183
doubl
those for the other years include the Military Contribution.
They are therefore intended to show the loss to the Colony.
They appear to incude as revenue the Imperial Contribu-
tion of £710 per annum, and no doubt also the contributions
from the Imperial Government and the Tientsin municipality to
the deficit at Tientsin for the years 19 7-08 and 1908-09. They apparently, however, omit, as the previous report of 17th
December 1908 did, the exponliture item of £50 per annum for
use of Peninsular and Oriental ateamers.
It is moreover not
clear whether they relate in each care to a calendar year
1
terminating on 31st December, or to a financial year including |
In the absence of detalled
parts of two calendar years.
particulars only general observations can be offered on the figures, but it may be remarked that, in the important matter of the use of the Siberian route, payment unler the provisiona
of the Pust: Union Convention is to be made on the basis of
statistics, partly retrospective,
viz:-
For the period in 1907 during which the service was in
use - approximately 1st March to 31st December
and for the
whole of the calendar years of 1908 and 1909, on statistics
taken in May 1908.
For