M 6
Forestry Licences.-New Territories.-The District Officer has reported that the total fees collected for the year amounted to $3,818.09.
COMMERCIAL INVESTIGATIONS.
The Director of the Imperial Institute requested that a sample of Chinese Peppermint oil might be forwarded to him for investigation and this was accordingly done. It was reported on favourably by him, but owing to its cost he did not think that it could be profitably exported to England. The plant from which the oil is obtained is at present unknown, but it is said to be obtained from Ocimum basilicum, L. and from a species of Mentha.
Various vegetable products have been sent to the Imperial Institute from Hongkong in the last few years, and the Director of the Institute is having a report prepared pointing out the products which have no commercial value or are unknown at home at present, but which are likely to become of some value in the future.
STAFF.
Mr. S. T. Dunn who was appointed Superintendent in 1903 resigned his post in April while on leave, and Mr. W. J. Tutcher, Assistant Superintendent, was appointed to succeed him.
It may not be inappropriate to mention a few of the works inaugurated by Mr. Dunn during the seven years he was Head of the Department. Forestry Licences in the New Territories, Demarcation of Forest Blocks, the planting of the Harbour Belt, the making of Forestry Paths which have become such popular walks with the public, the laying out and planting of the Blake and the Peak Gardens, and the planting of new avenues of trees at Kowloon were all works carried out by him. In the Office, indices to correspondence were made, and in the Herbarium large accumulations of dried plants were sorted, named and mounted. At the time of his going on leave a list of plants found in Hongkong, the New Territories and Kwangtung was being prepared, and since his resignation he has continued this work which, as already stated in this report, will be published shortly.
The Head Clerk and Interpreter, Mr. Tsoi Wa Cheung, was absent from duty for nearly six weeks on account of an accident.
REVENUE.
Details of Revenue are given in Table V. The percentage of revenue to expenditure was 31.72 as compared with 26.12 in the preceding year. This percentage is not likely to be maintained as the cost of replanting felled areas will have to be added to the expenditure in succeeding years. A comparative statement of Revenue and Expenditure for the last 10 years is shown in Table VI.
W. J. TUTCHER,
Superintendent.
27th February, 1911.