Government share of the Praza Reclamation) were to be changed to the new Loan; and that apparently when this has been done, the accounts will show a surplus, instead of a deficit, on the ordinary expenditure of the year; remind you that he was asked in an despatch for Estimates for a statement of the 1892 accounts, other than the 1893 accounts. It was asked to show what balances would remain for the execution of certain Public Works in the current year that were not chargeable to the Loan, and ask for that statement as soon as possible;
The return should show separately what has been spent on Government account and what on Private marine-lot-holders' account, and what remains to be spent, observing that it is not stated in this draft how much balance standing in the credit of the Praza Reclamation Fund belongs to the Government and how much to Private individuals, adding that so much towards the reduction of these questions the fund of $109,971.71 said to have been burned from the dread should be accounted for.
It is also asked that a separate account should be kept of the sums spent Extraordinarily on Public Works when they are indebted to the Fund, and to the Loan, and sent home with the other financial returns; so that the transfers to the reduction are not lumped together any further. [This was not done with the last Loan, & I have tried in vain to find out how that money went; it seems to me that it got mixed up with annual Revenue Income & Expenditure improperly; no clear statement was at any time sent home on the subject].
It is also asked for a statement of expenditure to date and for further Praza Reclamation statements. [This despatch would be more than useless to send to the Treasury in support of a claim for the reduction of the Military Contribution, as it has the appearance of building up fictitious balances merely for the sake of arguing against Military Contribution. As to that question, it was decided in 1899 not to take up the Hongkong Case until the Straits Case was decided]. C.W. 9. 28/6 C.P.L.29