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TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 1976
REVENUE IS 26,700 TIMES WHAT THE FIRST GOVERNOR REPORTED
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IT'S 130 YEARS SINCE THE FIRST GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG OFFICIALLY REPORTED ON THE TERRITORY'S FIRST FULL YEAR OF OPERATION. IT WAS 1845 AND THE TOTAL REVENUE FOR THE YEAR WAS 22,242 POUNDS STERLING 8 SHILLINGS AND 1 PENNY ROUGHLY $220,000 AT TODAY'S RATE OF EXCHANGE.
THE GOVERNOR, SIR JOHN DAVIS, WROTE: +UPON THE WHOLE THERE IS FAIR REASON TO ANTICIPATE THAT THE FIXED REVENUE MAY BE RAISED TO ABOUT 30,000 POUNDS STERLING PER ANNUM.+
THIS APPARENTLY SATISFACTORY FINANCIAL ́POSITION WAS ACHIEVED DESPITE PIRACY — +WHICH INFESTS THE APPROACHES FROM EAST AND WEST+ AND SIR JOHN WAS ALSO ABLE TO REPORT THAT THERE WAS A GOOD ROAD ROUND HONG KONG ISLAND, 18 OF THE 23 MILES HAVING BEEN COMPLETED. THE POPULATION WAS 23,748.
THE TODAY HONG KONG'S POPULATION IS MORE THAN 4.3 MILLION. TOTAL REVENUE IS ABOUT $6,000 MILLION. AND THE MODERN COUNTERPART TO THAT 1845 REPORT - THE ILLUSTRATED YEARBOOK HONG KONG 1976, WHICH HAS JUST GONE ON SALE -- REPORTS THAT MORE THAN 1,073 KILOMETRES OR MORE THAN 660 MILES OF ROADS ARE NOW MAINTAINED BY THE GOVERNMENT.
ALTHOUGH THE LOOK OF THE YEARBOOK WITH ITS 70 FULL-PAGE COLOUR PICTURES IS AS REMOTE FROM THE FIRST ANNUAL REPORT AS THE FIGURES ARE, IT STILL FOLLOWS THE PATTERN SET BY SIR JOHN IN REPORTING ON VIRTUALLY EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE IN HONG KONG.
WHETHER IT'S THE NO GENERAL INFORMATION IS OVERLOOKED - AMOUNT OF REFUSE COLLECTED DAILY, THE NUMBER OF GOATS SLAUGHTERED AT THE ABATTOIRS, THE NUMBER OF TREES DAMAGED BY COUNTRYSIDE FIRES,
ALL THIS IS GIVEN ALONG OR THE NUMBER OF MINI SOCCER PITCHES. WITH DETAILS OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE, EDUCATION, HEALTH, HOUSING AND FINANCE.
HONG KONG 1976 IS THE 30TH EDITION OF THE MODERN YEARBOOK --
IT CONTAINED THE FIRST ILLUSTRATED VERSION HAVING APPEARED IN 1946. 26 BLACK AND WHITE PICTURES. SOME 300 COPIES WERE SOLD TO THE PUBLIC AT $10 EACH A PRICE WHICH HAS SINCE BEEN INCREASED BY ONLY $5 IN 30 YEARS. TODAY'S PRICE OF $15 IS THE SAME AS LAST YEAR, AND THE PRINT ORDER HAS BEEN INCREASED TO MORE THAN 31,000 COPIES - IN ENGLISH AND CHINESE BECAUSE OF PUBLIC DEMAND.
THE BOOK HAS BEEN PRODUCED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES AND THIS YEAR IT IS BEING SOLD FOR THE FIRST TIME THROUGH THE 19 CITY DISTRICT OFFICES. THIS IS PART OF A NEW ARRANGEMENT TO MAKE THE YEARBOOK — AND OTHER GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS OF GENERAL
HONG KONG 1976 INTEREST - MORE EASILY AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC. IS ALSO ON SALE AT THE GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS CENTRE, STAR FERRY CONCOURSE, HONG KONG THE TOURIST ASSOCIATION OFFICE ÅT STAR FERRY IN TSIM SHA TSUI- THE INFORMATION COUNTER IN OCEAN TERMINAL- AND ALL LEADING BOOKSTORES. BULK ORDERS - AND EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES ARE HANDLED AT THE PUBLICATIONS OFFICE OF GIS AT 1A, GARDEN ROAD, CENTRAL.
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