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The Committee of the Matilda Hospital who received free of charge certain German ladies until other arrangements could be made for their disposal.
The Joint Telegraph Companies in all matters connected with the Censorship of Telegrams.
The Hongkong Volunteer Cadets and the St. Joseph's College Boy Scouts rendered useful service as messengers.
Before the end of the year £17,000 was remitted to the National Relief Fund inaugurated by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales. This fund was liberally contributed by all classes of the Community including Indians, Portuguese and Chinese. Various other funds for relief of Belgian Refugees and for supply of tobacco and clothing to the Troops were also instituted and liberally supported by the Community.
The cost of the passages of a number of recruits for the Armies in England not only from the Colony but from places in the Far East were defrayed by the Colonial Government. Up to the end of the year seven local residents went to take up Commissions as officers and thirty-seven for enlistments. From outside the Colony two were selected for Commissions and ten for enlistment. The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company were good enough to grant favourable preferential rates for these passages.
4. The difficulties encountered by the Green Island Cement Company in their endeavour to obtain limestone from the Kwang-tung and Kwangsi Provinces were not wholly overcome, and the supply during the year was not satisfactory.
5. The Opium Farm was taken over by the Government in March and the restrictive measures adopted have already had a good effect. The energetic action of the Revenue Department has succeeded in tracing many cases of smuggling of opium, morphine and cocaine through the Colony and the heavy fines inflicted and the confiscation of the smuggled goods will it is hoped go far to checking this illicit trade.
6. An order of the Supreme Court was obtained in March for the removal of the Morrison Library from the City Hall, where it was little used by the public, to the University.
7. Mr. A. G. M. Fletcher (Assistant Colonial Secretary) proceeded on leave on the 19th March, 1914, and during his absence his post was filled by the appointment of Mr. M. J. Breen.
Mr. R. H. Crofton (late Chief Clerk) was promoted to the post of Assistant Government Secretary, Zanzibar, and left to take up his duties on 4th January, 1914.
29th June, 1915.
CLAUD SEVERN,
Colonial Secretary.