and as
registry of the Trade - has been established,
any office having the least resemblance to a Custom House, although only intended to ascertain
the state of the Trade, would be liable to abuse and misrepresentation, and
the part of the
create suspicion
Chinese inhabitants, I am not prepared
to recommend that
one be established.
*)
The conflicting opinions therefore entertained by the Government Officers
and the Community
on this matter must remain in a
state of abeyance, until
a satisfactory solution is established, for
it is not clear which party
is correct.
But as it appears from the letter
and my address, that no articles except those consumed in the island are
considered by Mr. Campbell to form part of the Trade, I think
I may with propriety record
my dissent
from this position, for I look upon all
articles on which a Merchant receives Commission, either in payment for
warehouse rents, or on any other account
as a part of the trade of the Colony. If the view taken by the writers of the letter be the correct one, then the Trade of Singapore must be looked on as that of Hongkong, viz: very trifling, as at the former place the absolute consumption of articles can be but little more than at the latter. Nevertheless the Import and Export Trade of Singapore was estimated during the year 1846-47 at £5,306,000. The opinion therefore expressed by Mr Campbell on the subject appears to me to be much at variance with that
# generally adopted by merchants at other places.
15.
To obtain every possible