417
THE HONGKONGWEEKLY PRESS AND
[Novumber:18,718
DAGUERECTED STA
MWNT.
revenues from railways, more especially when The COLONIAL TREASUR (in laying the undertakings have been carried out by the table Financial retards tocompanying borrowed money. In Hongkong some the draft estimates for 1900") said -1 have to difficulty might be experienced in differen-request honourable members to accept this tiating between works paid for out of ametided statement in place of one laid on borrowed money and those paid for out of the table, some weeks ago. There was an un- revenue, but as the whole amount of fortunate clerical error which made the esti- our public debt has been expended on mated balance of assets at the end of this year larger than it should have been. I may say public works, a convenient arrangement however, that since this statement was made out would be to exempt from payment of the indications show that the original balance of military contribution so much of the gross ||$118,000 odd will be more than exceeded at the revenue as may be required to meet the end of the year. service of the loan.
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tend the boundaries of their respective | waterworks, for instance; thau on the gross || spheres or seek new porte intother portions| of the country. There remnius, too, the important question of how the Chinese Government is to be restrained from the commission of outrage and induced to fulfil ber treaty obligations if all fear of reprisals for wrongdoing is removed from before her dyes. Possibly the United States policy may have in view some definite scheme for bringing about the reform of the Peking Government by other means than holding reprisals in terrorem over the country, but it is difficult to see how that result can be obtained except by the extension of foreign spheres of influence, with, of course, equal commercial rights for all comers within those spheres. In any case it would appear that the adhesion of France to the scheme, whatever it may be, has not yet been secured, for that Power, instead of acting on the lines adopted by Great Britain with re- ference to Shamehun, is seeking to extend her boundaries at Kwangchauwan, and, ne- gotiations having broken down on that point, is taking steps to reinforce the garri- son already in occupation. The situation as between France and China is at the mo- ment not free from elements of anxiety.
THE MILITARY CONTRIBUTION
QUESTION.
STEAM LAUNDRIES AND THEIR CAUSE OF FAILURE.
The Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD-In conned," on with the corrected statement laid on the table, it appears from the statement dated 13th March that the balance of assets on the 31st. December last year was $213.000 odd, but I see that in thestatement dated 29th September the balance of assets! at 31st December 1898 had increased to $251,000 odd. The statement as it stands is incomprehensible and unintelligi. ble without some explanation. There cannot be two different balances of assets ou the same Either one or the other must be wrong.
(Daily Press, 11th November.) A steam laundry Company has recently been floated at Shanghai and we learn from our Northern contemporaries that a sécoud undertaking of the same description is on
If clean-date. the tapis. The Mercury says :— "liness is next to godliness both undertak-Au
ings ought to pay, but judging by the
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"miserable`finsco which attended the lion' should have been given in the
kong Company, we are afraid that the "native competition will be hard to with- "stand." We recently had a conversation with a gentleman who was intimately con- nected with the floating of the Hongkong Company, and it may afford a useful (Daily Press, 11th November.)
hint to the Shanghai Companies if we A Bill has been introduced into the Legis-place on record his explanation of the lative Council of the Straits Settlements to amend the Military Contribution Ordinance. The Bill has been introduced in accordance with instructions from the Secretary of Btate, and presumably similar instructions have been received in Hongkong; if not the ratepayers will have good cause to ask the reason why. The principal Ordinance, in the Straits as in Hongkong, provides for the payment by the colony of a percentage on the gross receipts by the colony, from all sources of revenue, exclusive of the proceeds of land sales and premia on leases or statu- tory grants. The Straits amending Bill is not published in full in our Singapore con- temporaries, but the Straits Times, in pub- fishing a brief summary of it, says no special provision is made by the principal Ordinance for the calculation, for the purpose of the Ordinance, of the receipts from railways and other productive works undertaken by Government. It would be manifestly unfair that the gross receipts of such an undertaking as a railway should be reck- oned for that purpose as revenue. This Bill, therefore, provides that the percen- tage for defence contribution shall be
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struck on the net revenue of such under- takings, after deducting working expenses and charges for interest and sinking fund on borrowed capital." This principle has been contended for in Hongkong, and if it is to be applied in the Straits there is equal reason why it should be applied in this colony. Hongkong has indeed been unfairly treated in this matter throughout. In the Straits the revenues of the various munici palities are exempted from the contribution, whereas in Hongkong, where municipal and general revenues are merged in one, the contribution is levied on the whole. We have on former occasions contended that the whole of our municipal revenue should be exempt, but if this point cannot be gained the colony is at least entitled to
that where municipal works Bre ex- ecuted with borrowed money the
the rearine required for the payment of interest and the repayment of capital shall be exempt from the military contribution. There is no more 109son why the contribution should be levied on the gross revenues from markets or
cause of its failure. The primary cause of failure, our informant stated, was not want of acquaintance with the details of the busi- ness, as was on a former occasion sug- gested in this column, but the difficulty and delay experienced in connection with the collection of the linen. When a Chinese dhobie goes to the house of one of his cus- tomers to collect the washing he thinks nothing of being kept waiting an hour for it, or even of being told to come again next day. Delays of this kind, however, are fatal to an undertaking with expensive machinery and an expensive staff, and that was the rock on which the Hongkong Steam Laundry Company came to grief. The difficulty ought not to prove insup- erable, we think, but the fact remains that it was not surmounted in this particular case.
HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE
COUNCIL.
There can only be one balance of on'a fixed date.
The COLONIAL Treasure This is the form in which it has been published before. However, I will have the matter looked into.
The Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD-In the state- ment dated 13th March there is an item "Less balance of 1893 loans $123,000.”. It would be a matter of very great interest to members
the Council if in connection with the estimates
for next year a statement were provided giving details of the expenditure on each public work for which the money was borrowed, and whether there is any balance of the loan remaining.
The COLONIAL TREA:UBBs-That can be given.
QUESTIONS.
The Hon. T. H. WHITEHEAD-I rise to ask
the questions of which I have given notice and which stand in my name.
TAAM.
The questions were as follow:- (1.) With reference to the report dated 9th. May: last of the Principal Civil Medical Officer, which gives the number of first class private paying patients as 65 for 1896, 53 for 1897, and 58 for 1848, will the Honourable the Colonial Secretary lay on the table a state- ment shewing the average number of days the said patients occupied the Hospital in esch of those years, the aggregate amount of money received in each of those years from first class private paying patients, and the estimated actual cost to Government of each of the said first class patients?
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(2.) Will the Honourable the Director of Public Works lay on the table a statement shewing the area and the estimated value of the land at Mountain Lodge " on which fit is On Monday afternoon a meeting of the Hong-proposed to erect a summer residence for His kong Legislative Council was held in the Coun. Excellency the Governor ? oil Chamber at the Government Offices, there being present:
His EXCELLENCY the GOVERNOR (Sir HENEY BLAKE, G.C.M.G.),
His EXCELLENCY Major General GASCOIGNE, C.M.G. (Commanding the Troops).
The Hon. J. H. STEWART LOCKHART, C.M.G. (Colonial Secretary).
Hon. H. E. POLLOCK (Acting General).
The COLONIAL SECRETARY, replying to the first question, said-In reply to this question beg to lay upon the table a statement giving the information desired, "with" the exception of that asked for in the last portion of the question. With regard to this, the Principal Civil Medi- oal officer reports that to obtain the information asked for would entail much labour, and the Attorney-employment of a special clerk, owing to the fact that the diet, extras, medicines, &c., vary each day with each patient, and to the difficulty of determining in sccurate proportions "the cost of the medical nursing kad elérical staff respão. tively. The statement now laid on the table. will be printed if honourable members so desire. The: Hom. T}/{H-- WHITEHEAD—The items da not in question fare so very limited that I c 'think it is, necessary to go to the expense of printing them; only I think- they might be given to the Press for information of the publio.
Hon. R. MUBBAY RUMSEY (Harbour Master). Hon. F. H. MAY, C.M.G. (Captain Super- intendent of Police).
Hon. A. M. THOMSON (Colonial Treasurer). Hon. R. D. ORMBBY (Director of Public Works).
Hon. C. P. CHATER, C.M.G. Hon. Dr. HO KAI.
Hon. T. H. W1⁄2ITEHEAD. Hon. E. R. BrLILIOS, C.M.G. Hon. Wéi A’YUK.
Hon. J. J. KESWICK.
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The § DIRECTOR" OF PUBLIC WORKS The
···R. 'F, JOHNSTON (Acting Clerk of reply to the second question is as follows: Elio Councils).
* FINANCIAL ·MINUTES,
The COLONIST:-SKORKTARY laid on the table financial minutes Nos. 20 to 24 and moved that
referred to the Finance Committee. Tha
Colonial TreaBURER seconded and motion was oncried.
the
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area it is proposed to retain round Mo Lodge is about 14 neren, most if not all of was probably considered the policy of the
er building. Fully 12, sores in within the Par- fulain drainage-ares and therefore The remainder is steep and rosky i PATRA LE 55,000.