THE NGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 16TH NOVEMBER, 1878.
547
levy $15 sea-going licence, and $3 fishing licence; for vessels above 1,000 piculs we levy $20 sea-going licence. So far for the native shipping. Upon the whole of the European shipping we levy one cent a ton. Now, these two items are items of great significance. They both show an increase, and the increase they show furnishes us with one of the best and safest tests of the growing prosperity of the Colony. If the Opium Farm sells at the figure I anticipate, and if we can established a Spirit Farm, I would ask you then to consider the advisability of entirely removing from the native trade of the Colony the licensing fees I have now detailed to you, and I would ask you also to consider the equity of considerably reducing the police, water, lighting, and fire brigade rates.
Gentlemen, I have no doubt the interest you feel in the statement I have made is, as men of business, not confined merely to seeing that our revenue is prosperous. What is the meaning of our rent-roll steadily increasing and being now at a figure never known before in the history of Hongkong? What is the meaning of the increase of the junk trade, and the increase in light dues? What is the meaning of all the other items of increase that I have spoken to you of? And I may add even such a small thing as the licences on chairs, carriages, and horses. The increase in all these items can be described in one word-prosperity. It means the prosperity of the Colony. Under the junk trade increase I assume at the close of this year-there are figures now before me--that we shall have on the native trade alone an increase of 89,000 tons in the year. And what does the increase in light dues during the first three months of this year and up to this date indicate? It shows us that in the European and American shipping the foreign shipping coming to this harbour-the increase in 1878 will be 800,000 tons, so that we may in the year 1878 calculate upon being able to show an increase of 390,000 tons of shipping entered into this Colony in cargo as compared with last year. To estimate the full value of that, I may remind you that the total shipping of Queensland, which is the largest Colony in area in the British Empire and not the least flourishing, amounts to 388,000 tons: that is, of ships entered with cargo. The total tonnage of ships entered into the two important Colonies of South Australia and Western Australia put together is actually less than the increase we have made this year. In truth, gentlemen, when I compare the position of this Colony with that of other Colonies, and especially when I remember-and we are bound to do that, I think, in fairness-that in the nine months to which I have been referring, and of which I have the authentic returns now before me, it may be said that our prosperity is due to no real activity of trade in the United Kingdom or India, we surely have cause for satisfaction.
In the United Kingdom during that period there has been depression. In India we have had during the same period mercantile uncertainty, an uncertainty that still continues. In China itself we have had a desolating famine, and even down to the Kwang-tung province, which this Colony adjoins, there has been during the same period unexampled and severe distress. Therefore, it is some satisfaction to me to-day, in making to you this preliminary financial statement- sketching out to you the proposals I may have the honour to submit to you, I hope, at the usual time next month-to know that in the history of this Colony no Governor was ever before, able to put before his Council such indisputable proofs of growing, steady, and safe prosperity as the facts that you have before you to-day.
And, gentlemen, knowing that, I have every confidence that you will assist me cordially in dealing with the finances next month in such a way as to effect for the tax-payers of this Colony a reasonable reduction. It will be our duty, no doubt to maintain our revenue at a safe figure, and I would throw out to my unofficial friends this for consideration, that something like $900,000 a year ought at present to answer us for all the requirements of the Colony, If you agree with me that we ought to determine
determine our revenue this year at something like that figure, then you will at once see the feasibility of our making some reductions of taxation; and this point of course we shall bear in mind in doing so, namely, that if we stimulate the Opium Farm, and if we gain much increase of revenue from the Spirit Farm, we ought at once to reduce taxation upon those who are producing the wealth of the Colony. The native junk trade, of course, is imployed in producing the wealth of the Colony, but every householder in this industrious community, every Chinese trader, every European man of business, every Portuguese clerk who works away with his pen in a merchant's office, is producing wealth by his labour, and I think it hard we should be deriving from a direct tax upon such householders the largest single item of our revenue. Therefore, gentlemen, in the sketch I have ventured to put before you I have indicated on the one hand the exact state of the finances; you see how prosperous they are; I have also told you frankly the general idea I have of how we should deal with them, and when next November I submit my schemes to you more in detail I shall look forward with confidence to receiving your support.--(Applause.)
Honourable P. RYRIE asked His Excellency if, in the estimate he had made of the expenditure for the end of the year, he had taken the full amount voted for the different departments, because he had been given to understand occasionally some of the departments did not spend the amounts voted. For instance, the Police sometimes did not spend the entire amount voted, and he would ask if in his estimate His Excellency had taken the full amount voted or only the amount actually expended.
His EXCELLENCY said he had only taken the actual expenditure of the nine months. It sometimes happened, that more was voted than was required during the year, but speaking generally, he could say that for the ensuing portion of this year the expenditure would be in the same proportion it had been. There were some items which appeared in the Estimates last year on account of which no expenditure whatever had been incurred. For instance, one for which his Honourable friends the Unofficial Members had voted was the establishment of an observatory and time ball, but he subse- quently ascertained that the Unofficial Members entertained a little doubt about it, and accordingly he had not spent one farthing of that vote. From time to time, as his Honourable friend was aware, the Finance Committee had voted certain
These were all included.
sums.
Honourable P. RYRIE.-They are supplementary.
His EXCELLENCY-They are supplementary; but they are included and appear in the statement submitted to me by the Treasurer. Sometimes money has to be spent immediately; for instance, after that heavy rain storm some months ago, my Honourable friend the Surveyor General had to set to work immediately and the Finance Committee then dealt with it. Honourable P. RYRIE said that with regard to the Police rate, it was during the time of General BRUNKER that it was eleven per cent, and when he was superseded it was put up.
His EXCELLENCY said that was so.