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and beacons; and that these dues were doubled as from
1st January, 1931. One of the contentions put forward
by Messrs. Swire is that rebates should be allowed in
respect of frequency of calls at the Port, but such
rebates are objected to, on principle, by the Government
of Hong Kong.
The light dues levied in the United Kingdom, which,
unlike those in Hong Kong, are applied entirely to the
cost of maintenance of the lights etc., apart from a
minor sub-head of expenditure on the removal of wrecks
dangerous to navigation, have been greatly reduced in
recent years and are now only 20% above the scale
laid down in the Second Schedule to the Merchant
Shipping (Mercantile Marine Fund) Act, 1898, and
this result has only been achieved through the exercise of
the strictest economy in lighthouse maintenance and the
cutting down of new works to a minimum. The general
charges on shipping in the harbours of the United Kingdom
have also been greatly reduced in recent years by the
Authorities levying them.
Abatements in the light dues are allowed in respect
of/
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