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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 12TH DECEMBER, 1896.
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As to the Praya Reclamation Works, though difficulties have arisen in connection with the rapid completion of certain portions, fair progress has been made. The Marine Lot-holders have, in several instances, obtained permission to enter into possession of their portions, and fine buildings are in course of erection on some of the land reclaimed.
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In addition to the foregoing works, the condition of the villages has not been overlooked, and works of drainage, water supply, and general improvements have been completed, whilst others are in hand in Shaukiwan, Aberdeen, Mong-Kok-Tsui and Tai-Kok-Tsui. The requirements of the increasing population of the Hill District have not been lost sight. of, and it is proposed at an early date to commence the construction of an improved road from near Victoria Gap to the Mount Kellet Road.
The increasing requirements of the Colony in the matter of Government Offices and the question of providing new offices and concentrating them, so far as possible, under one roof, appeared to me to call for a special enquiry. I referred the matter accordingly to a Committee, whose report I have just received. That report will be published.
With respect to Education I regret to say that the experiences of the year have been some- what unfortunate. The recurrence of the plague, and the measures taken to prevent over- crowding, together with the rise in house rents resulting from those measures, caused a large number of Chinese, as I have already said, to send their women and children out of the Colony. The attendance at schools by Chinese children, and more particularly girls' schools, decreased considerably; the decrease amounting to probably 30 per cent. of their normal attendance. The attendance at five Chinese schools ceased entirely and the schools had to be closed, but as three new schools have been opened in places unaffected by plague and its consequences the total number of schools under the Education Department is 119 as compared with 121 in 1895. The above unsatisfactory experiences have been confined almost entirely to schools attended by the poorer classes of the native population. The other schools, especially those attended by non-Chinese children, "have for the most part retained their normal attendance. Efforts are being made to increase the number of schools offering English teaching to natives, but only one school of this description could be opened during the present year. Steps have been taken, however, to improve the teaching of English at Queen's College, and in order to allow more time for that purpose, the purely Chinese branch of that establishment has been entirely abolished.
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With regard to shipping, Hongkong continues to hold an important position amongst the Ports of the Empire. During the nine months ending 30th September last, over 7,000 ships of European construction entered and cleared at the Harbour Office, bringing and taking away cargoes amounting to nearly 55 per cent. of their registered tonnage, and conveying to and from the Colony 1,026,469 passengers..
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In addition to these, 53,000 trading junks carried 1,309,338 tons of cargo in and out, and conveyed 161,991 passengers.
Compared with the same period of 1895 this means an increase of 412 European con- structed vessels, carrying 233,675 more tons of cargo, and an increase of over 8,600 junks with 125,638 tons of cargo, and a total increase in the passenger traffic amounting to 1,986. A correspondence with the Unofficial Members in regard to the proposed abolition of the Light Dues levied to cover the cost and maintenance of Gap Rock Lighthouse will be laid on the Council table.
I consider that I am bound to redeem the pledge given by my Predecessor to the effect that this special rate should cease as soon as the cost of the Lighthouse had been defrayed.
With a view of covering the deficit which will result from this abolition five of the six Unofficial Members are of opinion that a fixed charge of 24 cents per ton should in future be imposed as light dues on all shipping entering the harbour, and in that opinion I concur. The criminal statistics are highly satisfactory. Comparing the number of cases under various headings for the 12 months ending 31st October, 1896, with those for the preceding twelve months we find decreases of 21 per cent. in robberies from the person, 53 per cent. in burglaries and larcenies from dwellings, 30 per cent. in cases of obtaining money under false. pretences, 37 per cent. in cases of unlawful possession, and 7 per cent. in larcenies. There