2
404
3
to state that on receipt of the...
Memorandum.
upon
the Spirit
duties in Siam by the Acting
Consul-General at Bangkok.", "dated July 9, 1884.
referred to by Your Lordship, I
caused inquiries
to be made here
as to how far the proposed
new
duties would affect the spirit
2.
trade
of
this Colony.
Owing
to the fact
that Hongkong is a free port and that the greater portion of the spirits exported from this island is not manufactured in
the
Colony, it has not been found practicable to prepare complete statistics; but from enquiries
made among
those principally
concerned in the trade, and from
a
comparison of the statements thus procured, it has been
possible
to arrive at what is
believed to be a tolerably accurate
view of the entire case.
3.
It is stated that there
are
from thirty (30) to forty (40) Chinese firms in Hongkong
engaged in trade with Siam.