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money deficit which in the present depressed state of trade
and of decreased Revenue the Colony is not well able to
bear.
8.
There would seem to be four methods of
adjusting this matter:-
(a). That the Military Contribution should not
be levied on the gross receipts from the
Postal Agencies in Treaty Ports in China,
but on the net profit only.
(b). That the merchants through the Municipality
or Chamber of Commerce at each place should
be called upon to pay a contribution sufficient to indemnify the Revenues of this
Colony for any loss incurred in carrying on
the Agencies.
(c). That the privilege of the 1 penny rate
should be withdrawn from the Treaty Ports
except of course so far as Hongkong and
Weihaiwei are concerned and the 2 pence
rate substituted.
(d). That the deficit to the Revenues of the
Colony should be made good by an increase
in the grant from the Imperial Post Office.
With regard to (a) the Revenue derived
is as I have shown balanced by expenditure which cannot
properly be considered as expenditure upon the Colony itself. The amount which should properly be subject to the
20 per centum contribution to Military Account would seem
to
ZS.