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THE HONGKONG
Government Gazette.
No. 55.
報 Py 轅 港
Published by Authority.
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VICTORIA, SATURDAY, 26TH NOVEMBER, 1892. VOL. XXXVIII.
號五十五第日八初月十年辰壬 日六十二月一十年二十九百八千一 簿八十三第
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, No. 12.
WEDNESDAY, 16TH NOVEMBER, 1892.
PRESENT:
HIS, EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR
(Sir WILLIAM ROBINSON, K.C.M.G.).
The Honourable the Colonial Secretary, (GEORGE THOMAS MICHAEL O'BRIEN, C.M.G.).
the Acting Attorney General, (ANDREW JOHN LEACH).
the Registrar General, (JAMES HALDANE STEWART LOCKHART).
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the Colonial Treasurer, (NORMAN GILBERT MITCHELL-INNES). the Director of Public Works, (FRANCIS ALFRED COOPER). the Harbour Master, (ROBERT MURRAY RUMSEY).
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CATCHICK PAUL CHATER.
HO KAI, M.B., C.M.
THOMAS HENDERSON WHITEHEAD.
EMANUEL RAPHAEL BELILIOS.
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JAMES JARDINE BELL-IRVING.
The Council met pursuant to adjournment.
The Minutes of the last Meeting, held on the 14th June, 1892, were read and confirmed. NEW MEMBERS.-The Honourable A. J. LEACH, Acting Attorney General, and The Honourable J. J. BELL-IRVING took the oath of allegiance on their appointment to a seat on the Council.
His Excellency then addressed the Council as follows :—~
Honourable GENTLEMEN OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL,
I have much pleasure in meeting you again for the transaction of public business, after a vacation which you have doubtless enjoyed.
I must confess, however, that it is not an unmixed pleasure, as I have to lay before you and to endeavour to explain a state of affairs, so far as Finance is concerned, which cannot be considered entirely satisfactory.
On the 25th January last, adopting the Estimates for 1892 as handed down to me, and making allowance for a loss of $114,000 on the Opium Farm, I remarked that the anticipated Revenue of $2,144,178 would not be secured, but that we might expect about $2,030,178. The ordinary expenditure was estimated at $1,773,918 leaving a possible surplus of $256,260. It appears likely that the total receipts for 1892 will be about $2,067,216. Of this sum, however, at least $50,000 is due to the reduction of the arrears of taxes outstanding at the end of 1891, through their energetic collection by the Treasurer's Department during the