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the amount of the debentures issued

out of which 4 per cent has to be

paid to Brokers and a further

Charge of 4 per cent on the interest

from time to time accruing

the debentures.

On the 1st October next it is

proposed that a new Scale

of Charges should come into force and that the ½ per cent charged

on the issue of loans shall be

irrespective of the Broker's Commission

of ¼ per cent and that the charge

on the payment of interest shall

be increased from ¼ to ½ per

cent.

It appears to us that the

Government of Hong Kong could

have no reasonable ground of complaint at the scale

charged on its loan

whatever scale may

be in force at the date the loan was issued. No bargain

was made by the Secretary of

State on the last

of February but the

then Existing rates were Explained,

at the same time we should be

willing, should E. Stanhope

approve of our doing so,

to dispose of the loan in question under the old arrangement as regards issue a difference in favour of

the Colony

£2500...

As regards the charge for the payment of interest we should "deprecate" the establishment of different rates for the various Crown Colonies, the interest on the proposed loan for Hong Kong will

bury

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