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The Daily
Press.
HONGKONG, JANUARY 20TH, 1879.
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
A meeting of the Legislative Council was held on Saturday afternoon. There were present :--
His Excellency the GOVERNOK,
The Chief Justice, Hon. Sir JOHN SMALE. The Acting Colonial Secretary, Hon. C. MAY. The Acting Colonial Treasurer, Ion. M. S.
TONNOCHT.
Hon. P. RTRIE.
Hon. H. LoWCOCK.
Hon. W. KESWICK.
Hon. J. M. PRICE, Surveyor General.
SALE OF THE OPIUM FARM.
His EXCELLENCY-Gentlemen, in thanking you for passing that Ordinance so speedily to- day I may now mention to you, which is very satisfactory to us, that I have sold the opium farm for the sum of $205,000 per annum for the next three years, I think it my duty in mentioning this to say that the credit of it is duo very much to the information I obtained soon after my arrival here from the report of the Commission that was composed of my friends Mr. May and Mr. Ryrie. Those two gentlemen paid great attention to the opiam farm in this colony and they expressed the opinion that the farm was undersold and ought to be sold at a consider- able increase in price, At that time it was sold for $137,000. It afterwards in 1875 went down to $132,000. I know my hon. friends were surprised at this and accordingly when I had to consider what ought to be done. I took them into my coansol,
woll
as Mr. Keswick, Mr. Lowcock, and Mr. Frico, and we formed a little committee so long ago as the month of August. We considered all the papers I had in any possession and we had some confidential reports. The advice my hon. friends gave me was the advice on which I acted and I found it most useful in conducting the long negotiations that ensued. The advertisements for tenders were issued in Angust and they were so framed that they gave five months for tenders to be sent in. When they came in I was of opinion the best tonder was not sufficiently high. It was a tender of the existing farmers. They were informed by me their tonder
was not high enough. They then offered a somewhat higher suin; they went from $160,000 | to $170,000. Having received an offer from the Saigon and Singapore farmer I thought it only right to summon the existing opium farmer to come to the Executive Council and in presence of the members of the Council I acquainted him with the offer that had been made, which was one of $192,000. He was thon asked if he had any bigher offer to muke. After some kesitation he offered $200,000. He was then told that his offer would have to be mentioned to the Saigon farmer, who had offered the next suma to him and it was then arranged they should have the opportunity of tendering, and accord; ingly that night saoh of them put in sealed tonders in the presence of my hon. friend the Colonial Souretary, and at eight o'clock next morning, these tenders were opened by my hon. friend Mr. May, in my presence and in that of the tenderers, and we found the Singapore and Saigon farmor, Mr. Tan King-sing, who came up to re- present Mr. Ban Hop, offered $205,000, and the other ouly $201,000. I may mention, as he is izt the colony, indeed I have the pleasure of seeing him here, that Mr. Tan King-sing is a British subject. He was born in Singapore. Of course being one of the farmers for ingapore and Saigou he is a large capitalist, and it is no littlo. satisfac- tion for us to know that in getting this sum for the opium farm-I will not say the sum we ought to have got, but we have got a largo increase, and in addition to the increased revenue we have obtained I think it is no small advantage to have obtained for the first time in the management of the opium farm of this Colony a British subject.
The Carer JUSTICE--I came up with this gentleman from Singapore and a more intelligent man I have seldom met with--a man whose general observations and conversation at the table were most sansible, and therefore I judge ha to be an exceedingly able, and intelligent
Dan.
Hon. P. RYBIE-I think, your Excelleney, that the facts you have stated, whoever might have wished to find fault with the Ordinance. amply justifies our passing it at this Council.
PROPOSED SPIRIT FAKM.
His EXCELLENCY-Twill take this opportunity of laying upon the table for the first reading a Spirit Farm Bill. I will not now go into the matter further. Mr. Russell has the Bill in hand, and it will be printed and be in your hands in a few days. We will consider it at our leisure, and now I will simply move that it be read a Dirst time.
The Bill was read a frst time.