Melbourne,
13 Febr. 1892.
T. R. Wilson Esqr,
Under Secretary.
Sir.
According to instructions, conveyed by your memorandum 1599,1 I have the honor to state, that the balance of the current Vote of Contingencies in the Governm. Botanist's establishment expected to be saved, can be calculated at £262, therefore slightly more than one fourth of the whole contingencies-vote for 1891-1892. A statement in detail I append herewith.
If still some few more lithographic plates (all original) should be made, beyond those in hand, — the last after 34 years — then the small surplus over £250 of last quater2 of Contingencies in this finance-year will become expended. This leads up to the question, which I would like to bring solicitously forward, whether the retrenchment could be postponed til 30 June, so that the work might be allowed to go on in its whole scope til then, the fund being voted for the whole finance-year, and I having made reductions on the building vote and some other items several months ago already, particularly as perhaps no great retrenchments will take place in the other Governm. science-departments here though their respective endowments are much larger than that of the Gov. Botanist's establishment. Should the honorable the Chief Secretary kindly be inclined, to grant this respite, better time would be allowed, to reorganize the establishment on a reduced scale for taking full effect.
As regards expenditures for contingencies during the next finance-year, I may be allowed to remark, that they need not come under consideration, as the establishment will be administrated henceforth on a vastly reduced system after the cessation of the lithographic work, field-collecting and of many other of the former engagements.3
I have the honor to be,
Sir, your obedient servant
Ferd von Mueller,
Gov. Botanist.
Kindly assure Mr M'Lean, that I entirely trust to his and his hon. Colleagues feelings of justice towards my establishment.
Government Botanist4
Expenditure for Contingencies till 31st March 1892
| Museum Material &c. |
Vote £130 |
|
| Passed |
£77 |
|
| Required about |
20 |
97 |
|
Balance £33 |
||
| Collector of Plants |
Vote £125 |
|
| Passed |
£81 |
|
| Required |
20 |
101 |
|
Balance £24 |
||
| Publication of Works |
Vote £440 |
|
| Passed |
£222 |
|
| Required |
48 |
270 |
|
Balance £170 |
||
| Paper for Lithograms |
Vote £35 |
|
| Passed |
Nil |
|
| Required |
Nil |
|
|
Balance £35 |
||
| Books — Incidental Expenses |
Vote £270 |
|
| Passed |
£234 |
|
| Required |
36 |
270 |
|
Balance Nil |
||
| Total Contingencies |
Vote £1000 |
|
| Passed & Required |
738 |
|
|
Balance £2625 |
See T. Wilson to M, 11 February 1892.
quarter.
On 3 March 1892 the Chief Secretary, A. McLean minuted: 'It has already been determined that the total cost of the Govt. Botanist's branch of this Department shall be reduced to £1200 a year from the 31st inst and this decision must be strictly adhered to.' Wilson forwarded the minute to M on the same day. M returned it on 7 March 'with best thanks I only was anxious, to interest myself for the officers of the Department'.
See also M to T. Wilson, 29 February 1892 (in this edition as 92-02-29a).
List written by Georg Luehmann.
The file includes a summary in another hand: 'Extract from Return sent to Treasury 4.8.91 in compliance with request contained in letter of 28th July 1891 asking whether the Estimates of Expenditure for 1891 92 could be reduced'. This shows for the Government Botanist's Branch reductions in the Estimates of £120 for 'Publication of Works on Plants &c' and £40 for 'Paper for Lithograms', and states in addition thst 'The Public Works Estimate of Expenditure of this Branch has been reduced £186, by eliminating therefrom an item "Erection of a brick building", which building can be deferred from being proceeded with'.
The file also contains a typed copy of this letter, presumably made at the Chief Secretary's Department.
Please cite as “FVM-92-02-13,” 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