Cika wannan jumla: Molteno ya fara hidimarsa ta hanyar sake tsara kudaden jihar. Daya daga cikin ayyukan farko na gwamnatinsa shi ne kawar da harajin gida mai rikitarwa (Dokar 11 na 1872). Ya yi amfani da sabbin kudaden shiga daga masana'antar lu'u-lu'u da gashin tsuntsaye don biyan bashin da Cape ya tara da kuma saka hannun jari sosai a cikin ababen more rayuwa, gami da tsarin telegraph da shirin gina layin dogo mai cike da buri. Ya kuma kula da farfadowa a bangaren noma, kuma ya fara gina babban tsarin ban ruwa a duk fadin kasar. Tattalin arzikin ya farfado, yayin da sabbin tashoshin jiragen ruwa da sabis na jigilar kayayyaki suka taimaka wa karuwar fitarwa, wanda ya haifar da rarar kasafin kudi mai kyau a karshen wa'adinsa. Ya jagoranci mulkin mallaka na Cape (yanzu mai wadata) a cikin
Ya yi tsayayya da rikice-rikice na yanki lokacin da ya barke a shekara ta 1877, kuma ya yi tsayayya da rikice-rikice na yanki <unk> yana yin ƙoƙari sosai don warkar da rabuwa tsakanin gabashin gabashin da yammacin Cape da kuma hana yunkurin abokan hamayyarsa na siyasa don raba kabilanci a cikin sojojin.