Government Railways Department are entitled for the purposes of “The Government Railways Superannuation Fund Act, 1902,” to count their service from the date of such taking-over or from the date when the railway of the said company actually became vested in the Crown, and it is expedient that such doubts should be set at rest: Be it therefore enacted that for the purposes of “The Government Railways Superannuation Fund Act, 1902,” the said employees shall be deemed to have been employed in the said Department as from the twenty-seventh day of May, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-five (being the date of such taking-over as aforesaid), and shall be entitled to count their service accordingly.

Out of the vote for irrigation and water-supply, in Class XXXVIII. (Public Works Fund), the Minister of Lands may from time to time, as he thinks fit,—

Out of the vote for the Legislative Council, Class I., there shall be paid twenty-five pounds to the Honourable R. H. J. Reeves, M.L.C., for acting as Speaker of the Legislative Council; and out of the vote for the House of Representatives in the same class there shall be paid the sum of one hundred pounds to R. M. Houston, member for the Bay of Islands, for services as Chairman of the Native Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives.

Such payments shall not be deemed to constitute a disqualification under either “The Disqualification Act, 1878,” or “The Electoral Act, 1905.”