Sir,
30
Enclosure 2 in No. 30.
Colonial Office to Governor, Hong Kong.
(Draft.)*
Downing Street,
October, 1895.
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch, No. 267, of 28th August last, regarding the Military Contribution of the Colony, and the cost of construction of the new barracks,
2. With reference to the inclusion in the Hong Kong revenue of certain receipts which are of a municipal character, and are not included in the general revenue of the Straits Settlements, because municipalities exist in that Colony, I have in the first place to point out to you that the municipal revenues at the Straits Settlements are only about 20 per cent. of the gross revenues (general and municipal), and that for the sake of comparison between the two Colonies I could not regard as "municipal" several of the items specified in the second enclosure to your despatch under acknowledgment, which altogether amount to over 30 per cent. of the revenue. For instance, pawn-brokers' licences and spirit licences form part of the general, not the municipal, revenue in the Straits Settlements. In that Colony also the municipalities contribute about 72,000 dollars to the general revenue for police purposes, while the municipal work in the outlying districts is performed by the Colonial Government, which receives for that purpose 87,000 dollars under the head "District Collections."
3. Further, the cases of Hong Kong and the Straits Settlements cannot be regarded in this matter as on the same footing, since, although there are separate municipal revenues in the latter Colony, on the other hand the expenses of general administration are proportionately greater than in Hong Kong, partly owing to the larger area of the Colony, which is more than 50 times as large as Hong Kong, while the gross revenues (including municipal receipts) are less than three times those of Hong Kong, and partly to the distance of the several settlements from each other, requiring, in some branches of the Government Service, the maintenance of a double or triple staff of officers as compared with the staff required in the compact Colony of Hong Kong.
4. Under all the circumstances of the case I see no reason for regarding the proposed percentage, taken on the total revenue of the Colony, as at all an unreasonable contribution to ask for from Hong Kong,
5. As regards the expenditure on new barracks, I have to remind you that your predecessor was informed five years ago, in Lord Knutsford's despatch, No. 8, of 20th January, 1890,1 that the Colony would be asked to bear a portion of the cost of their construction. The fact that some of the expenditure had already been incurred was, among other considerations, taken into account, when it was proposed, in Lord Ripon's despatch, No. 83, of 3rd April last,§ that the Colony should only pay one-third of the net total cost of the barracks; and if the Imperial Government had agreed to pay the whole cost of the buildings already in hand or completed, it could have only been on the condition that the Colony would bear a larger proportion than one-third of the remaining expenditure.
I trust that on further consideration the members of the Legislative Council will agree that the proposals of Her Majesty's Government on this subject form a fair and reasonable settlement of the question.
Sir,
31
No. 32.
Colonial Office to War Office.
Hong Kong 2
5
4779
Downing Street,
13th January, 1896.
In reply to your letter, of the 9th instant,* I am directed by Mr. Secretary Chamberlain to request you to refer the Marquis of Lansdowne to the letter from this department of 16th October last,† forwarding copy of a despatch from the Governor of Hong Kong relative to the provision of additional barrack accommodation, and also to the question of the Military Contribution, together with the draft of the despatch proposed to be addressed to the Governor in reply.
2. The latter despatch was forwarded to Hong Kong at the end of October last, and no reply to it has at present been received.
3. It is known however that a vote of 40,000 dollars for construction of barracks was put upon the draft Hong Kong Estimates for 1896, and as soon as Mr. Chamberlain learns that the estimates have been passed, a further communication will be made to you on the subject.
Sir,
No. 33.
EDWARD FAIRFIELD.
Colonial Office to War Office.
Downing Street,
21st January, 1896.
I am glad to add, with reference to the letter from this department of the 13th instant, that a vote of 40,000 dollars for "Contribution towards Barrack Services" is included in the Estimates for 1896, which have now been received from the Colony,
JOHN BRAMSTON.
Hong Kong 2
4779
Sir,
No. 31.
War Office to Colonial Office.
War Office,
9th January, 1896.
I am directed to acquaint you, for the information of Mr. Secretary Chamberlain, that the Secretary of State for War would be glad to receive a reply at the earliest date practicable, to the War Office letter of the 26th September, 1895, Hong Kong 2 4753 on the subject of the provision of additional barrack accommodation at Hong Kong.
* Despatched 1st November, 1895.
Enclosure in No. 18 of Correspondence relating Hong Kong and Military Lands at that Station.
ARTHUR L. HALIBURTON.
† Enclosure 1 in No. 30.
$ Enclosure in No. 28.
* No. 31.
↑ No. 30,
‡ No. 82.
No. 29.
י
252
C.O. No.
731
96
Hong Kong 2 4783
4785