HKG-CAR1844-1886 — Page 617

THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 24TH NOVEMBER, 1877.

when the time comes, from getting from the Opium farmer of this Colony that which he ought to be paying at this moment—a far larger sum than $11,000 a month. It was sold in March, 1876, for three years, so that it will be a little time before I shall have the opportunity of dealing with it. As regards the other items—the spirit licences and pawnbrokers'—these are two licences to which I am giving attention, and I believe that, without in any way imposing additional taxation, we might be able to raise a larger revenue from those two. However, for next year I place them at figures somewhat lower than we will have actually got from them in the present year. And before leaving this question of licences, I may say there is one item which has given me some thought; it is a trifling one, $1,000 a year we estimate receiving from licences for Billiard Tables and Bowling Alleys. A deputation of respectable Hotel-keepers came to Government House, and represented to me that of late years, Billiard Tables and Bowling Alleys had been established by Clubs, a number of gentlemen who join together to have a Table or Alley, and where a charge is made for the game, and those people have suggested to me whether their licences might not be taken off, or licences put upon all Billiard Tables or Bowling Alleys where the games are charged for. Well, I think it a fair subject for consideration. The sum is a small one; these Hotel-keepers pay largely in other ways; there is nothing in itself wrong in having a Billiard Table or Bowling Alley, and it is a fair subject for us to consider whether we might not, as it were, assimilate the law as regards Billiard Tables and Bowling Alleys, or strike off that licence altogether.

Under the head of revenue, we have "Interest," that is the interest we receive for our deposits in the local Banks. We had, when I arrived in the Colony, something like $60,000 in the Bank at four per cent. per annum. I thought it well to sanction from time to time an addition, as far as it could be done, to the amount in the Bank; and accordingly, month after month, I have been adding to it, with the consequence is that we have now in one Bank at five per cent. a quarter of a million of dollars; we have $20,000 in another Bank at five per cent., and we have in addition to that at the credit of our ordinary current account $39,000 at two per cent. So I may here tell you that, as certified by my Honourable friends here on the left, the probable balance on the 31st December, 1877, exclusive of special fund, will be $277,300. In other words, you see that the actual balance on the 31st December, 1876, which was $134,000, will have increased this year to $277,000, or more than doubled.

Another interesting item of revenue, is that derived from stamps. In the Straits Settlements, Government has been drawn to the fact that they are not obtaining from the Stamp revenue they think they ought to get, and this has also occurred to the able ...