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Parliamen amounting in 1882 to 1,148,664 dollars, but have necessitated its raising a tary Papers, loan for their completion. These works are, however, or an exceptional
C 5239 of 1887.
Appendix B, Nos. 7, 12, 14.
nature, and as the revenue of the current year is estimated to exceed the ordinary expenditure by 105,000 dollars, there seems no reason to anticipate that the colony, in order to make provision for its increased military expenditure, will have to resort, to any great extent, to the measures referred to in the Colonial Office despatches of 1864 and 1868.
WORKS AND BUILDINGS.
25. When the defensive works for Hong Kong were first under con- sideration in 1883-84, it was contemplated that the whole cost of works and armaments, amounting to 100,000l., should be provided by the colony, but, when the Government dealt with the question of the colonial defences as a Parliamen- whole, it was finally settled that the colony should construct the works and tary Papers, that the Imperial Government should provide the armaments. The cost was 0 4186 of then estimated as follows:-
1884. Appendix
C.
Works Armaments
Total
£
55,625
37,500
93,125
The incidence being 60 per cent. to Colonial and 40 per cent. to Imperial
revenues.
26. This estimate subsequently grew to-
Works Armaments
Total ..
£
116,000
153,910
269,910
Ibid.
or about 43 per cent. to Colonial and 57 per cent. to Imperial revenues.
27. When these works were sanctioned the submarine portion of the defences had not been finally settled, and the estimate for them was not prepared until the following year. In submitting the estimate to the Treasury the War Office stated, with reference to the Parliamentary papers above quoted, that "no special provision was made for submarine mining defences, as certain questions in connection with them were then (in 1884) undecided. The sum required for this essential part of the defences was, however, subsequently included in the estimate for minor coaling stations under a separate head."
28. The estimated cost of the submarine mining defences of Hong Kong is as follows:-
*---
Works
£ 9,017
Submarine mining vessels and stores. 46,500
Total
55,517
Under the spirit of the agreement of 1884 this expenditure should have been decided as follows:--
Colonial Imperial
:
£
9,017
46,500
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