Sir,
Tung Wah Hospital, Hongkong, 19th June, 1907.
When in 1904 it was found that the funds of the Hospital were insufficient to meet the annual expenses, the Government graciously granted an annual sum of $6,000. This was a great boon to the sick and poor and the Committee are exceedingly grateful.
For the last two years the hospital has had to do work for the Government. In 1905 the removal and burial of dead bodies from the mortuaries in the West District and Yaumati and maintaining the Kennedy Town Plague Hospital involved an expenditure of $7,115.75. In 1906 the amount expended on these services increased to $8,914.48. In addition to these, the expenses incurred in sending destitutes to their homes have been roughly $300 each year. This year the number of men who have been kidnapped from the interior and brought to Hongkong to be taken abroad is surprisingly large; since the 1st of January over $800 has been spent in sending these men home, exclusive of their food and clothing.
Again, this year the prices of fire-wood, rice, and oil have gone up considerably compared with recent years, and the expenditure under this head for the current year will be increased by at least $1,000. The above-mentioned expenditure has caused a shortage of the funds of the hospital for its ordinary duties.
The Committee have great difficulty in raising money and they are therefore obliged to pray that you will approach the Government for a further grant of $4,000 a year, making a total grant of $10,000 a year. This will greatly facilitate...