Melbourne botanic Garden,
11/3/72.
Sir
In compliance with your instructions I have the honor of submitting to you an estimate of the expenditure, which I would recommend for the service of the botanic Garden during the financial year from 1 July 1872 till 30 June 1873.
|
Government's Botanist and Director |
£610 |
|
Clerk2 (with quarters) |
£160 |
|
Head Gardener (with quarters)3 |
£150 |
|
Wages of Gardeners, one Laboratory Attendant, one Museum Operator, one Signwriter, one Artisan, one bot. Collector, one Carter, one Engine Driver, one Messenger, and several labourers |
£2370 |
|
Expense of publishing works on Austral. plants £100 and purchase of Museum materials, plants and seeds |
£1304 |
|
Stores, Timber, Stationery, Flowerpots, Bricks, Water pipes, Drainpipes, Paint, Tools, Glass &c Coals for engine &c |
£220 |
|
Forage for one carthorse and food for birds and other animals |
£80 |
|
Incidental, Transit and Travelling Expenses |
£140 |
|
Reward to Orphanboys to be placed into the Savings Bank (35/ a week) |
£91 |
|
Cartage of Streetmanure |
£40 |
|
Test plantation in the Ranges |
£120 |
|
Books and Instruments |
£80 |
|
Total |
£40915 |
Remarks
The Directors Position is heavily taxed by many expenses in relation to foreign interchanges, scientific communications abroad, calls of visitors, for which the votes make no provision. The Director lives merely in an office ever since 1857, not even a single private room being provided. A small item is now provided for books and instruments, even that expenditure having fallen largely on his private means formerly, so office light, personal travelling expenses, much of outlay for conveyance to proceed to town offices. The Director has no allowance for a servant, nor for a horse, nor forage &c.
In accordance with a recent recommendation of the Director special provision has been made for the salary of a headgardener, but in order that the latter may not be placed over the Clerk and Accountant, who was formerly paid out of the general Wages vote, it is recommended that the Clerks Salary should in future like that of a headgardner appear separately on the estimates. These two items are saved out of the wages vote. No vacancy or position for a Clerk and Accountant is created, as the Gentleman, who holds this position since several years,6 has discharged his functions to my full satisfaction.
The item for publishing of plants includes a grant to the President of the Linnéan Society7 for 30 copies of the work published by him and Baron von Mueller in England.8
The item for incidental expenses includes outlays for small repairs.
The new item of gratuity to the boys of the industr. Schools is to reward them in succession and rotation for good conduct, and particularly for securing the safe going to and from the barracks, without further loss of time of the gardeners to watch over the arrival and departure of the various sets of boys over the extensive ground.
The obtaining of street scrapings for manuring through the only cart and horse of the Department is an impossibility; hence the small new item.
As a trial for teagrowth and other industrial cultures in the first instance at Fernshaw9 the sum for one test plantation is provided. It is kept as small as ever possible.
I have the honor to be,
Sir, your obedient servant
Ferd. von Mueller,
Gov. Botanist and Director of the botanic Garden.
The honorable the Chief Secretary.
No provision is made for the Inspector of forests on my estimates, as I understand that the services of this Officer are to be devoted entirely to Forest Work under the Lands Department.
Please cite as “FVM-72-03-11,” in Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, edited by R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora†, J.H. Voigt† and Monika Wells accessed on 23 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/vonmueller/letters/72-03-11