HONGKONG.
REPORT ON THE ASSESSMENT FOR 1899-1900.
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor.
489
No. 28
OD
ASSESSOR'S OFFICE, HONGKONG, 20th July, 1899.
SIR,-I have the honour to submit my Report on the Assessment for the year 1899-1900.
2. The City of Victoria.-The result of the new Valuation is that the Rateable Value of the City of Victoria is, in the list which came into force on the 1st instant, $4,241,919 as compared with last year's (1898-99) Assessment $3,828,577, an increase in Rateable Value of $413,342 equivalent to 10.79 per cent.
3. The Hill District. The Rateable Value of the Hill District is now $149,875 against $138,765 last year-an increase of $11,110 or 8.00 per cent.
4. Hongkong Villages.-The Rateable Value of the Hongkong Villages has risen from $172,543 to $176,063-an increase of $3,520 or 2.04 per cent.
5. Kowloon Point.--The Rateable Value of the District known as Kowloon Point has increased from $137,335 to $144,530—a difference of $7,195 equal to 5.23 per cent.
6. Kowloon Villages.-The Rateable Value of the Villages comprising the remainder of British Kowloon is now $274,447 as compared with $244,727 last year-an increase of $29,720 or 12.14
per cent.
7. The Whole Colony.-The Rateable Value of the whole Colony is now $4,986,834 as com- pared with last year's Assessment of $4,521,947-an increase of $464,887 or 10.27 per cent.
8. Interim Valuations.--During the period from 1st July, 1898, to 1st June, 1899, Interim Valuations have been made as follows:
In the City of Victoria.
222 new and/or rebuilt tenements, rateable value,
62 improved tenements, rateable value,................. Replacing Assessments, amounting to...........
$200,035
$55,590 40,950
14,640
214,675
64 Assessments cancelled, tenements pulled down, or being in
other respects not rateable,.
36,695
Increase in City of Victoria,
$177,980
In the rest of the Colony.
156 new and/or rebuilt tenements, rateable value,
.$ 34,238
60 improved tenements, rateable value...
$12,013
Replacing Assessments, amounting to
8,186
3,827
38,065
89 Assessments cancelled, tenements pulled down, or being
in other respects not rateable,
Increase in Rest of Colony,
The total number of tenements affected by Interim Valuations being 653 and the increase in Rateable Value $200,374.
9. Vacant Tenements.-The number of reported vacant tenements in the City of Victoria inspected under section 35 of the Rating Ordinance averaged about 85 monthly against 125 last year.
15,671
$ 22,394