The Press.
London, England, 1857-09-12 00:00:00

PUBLIC MONEYS.

THE Select Committee appointed by the House of
Commons to consider the question of the efficiency
of the present control of Parliament over the public
moneys, have issued their report. It is dated the
18th August, and recommends some important
changes. The committee find that the consolidation
of the pay departments has been attended with
" beneficial results," and they advise a further appli-
cation of the same principles—concentration of re-
sponsibility and simplification of procedure. They
would adjust the payments under every head of ser-
vice every month, reducing the cash balances to the
smallest amount. They think that the Paymaster-
General should cease to be a political officer, and
should perform his duties in person.

They recommend that the payments of revenue
should, as far as practicable, be paid direct into the
Exchequer, and that those payments made into the
Pay office should be transferred to the Exchequer
account with as little delay as may be consistent with
the public service.
They further recommend that moneys in deposit in
the Pay-office should be carried to a separate account
at the Bank, as they neither form part of the public
revenue, nor are voted by Parliament as ways and
means. The payments may still be made through
the general drawing account.
That a statement of the receipts and payments
included in this deposit account ought annually to be
laid before Parliament.

With regard to Exchequer Bills, they recommend
that the bills be permanent in their nature ; that they
shall carry coupons for interest, which is to be an •
nounced annually; and that their capital shall be
redeemable on demand out of the Consolidated Fund ;
new bills, if necessary, to be issued in the lieu of
those thus paid off.
Then, with respect to the manner in which the
public accounts are kept and audited, the committee
recommend various changes, embracing important
results.

The " appropriation check " the committee re-
commend should be extended to the accounts of the
income and expenditure kept at the Treasury, to the
accounts of the revenue departments, and to the
various accounts comprising the expenditure of the
votes fur civil services, including civil contin-
gencies :
For the latter service two accounts should be presented;
one showing the final payments charged against the vote
for civil contingencies, and the other showing a balanced
account of the transactions of the year, including the out-
standing advances at the close of the year, and the balance
unissued brought down to the following year
The whole of these accounts, finally audited, should be
presented to Parliament before the close of the year suc-
ceeding that to which they relate.

All payments of the Paymaster-General to be
checked from day to day in the departments in which
they are authorised or made under an officer ap-
pointed by the Commissioners of Audit; these
audited accounts to be annually submitted to the
revision of a committee of the House of Commons,
to be nominated by the Speaker.
The Audit Board no longer to transmit accounts
to Parliament through the Treasury, but to commu-
nicate them direct. And lastly, the reconstruction
of the Board of Audit, as a great department of
State, with a functionary at the head of it, not second
in rank to any of the permanent officers presiding
over other principal departments.
The committee make some other recommendations,
for bringing the adjustment of the civil accounts
completely within the financial year; for substitu-
ting annual accounts based on actual receipts and
payments, in lieu of accounts based on Exchequer
credits ; and for applying the same principles to the
regulation of "The Treasury Chest Fund," or fund
for carrying on the public service abroad.

Lord Canning's despatch and Act of Council sup-
pressing the liberty of the press has been pub-
lished. The act orders all printing-presses to be
licensed, and gives power to search for and seize
unlicensed printing materials. But the Govern-
ment retains the most important right not only to
grant licenses and to revoke them, but also to pro-
hibit the circulation of particular books or news-
papers.