HONGKONG.
REPORT ON THE BLUE BOOK FOR 1909.
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government, August 4th, 1910.
No. 231.
HONGKONG.
MY LORD,
GOVERNMENT HOUSE,
HONGKONG, 20th July, 1910.
I have the honour to submit for Your Lordship's information the following general Report on the annual Blue Book for the year 1909.
1.—FINANCES.
(a.)—GENERAL REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE.
The Revenue for the year, exclusive of Extraordinary Revenue and Widows' and Orphans' Fund and Contributions amounted to $6,286,833 or $251,984 more than for the previous year. The Extraordinary Revenue (Land Sales, Widows' and Orphans' Pension Contributions and special Light Dues) amounted to $536,134 or $468,776 more than in 1908, when, however, no collection was made on account of the last two items. The total revenue from all sources was $6,822,967 or $718,760 more than in the previous year, and $113,971 more than the Estimate.
There were increases under every head of Ordinary Revenue, and receipts under the remaining heads were altogether $119,166 less than were anticipated, with a deficit on Land Sales accounting for $118,403.
The Expenditure for the year was $5,313,386 exclusive of Public Works Extraordinary; inclusive of that item it was $6,542,839 or $1,386,639 less than the total expenditure for 1908, which however included Railway Construction disbursements now entered in a separate account.
Rate of Exchange for both years was taken at 1/9. The expenditure of the year was less than the Estimate by $238,327, due (inter alia) to crediting Charge on account of Public Debt with reimbursements of interest paid in previous years on account of Advances for Railway Construction, and to no such charge having been debited in 1909.
The increase of $113,971 in the Revenue, and the decrease of $238,327 in Expenditure make a total surplus of $280,128 instead of an anticipated deficit of $72,170. The above figures exclude a reimbursement of $354,065 from Railway Account.