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4. REVENUE.
The revenue collected by the Office is set out under the appropriate heads in Table C totalling $46,715.94. Tables D and E respectively show the revenue collected in the District by Police and other Departments, and Table F gives for purposes of comparison the total revenue from all sources for the past three years. These Tables, however, do not show the revenue collected in the District by the Imports and Exports Department.
There was again an increase in the totals collected under these various heads, the grand total being $261,464.86, an advance of 25% on last year's figures.
5. GENERAL.
1930 was a prosperous year for the Southern District. There was no drought and no damage was done by rainstorms or typhoons so that paddy, vegetables, and sweet potatoes were everywhere good. Cattle and pigs, too, did well in most places and Tai O and Lamma were able to export considerable numbers for sale in the Hong Kong market. An outbreak of disease among poultry in Lamma did considerable damage, and poultry-breeders in that Island had a bad year.
Fish were again plentiful in Tai O waters, the Wong Fa catch being particularly good. As in past years few fish were caught by the fishing population of Cheung Chau, Lamma, and Tsuen Wan, and the catch of shrimps was everywhere poor.
The health of the District was on the whole good. The question of improved sanitation is receiving attention, and proposals are afoot to introduce some system of Births and Deaths Registration as a first step towards this object. Few births are at present reported to the police and consequently there is no record of the incidence of disease.
The consolidation of the ferry services under the Hong Kong and New Territories Ferry Company is proving a success, the Company is to be congratulated on the improved class of boats now on the Cheung Chau and Tai O runs. Ferries have been running strictly to time-table and there are now no complaints of irregularity of service. The Tai O time-table presented some difficulties last year but these have been overcome and the Ferry now makes two trips per diem to this outlying station.
The improvement in communications has had a beneficial effect upon business in the chief centres of the District. Building has been given a new impetus in Cheung Chau and Tai O. Expensive reclamations however are necessary if the lay-outs...