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but we can assure our contemporary that. the protest of this community has been voiced quite as effectively as the protest of the Straits Settlements. The press telegrama announcing that the Secretary of State for the Colonies had telegraphed peremptory instructions sufficed to stir the community and emphatic protests were made in the Legislative Council and by the General Chamber of Commerce. Hong. kong's grievance has also been venti- lated in the House of Commons. We do not see that a Hongkong Association such as our contemporary suggests could have done more. We hope to learn from the Governor's speech on the Estimates to-day that the protests of the community have had some influence on the policy of the Imperial Government.
The resolution of the Chamber of Commerce strongly protested against any arbitrary orders from the Imperial Govern ment to close immediately the Opium divans in Hongkong, aud, while expressing cutire sympathy with all reasonable bona fide efforts for the mitigation of the abuse of opium, the resolution expressed the opinion that any action having for its object the immediate suppression of the sale and use of opium in Hongkong would have serious effects on the economic conditions here and lead to disastrous results to the Colony's prosperity unless similar action is enforced in China. The Hongkong Government was therefore requested to inform the Imperial Government that any hasty and ill-consider- ed action taken in this matter to the detriment of the interests of the Colony would be generally resented, but that, on the other hand, a policy of gradual reduction similar in its action to the Imperial Govern- ment's agreement with India would be loyally supported.
China Association સી.
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
HONGKONG'S MILITARY
CONTRIBUTION.
[September 28, 1908. -
That is certainly not the case. The forces stationed in Hongkong are available for ser- viceat any other British settlement in the East for the defence of life and property. Yet the (Daily Press, September 26th.) British community of Shanghai pars no Not for many years has a Governor of military contribution, nor does the British Hongkong, been confrontel with so much community ofTientsin, though the latter have difficulty in framing the Colonial Budget as a British regiment quartered in their midst. Sir FREDERICK LUGARD has obviously The privilege of paying the military con- experience in compiling the Budget for tribution is in the East a privilege exclusive- the coming year. Faced with a deficit of ly attaching to residence in a Crown Colony. 8581,000 on the current year's working, the If our view is correct that, properly reckoned, threatened extinction of the opium revenue, this Colony is contributing for Defence a and the certainty of a great outcry against greater proportion of its revenue than is the any proposal to increase taxation while the case even with the United Kingdom itself, Colony is suffering, in common with most His Excellency might well seek some alle- commercial centres of the world, from aviation in this respect before resorting to depression in trade which has been excep- special taxation to meet the deficit certain tionally severe, His Excellency has had a to arise if the Imperial Government carry task not to be envied. The community, out the policy they have announced with which has looked forward to the presentation regard to opium. of the Budget this year with more than usual curiosity and certainly with more uneasiness than usual, able to breath freely again-for a time at least. We have, however, to remember that we are not yet out of the wood. The question as to whether the Colony is to be forced to suddenly deprive itself of a great part of the revenue which it has annually derived from the opium monopoly is still unsettled. The Estimates show no anticipated reduc- tion in receipts on that account, so that if Imperial Government decides enforce the order telegraphed out on May 6th, and since held in abeyance, the loss of revenue which it entails will have to be met, His Excellency says, either out of the Colony's reserves or by special taxation.
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For the rest, we think, all things con- sidered, the Budget statement leaves very little room for criticism, and it only remains for us to congratulate His Excellency upon his able and comprehensive review of the work of the administration and to unite with him in trusting that low water mark has already been reached and that 1909 will prove to be a year of revival of trade and return of prosperity.
RANDOM REFLECTIONS.
Another grievance to ventilate. A West Ender complains that the trams ranging in that direction do not always go as far as Kennedytown but that a large number stop at Whitty Street. Here passengers have to alight and those whose destination is Kennedy. town have to wait there in the presence of undesirables, sometimes as long as twenty minutes before a tram comes along and enables them to resume the journey, My correspon. deat suggests that signal boards be placed on cars running west indicating whether the destination is Whitty Street or Kennedytown. It would save a lot of trouble and inconvenienos to travellers and incidentally would conduce to better language.
Hongkong has always been fortunate in its amateur theatricals, and not a few dramatic societies have provided excellent after-dianer entertainment. The Kowloon Dook Dramatic Society, which saw the light last year for the first time, is still very much alive, and the success which attended the production of “Boy Boy" has encouraged the members to take up a more ambitious work in "The Silver King. It will be interesting to see how the Kowloon thespians soquit themselves in melodrama. I haven't heard what the other organimations are doing, but doubtless they will begin some study very soon.
A reduction of the amount of the Military Contribution has generally commended itself as the readiest as well as the fairest method of financial readjustment. The Governor We may add that besides the Legislative discussed ibis suggestion in the course of Council and the General Chamber of his speech, and though he has not finally Commerce, the Colony has in the made up his mind on the subject, His third mouthpiece. Excellency is clearly of opinion that the What can the China Association know or contribution the Colony is required to make care about the Crown Colouy woes of is not an unfair OBC. Sir FREDERICK Hongkong?" asked our contemporary in contrasted the percentage paid by the its first article on the subject. A better British taxpayer at, Home with the amount acquaintance with the annual reports of paid by the taxpayer here, the figures the China Association would have saved our quoted showing that the Home taxpayer contemporary from doing this very useful pays a percentage more than twice as large body the injustice of declaring that it neither as we do. We are, however, inclined to ques- knew nor cared anything about "the Crown | tion this conclusion. If our recollection ser- Colony woes of Hongkong." As the ves us well, we believe the figure; quoted by Hongkong Brauch is evidently the most His Excelleucy as representing the percen- active unit in the organisation of the China taga paid by the Home taxpayer for defence Association, and as the London Committee were given by the Prime Minister some embraces members who are thoroughly weeks ago in the course of a speech. Do informed on Hongkong politics, the China not these figures really represent only Association appears to us as competent as the percentage of Imperial revenue and any other Association can conceivably be to leave local revenue catirely out of the concern itself with "the Crown Colony woes reckoning? We believe they do. Here in of Hougkong.' At least, it is quite within Hongkong the contribution is levied on all the province of the Association to protest revenue and we venture to think that if against the threatened action of the this were done in the United Kingdom the Government now referred to. Whether difference poiqted out by His Excellency the Association has done anything in the would entirely disappear; indeed we are matter is unknown to the general public, inclined to think that the result would show The Committee call no extraordinary that it is we who are paying the larger per general meetings of its members, nor do centage. If that be so the Colony, on that something more was demanded from suck an important organisation. He suggested that the they communicate to the Press their ground alone, is justified in appealing for Socisty would better exhibit the Caledonian resolutions, as is done by the Hongkong some modification. Another point in His clannishness by assisting those Bootsmen who General Chamber of Commerce. Does Excellency's argument in defence of the were unfortunate enough to be out of work, the Straits Association differ very greatly Military Contribution may be noted. Sir notably engineers, who had perhaps found from the China Association in that respect? FREDERICK expressed the opinion that the
themselves out of employment through their think, will deny the Except at the annual gathering we seem to Imperial Government could not be accused own fault. No one,
rightness of such a course of sotion, and I hope hear no more of the Straits Association than, of injustice if said to us to-morrow:
the members of the Hongkong St. Andrew's as a rule, we hear of the China Association, “You grumble at the cost of the defence Society will at their annual meeting on Friday and we suspect that if the Hongkong forces and works provided. We will with-
do something to accentuate the philanthropía Association suggested by our contemporary draw them and look after our docks and nature of their organisation and to realise that were formed we should be hearing just as coaling stations ourselves and you can a helping hand extended to their less fortunate little. In the Eastern communities there is furnish your own defence." Now this countrymen will do more credit to “auld an inveterate tendency to leave everything supposes that a military force is maintained Scotland" than the possession of a-big balamos
here solely for the protection of this Colony, I at the bank,
11
to the Committées,
A few days ago one of the evening papers in an interesting Editorial practically oilled upon the Hongkong St. Andrew's Society to justify its existence. An annual ball, a Burns conoert and some small eleemosynary relief to distressed Boots seemed to sum up its raison d'être, and not unaturally the writer felt that