May 5, 1902.1
HONGKONG'S FINANCES.
The following are the financial statement for 191 and the assets and liabilities of the Colony as published in the Gazette :-
FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR 1901.
LOAN ACCOUNT.
To Inscribed stock loan at 31 per cent. interest, to be paid off on the 15th April, 1943
By Sinking Fund
£341,799.15.1 £20.363.12.8
ASSETS AND LIABILITIES. ON THE 31st December, 1901.
Balance in bank
Subsidiary coins
Coins in transit Advances
ASSETS.
Suspense house serrice..... Profit money order office Water account
G.
CHİNA ÖVERLAND TRADE REPORT.
are at present working with the Demarcators, both Survey and Lend Offie» operations being carried on at one and the same time. The change in scales from 16-inch to 32-inch bas also retarded the progress of the Survey. This change in scale was found to be essential : it was impossible to represent the small terraced fields or to survey in detail the villages on the scale of 16 | inch to the mile. The districts surveyed during the year were:-The whole of the Shatankok District. Sub-Districts: Shan Wan, Tsoi Hang, Lam Tsun, Hap Wo and portions of Lung Yeuk Tau of the Sheung Ủ District; a portion of the Sub-District Kan Youk of the Kau Lang District, a portion of the Sub-District $
Cheung Muk Tan of the Tung Hoi District; 106,896.94 the Islands of Peng Chan, Kat) and Double 1,450,000.00 | Island, in Mirs Bay; portions of Lan Tao
422,000.00 Island near Tung Chung and Mui Wo.
33,542.09 BOTANICALAND AFFOD ESTATION DEPARTMENT. 165.53 Mr. Ford, the Superintendent of the Botanical 8,000.00 and Afforestation Department, has furnished me 12,977.04 with the following details concerning the work do e by his Department in the New Territory $2,023,581.60 during the past year. Tree planting has been continued round the Police Stations, and some twenty thousand miscellaneous trees have been planted along the sides of the new road between Cheung Sha Wan Gap and Sha Tin. With a view of discovering a more economical mode of 150.00 raising pl nts than that of sowing the seed in 26,294.65 nurseries and afterwards transplanting the seed- 7,600.00 lings, experiments have been made by sowing 18,600.00 on the hills in situ. Abont 98,000 trees were 24,000.00 reared in this way near the new road. With the 292.36 exception of 5,000 camphor shoots, they were all 83,954.82 pine seeds.
The pines are doing well, but the 8,740.43 camphors are almost a failure. However, further experiments are to be made this year which ...$ 987,058.06
should prove whether is possible to grɔw-cam- ...$1,06,523.543 phor trees on the hills so as to be a commer, ial success. During the past 3 months, about 4 miles of fire barriers, 15 feet wide, I ave been made to $2,023,581.60 *Not including arrears of revenue amounting protect the trees along the sides of the new road
to $61,132.00.
Total Assets
LIABILITIES.
Grown agents' drafts in transit
Military contribution
Deposits not available
Refund of taxes
Officers' remittances
Money order remittances
Transit charges, General Post Office Civil pensions..
Police pensions
Private drainage works..."
Miscellaneous
Public works
Total Liabilities
Balance *
C.
$ 264,000.00 92,845.83 456,579 97
4,000.00
THE NEW TERRITORY IN 1901.
The following report by the late Colonial Secretary, Hon. J. H. Stewart Lockhart, on the New Territory for the year 1901 was submitted atthe meeting on Wednesday of the Legislative Council:-
LAND COURT.
and around Chinese graves. Grass turfing, to the extent of 16,000 square yards, has been done to cover loose soil near Police Stations in future it would perhaps be better for work of this sort to be undertaken by the Public Works Department in connection with the erection of new buildings.
HARBOUR DEPARTMENT,
A station in Deep Bay, on board the l'olize steam-launch, was opened in November, 1901. There are
now four stations in the New Territory. During the year 1901, 6,763 licences, clearances, permits, etc., were issued to junks ut Cheung Chau; 4,117_at_ Tai 0; 3,411 at Tai Po and 531 at Deep Bay. These figures shew an increase of 182, as compered with those of last year. The revenue' collected by the Harbour Office Department from the New Territory during 1901 was $9,299.30; in 1990, the revenge was $8,390.75.
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
The work of adjudicating upon the claims to land bas naturally been somewhat slow owing to the amount of preliminary work which de volves upon the Land Cont lefore any actual adjudication of claims can take place. Early in the year the Court held its first sittings, and enquired into the claims at Ma Wan Island and in the islands of Cheung Chan and Peng Chau, and subsequently dealt with the intricate claims to land bordering on the harbour. The actual method of procedure adopted by the
The work of erecting and draining permanent Land Court, preliminary to the investigation of claims, is set forth in Mr. Gompertz's Beport. Police ètations and of constructing telephonic The whole of the New Territory, with the communication between various parts of the ⚫xception of the Sai Kang Peninsula and Ts'in New Territory has been steadily pushed for- Wan, has now been demarcated, and claims to ward. The Police Station at Sai Kung, begnu over two-thirds of this area have already in 1900, was completed at a cost of $13,650.60. been lodged with the Land Conrt. In view The station at Sheung Shui has also been com- of the difficulties incident to the inception pleted, and the one at Tai O in the Island of of work of this description, the Land Conrt Lan Tao has been commenced. The new road to Tái Pó, the total length of which when may be congratulated on the work already done. The number of lots already demarcated is finished will be about 18 miles, has been com- 151,598; the number of claims lodged with thepleted for 13 miles and go. d progress has been Land Court 69,253. Rent-rolls for Tai Po and for the districts of Mui Wo and Tang Chung in the Island of Lan Tao have been made out: and without being unduly optimistic, one may prophesy for the year 1902 a much accelerated rate of progress.
8
BURVEY,
Mr. Tate his returned to India, and the com- pletion of the Cadastral Survey is under the direction of Mr. Newland. The headquarters of the survey are at present at Tái Po. In November, it was found necessary to bring 48 trained Indian Survey coolies from India, as the Chinese coolie was found unsuitable for this class of work. The Topographical Survey and the Triangulation on which the mapping has been based are now completed. During the year 1901, 11,087:35 acres and 174,677 fields were cadas- trally surveyed. In 1900, the area surveyed was 35,257 77 acres and 226,588 fields. This difference is due to the fact that the Surveyors
made with the remaining section. The amount spent on the new road during the year was $74,"48.86.
347
per cent. in 1901. This is dus, no doubt, to the prophylactic measures adopted, and to the destruction of the breeding places of the anopheles mosquito.
POLICE.
The Chinese authorities, at the suggestion of this Government, established a force of soldiery along the northern border of the New Territory during the latter part of the year under review. These "braves" bave co-operated with our Police in preventing the incursion of bands of robbers across the borders. The close co-opera- tion has enabled the Government to effect a reduction in the number of police stationed in the New Territory and has had a good effect in clecking crime.
CRIME.
The number of cases heard was 551, involving 708 accused persons. In my report last year, drew attention to the criminal statistics and pointed out the apparently large increase in crime which bad taken place. This increase was then obsorved, to the more probably due, as complete development of the Police organisa- tion and to the growing confidence of the natives in British methods of administering justice. This year it is satisfactory to be able to report that, although there has been a slight increase in the number of serious offences, there is no increase in the number of crimes committed. There was one case of murder, for which three men stood their trial and were convicted. One of the murderers was hanged; the sentences on the other two being commuted to imprisonment for life. There were 25 gang robberies, in connection with which 21 persons were convicted and sentenced to long terms of imprisonment. The special legislation passed in 1901 to protect the lives and property of passengers by launches from attack y armed robbers disguised as passengers has been effectual; no case of this The kind having occurred during 1901. figures for this year show a decrease of 35 cases ›nd of 99 accused persons, as compared with the year 1900. Breaches of the Opium Ordinance are still reponsible for the largest 1st of offenders, 161 cases having been tried under this enactment alone.
REVENUE AND IXPENDITURE.
The expenditure for the year 1901, exclusive of expenditure on behalf of Police services, was $252,376.14. Of this amount, Public Works Extraordinary, including the Survey, were responsible for $163.101.45. Expenditure on behalf of the Public Establishment amounted to $101,884.01. It will thus be seen that the total expenditure for the year was $354,260.15. The total expenditure for the year 1900 was $345,654.14, the increase in expenditure for the year 1:01.is, therefore, $8,606.01. Large as the amount of money expended during the year under review may appear to be, it should be
on, the
remembered that much of it has been sunk in permanent improvements, in the building and draining of Police Stations and in the con- struction of the new road. There are also snaller sums, such as the $9,321. 3 expended in connection with the lighthouse on Waglan Island and the $6,029.82 spent hire and charter of launches, which, though charged to the New Territory account, are of considerable benefit to the trade and commerce of the Island of Hongkong. The revenue collected amounted to $53,890.63. The moneys collected under junk licences, pawnbroker's licenc a and stone-quarries show but little variation. with the sun's collected under these heads in 1900. Licences for the sale of spirits and kerosene oil, issued for the first time during the year 1901, brought in the sum of $3,015,58, and a slightly larger sum was derived from permits to collect stone and ballast. The most satisfactory item in the revenue return, however, is the large increase in the sam collected for Land Tax. During the year, the services of the Registrar-Genera)` were made use of to impress upon tenants Mr Ho Nai Hop resided at Tai Po and at- the importance of paying rent without delay, tended 2,096 cases during the year. This shows The amount collected was $28,797.65 as against a large increase on the number of cases attended $1,3) ·,00 collected in 1900. As I have pointed during the previous year; no doubt, most of out in previous reports, the difficulties in con- the inhabitants, having, availed themselves of nection with the settlement of caims to land Mr. Ho's services. Then has been a great make the collection of rent a slow process, but with the gradual settlement of these claims and improvement in the health of the Europeans stationed in the New Territory. The number with the completion of the survey and the rent of cases of malarial fe for shows a large decrease:, roll a considerably augmented revenue from this the percentage of aduaissions to hospital of such | source- may be expected. Although it may be cases dropped from 90 per cent. in 1900, to 52.5 some time before the New Territory will be able
EDUCATION.
Little has been done as yet for the promotion of education in the New Territory, but it is hoped that before long Anglo-Chinese and vernacular schools will be started at Un Long and Sheung Shui.
MEDICAL DEPARTMENT,