EIGHT
repairs are put at a high figure. I think the note explains that. There is a con- siderable increase in the number of coaches and vehicles. We have had during this year and for one or two years past during heavy traffic to borrow carriages from the Chinese section, and that expenditure on the hire of carriages dur- ing week-ends and holidays will be saved by having a proper amount of rolling stock. 1 might add before 1 close that I am sorry not to have seen any of the unofficial members during the fortnight which has elapsed. Your Excellency made the suggestion that they might like to come and consult with me, and although I have been very busy I would have been glad to sce them. In the Straits Settlements the procedure is that the unofficial members sit con- tinuously with the Colonial Secretary and have all files and information given them as they want them, so that every point of doubt or difficulty is cleared up on the spot. I hope that next year the unofficial members will consent to that arrangement, as I am sure it will not only save time and trouble, but it will also elucidate points a great deal better than can bo done in debate.
203
The Treasures &
HIS EXCELLENCY-If unofficial members E a body would prefer my delivering orally my address next year I will try and do so, but I cannot promise that I will not read the address. There was a day when a few readings over of the address such as printed this year would have been sufficient to fix it in my momory to enable me to deliver it and to repeal it verbatim. But I am afraid at my time of life I cannot rely on my memory sufficiently to perform a feat like that, but if you prefer to have the speech road instead of reading it yourselves, I am quite willing to fall in with your ideas. Both hon. unofficial members who have spoken have referred to the opium revenue, I would have been glad 11 they had said nothing about the subject. I ain strongly of opinion that it is a subject about which Tat less one says the verter. I have not undertaken the task of trying to think out how long the revenue will last, and as I we no immediate prospect of los- ing it, I do not think I should be using my time to much advantage if I were to undertake the task, nor do I think it would help us to get permission to make such a contract as the hon. member who represents the Justices of the Peace refers to. The existence of such a contract would not weigh much with His Majesty s Government one way or the other if they decided that our doulings in opium were to cease. At the same time, I appreciate the foreight of both hon. members in wiing is important question s'ould Ko te lust sight of. The Lon. member who represents the Chamber of Commerce is arm in his convictions, as he always is, and he will have nothing of our uneme lor removing and relaying the buoys in the harbour. Now, in order to show how neassary that scheme 19, I think I may just read a few lines from my despatch to the Secretary of State: The result is tuat the old-established shipping firms, many of whom employ steamers of small tonnage engaged in the coasting trade of China or in local trade with the Philip- pines, Japan and Siam, monoposis many of the best berths in the deepest water, to the prejudice of newly-establish- ed lines of slumeis trading with Europe, tanaua and America whien employ vessels 01 heavy felinage and derp draugin. Many of these have to lie at a consider- abic distance from the busin, se centre of the City, and complaints have been made in recent years by lue Agents of some of the largest vessels fequenting the Port that they are forced out into distant aud inconvenient parts of the harbour. Sug- gestions have been made that to meet the demand for berths for deep draught ves- sels, the dredging of some of the more remote portions of the anchorage should be resorted to." Now, those are very strong arguments based on solid facts. Suggestions and recommendations had ac- tually been made to the Government to dredge the harbour in order to make more room in it, and if such dredging were resorted to, enormous sums would have to be expended, which, in view of the pre- carious nature of our revenue it would be very unwise for us to embark upon. I do not think the hon. member or any shipping man need be afraid of the scheme. It is proposed, as indicated in the despatch, to divide up the berths into classes. Therefore it will not be a case of a man going to hunt all over the har- bour for his buoy. He will have his buoy in a certain circumscribed area in a par- ticular part of the harbour, and it will be a simple matter to indicate to him the number of the buoy either by wireless. which I hope we shall have then, or by signal if he does not carry a pilot. I may mention that in Singapore the sys- tem is already in vogue of berthing vessels by signal or other communication at the Tanjong Pagar wharves, and the system works well. The fees we propose to charge are $3 a day first class, $6 a day in the second class and $4 a day in the third class, and we calculate that the re- venue therefrom will just about cover, au more, the interest on capital and current expenditure. The hon. member who re- presents the Chamber of Commerce ex- pressed the opinion that $10,000 would not be enough to remove and relay the buoys. That is quite right; it would not be sui- ficient, but we only propose to relay them by tens a year. There are 40 buoys to be dealt with, and we will take thein in hand ten annually. Therefore the total sum for relaying will be about $40,000, and not $10,000. The hon. member also re- ferred to the large expenditure incurred on the redemption of subsidiary coin. It is a very large amount, but I would re- mind him that we made a profit originally of $2,400,000 on the issue of that con, and we have not yet spent in redemption as much as we originally made in issue. I am heartily glad to see, however, that the hon. member endurses the policy that the Government had embarked upon. Ilo next asked that the coluinn as revised should be carried out throughout the estates. Now, I do not really see that a great advantage would be gained. The revised estimates are merely the index to the figures upon which the estimates for the succeeding year are based. We cannot say what the estimates for this year will be, or what the revenue for this year will be, until the year is closed, but we put down that estimate in order to show approximately how
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