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[This Document is the Property of Her Britannic Majesty's Government.]
Printed for the use of the Colonial Office. January, 1900.
Confidential
HONG KONG 5
W.O. No.
280
7
60
HONG KONG.
Expenditure on Revision of Armaments.
Memorandum by the Secretary, Colonial Defence Committee.
THE War Office have sent to the Colonial Defence Committee a Note on the revision of Armaments at Hong Kong, with special reference to the incidence of the cost of the works involved. The Note is printed as Appendix I to this Memorandum. It shows that the general effect of the proposed revision is: (1) to strengthen the defence of the eastern entrance to the port by the occupation of its northern shore by two works erected on the recently acquired territory; and (2) to bring the armament of the defences generally up to modern requirements by the substitution of B.L. guns for all the R.M.L. guns now mounted in the various forts and batteries. Both these objects are essential to the maintenance of the Naval Base at its proper strength, in view of the state of existing fleets of possible enemies and of recent improvements in the guns carried on ships. The details have been discussed by an Admiralty and War Office Conference.
2. The War Office proposes that the arrangements adopted in the past, viz., that the Colony should pay for the construction of the works and the Imperial Government should provide the armament, should be adhered to. The estimate for works is 90,0001., and for armaments 154,4851., but 11,2007. of the latter sum is for two 6-inch B.L. VII guns, and the Colony has already provided funds for mounting these. 90,0001. for works will be required in the following instalments :—
The
1900-1
1901-2
1902-3
1903-4
£
12,000
30,000
30,000
18,000
3. The military expenditure of the Colony taken from the Estimates of the ten years ending on the 31st December, 1900, is shown in Appendix II to this Memo- randum. It has risen from 233,572 dollars to 633,208 dollars, and from 11.96 to 20:58 per cent. of the revenue. Excluding the expenses for Volunteers, the proportion of revenue to be devoted to military expenditure in the present year is 19.61 per cent.
4. On the assumption that the revenue remains constant for the next four years, and that the payments for the proposed new defence works commence at the beginning of 1901, and are in accordance with the War Office estimate of requirements, the percentage of revenue which will have to be paid into the Imperial Exchequer works out as follows :--
1901
1902
1903
1904
Per cent.
22.87
28.72
28.72
24.81
5. The revenue has, however, been steadily increasing since 1893, the average increase from that year to the end of 1900, according to the Estimates, being 152,385 dollars, If it continues to increase at this average rate, the percentages of the revenue to be paid into the Imperial Exchequer, on the basis of existing arrangements with regard to
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