Appendix A (2)
REPORT OF THE ACTING AUDITOR, HONG KONG ON THE AUDIT OFFICE,
and the examination of the various accounts in connection with Revenue, Expenditure, and Stores Accounts of the Colony of Hong Kong, and Kowloon-Canton Railway (British Section) for the financial year 1929.
OUTSTANDING QUESTIONS.
1. With reference to the opening paragraph of the Auditor's report on the Accounts for the financial year 1928, in connection with the defalcations by the Treasury Water Account Clerk, Carvalho Yeo, I have to report that the amount involved, viz. $15,829.95 has been written off, the authority of the Secretary of State having been conveyed in his Confidential despatch of the 22nd of October 1929.
2. With reference to paragraph 2 of the above-mentioned report, dealing with the question of the Exchange Account, I am still uninformed whether any decision has been arrived at as to the proposed adjustment of the balance standing to the credit of "Suspense Account Military Contribution", which on the 31st of December, 1929, was $556,129.30, being an increase of $52,024.60 on the previous year's balance.
REVENUE.
3. The Revenue Accounts of the Colony were examined in accordance with procedure adopted in the previous year, and as submitted to His Excellency the Governor and approved by yourself in the official programme of work. One hundred and ninety-two (192) queries were issued during the year 1929, all of which have been satisfactorily settled.
4. The total Revenue collected during the year, including proceeds from Land Sales, amounted to $23,554,475.16 being a decrease of $1,413,923.72 as compared with $24,968,398.88 in 1928, and an increase of $1,275,875.16 in comparison with the Estimated Revenue of $22,278,600.00. There was, in addition, an opening balance of $1,374,337.41 which brings the total revenue receipts available for the financial year to $24,928,812.57.
5. The various items of Revenue which show an increase or decrease as compared with the Estimates are set forth in the detailed statement of Revenue, and I submit that the explanations tendered by the Colonial Treasurer may be accepted as correct. The Revenue for the year exceeded the Expenditure by $2,945,555.90.