HONGKONG.
REPORT ON THE BLUE BOOK FOR 1902.
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor.
26
No. 903
No. 304. HONGKONG.
GOVERNMENT HOUSE, HONGKONG, 22nd June, 1903.
SIR,-I have the honour to subunit, for your information, the following general Report on the Annual Blue Book for the year 1902.
I.-FINANCES.
The Revenue for the year 1902 exclusive of Land Sales amounted to $4,329,712.48. Land Sales for the year reached $571,361.22. The total revenue from all sources was the therefore $4,901,073.70, or $295,108.70 more than the estimate. All the main sources of revenue showed an excess over the estimated receipts with the exception of Interest on Credit Balances and the Water Account, which yielded $2,996.08 and $14,050.53 respectively less than the estimate.
Licences and Internal Revenue showed an excess of no less than $158,340.55 over the estimate, and there were also considerable excesses under Fees of Court or Office, &c., Post Office and Light Dues.
The Expenditure for the year, chiefly owing to the sums disbursed (under the head of Miscellaneous Services) in connection with Plague, was very large, and far in excess of the estimate. The estimated expenditure (including that on Public Works Extraordinary) was $4,558,955.26, but the actual disbursements exceeded this estimate by $1,350,593.25.
The total actual expenditure was $5,909,548.51. Deducting from this the total actual receipts, there was a deficit of $1,008,474.81 on the actual working of the year, though the surplus of Assets on December 31st amounted to $66,869 exclusive of arrears of Revenue.
(a.)--GENERAL REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE.
The following is a brief abstract of Revenue and Expenditure for the years 1901 and 1902 :-
1901.
1902.
Increase.
Decrease.
Light Dnes,
58,375.98 66,106.52
7,730.54
Licences and Internal Revenue not other-
wise specified,
2,270,145.69 | 2,600,520 55
330,374.86
Fees of Court, &c.,
284,453.22 296,709.19
12,255.97
Post Office,
355,912.74
387,066.19
31,153.45
Rent of Government Property,
555,469.58
572,286.15
.16,816.57
Interest,
1.14
2,003.92
2,002.78
Miscellaneous,
Water Account,
280,100.36
233,070.49
47,029.87
169,119.45
171,949.47
2,830.02
Land Sales,
240,815.06
571,361,22
331,946,16
Total,
.$ 4,213,893.22 | 4,901,073.70
734,210.35 47,029.87
Deduct Decrease,
Nett Increase,
47,029.87
$687,180.48
The Right Honourable
JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN, M.P.,
His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies,
So..
&c.,
fc.