93
No. 7.
REPORT ON THE FINANCES OF THE COLONY
BY THE
Colonial Secretary and Auditor General.
Presented to the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor.
A careful revision recently made by the Honourable the Treasurer of the Estimates of Revenue for next year, which were laid before the Council on the 12th of June last, shows that the amount then estimated which was.
is not likely to exceed
- á
Decrease,....
.$1,212,188 1,135,000
$ 77,188
2. The Expenditure for 1885 shewn in the Estimates originally prepared was set down at $1,150,801. It is therefore now necessary to reduce this amount to about $1,085,000 in order to leave a margin of at least $50,000 of Revenue, for unforeseen expenditure during the year.
3. Having carefully gone over the Estimates of Expenditure with the Treasurer and the Surveyor General, I submit for His Excellency's consideration the following recommendations.
That the Estimates of Expenditure laid before Council in June last be in the first place increased by the following items, some of which have been already sanctioned by the Council, whilst the rest appear to be necessary
(a.) Increases to Police Salaries already voted,
(b.) Other increases shown in Schedule annexed, (c.) Civil Hospital Extension, re-vote,.....
C.S.O. 2995. (d.) Further vote recommended for additional story and extension of separate build- ing, on account of necessity for increased accommodation in the Hospital,... (e.) Repairs to public buildings, increase strongly recommended, (f) Police Station Hunghom, new,.........
Total increase, Original Estimate,
.$ 5,500
780
3,300
8,000
2,000. 3,200
$ 22,780.
1,150,801
$1,173,581
That the following alterations be made in the Estimates of Expenditure for 1885 in order to bring this sum down to about $1,085,000:--
(a.) Opium Revenue Department to be abolished if the boiling is farmed next
year: 10 months salaries to be struck out,.
-$
6,900
(b.) Tree planting, to be reduced by
4,000
(c.) New Central School (to be paid for out of balances), to be struck out
50,000
(d.) Draining of Wongneichong, to be struck out........ (e.) Widening Kennedy Road, to be struck out
25,000
2,000
$ 87,900