The Short Title of this Act is “The Appropriation Act, 1901.”

The Colonial Treasurer may issue out of the Consolidated Fund, and apply 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 two, the sum of one million three hundred and forty-two thousand eight hundred and fifty-four 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 three millions four hundred and sixty-six thousand four hundred and seventy-two 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 on the thirty-first day of March, one thousand nine hundred and two, sum or sums not exceeding in the whole the sum of one million five hundred thousand three hundred and twenty-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 two millions four hundred thousand and eighty-seven 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 on the thirty-first day of March, one thousand nine hundred and two, any sums amounting in the whole to seventy-seven thousand three hundred and sixty-one 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 two hundred and thirty-seven thousand eight hundred and sixty-two 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.

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.

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 the thirty-first day of March, one thousand nine hundred and two, 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 collectible for the year ending the thirty-first day of March, one thousand nine hundred and two, 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 nine hundred and two, 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:

Provided further that where a local body has adopted “The Eating 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 Local Bodies’ Finance and Powers Act, 1885,” and of the last preceding proviso to this section, 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 and the Schedule to the said Act, 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 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 or 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 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 XXVI., 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 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 XXXII., Public Works Fund, for Improved-farm Settlements.

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 one, 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 one hundred and seven thousand three hundred and thirty-six pounds twelve shillings and ten-pence, and has also discharged from the Public Account the sum of twenty-six pounds four shillings and ninepence 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 five hundred 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.

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 Colonial Treasurer is hereby empowered to make arrangements with the Imperial Government or other authority, civil or military, on behalf of the colony, for the payment of all or any of the expenses incidental to or arising out of the equipping and maintaining the contingents of mounted infantry which are on active service in South Africa, including the costs of embarkation and transport to and from South Africa.

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 Vote No. 16, Class II., for “Federation Commission: Additional allowance whilst in Australia to Commissioners,” there may lawfully be paid to any member of the said Commission, being also a member of the General Assembly, a sum not exceeding two pounds two shillings per diem in excess of the scale of commuted allowance authorised by section three of “The Public Revenues Act, 1892,” anything in that Act or “The Disqualification Act, 1878,” to the contrary notwithstanding.