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Enclosure N.2 in Goverun sope Hennedy's despatch 1: 1054
2011 November 1879
COLONIAL ESTIMATES-HONGKONG.
5
458
fact that Mr. FORD is now placed at the head of the Botanical department. I shall lay before you the various minutes and papers which explain how it came to pass that Mr. Fond, arriving in this Colony in 1871 and being placed in the position to which he was appointed, and being in that position for some time, was subsequently, some two years afterwards, deprived of his position as the independent head of a department. For you will see that this was not known to Her Majesty's Government, but that when the attention of the Government was called to the position and duties of Mr. FORD despatches arrived the result of which is I now have to place before you a separate department at the head of which is Mr. FoRD. The despatches of the Secretary of State, minutes, and some subsequent corres- pondence, will all be printed for the information of the Council.
my
With respect to the financial proceedings of the year 1879, I think my Honourable friend (Mr. MARSH) in his capacity as Auditor looked very carefully into what would be the result of the year's transactions and endeavoured to anticipate what they would be some months ago, and I think Honourable friend communicated a despatch to the Secretary of State during my absence in which he expressed his views on the subject, and what he anticipated from what he had then seen would be the surplus of revenue on the year. I think it was something like $60,000.
The COLONIAL SECRETARY said that was the amount; and he might add that he had looked over the figures for the third quarter, and they verified the result of the first six mouths.
His EXCELLENCY.-It is very satisfactory to me to know that an Honourable member of such great experience in Colonial finance should have verified so far my anticipations as to the prosperous state of revenue in the year 1879 and I think we may look forward with confidence to having a very I believe our balances have continued to respectable surplus at the end of this year's transactions. increase, and on that subject I may say in a whisper, which I hope will not reach Singapore, that in the Straits Settlements, with their opium farin increase, I notice there has been a serious diminution in the item of interest-in other words it seems their balances have been declining-ours have been increasing, and my Honourable friend anticipates an income of $20,000 in the year for interest, which is a far larger sum than has ever been received in this Colony before. Apart from ordinary local expenditure, I think it well, on Imperial grounds, that a Crown Colony should have a substantial balance in the Treasury chest. Contingencies may arise at any moment not contemplated in the usual items of Colonial expenditure. So far for the actual state of the Colony and our prospects. The Estimates, as I told you, will come before you in Finance Committee, and you will have to undertake the ungracious task of cutting down to any extent you may desire the various items of expenditure. It is, I think, a part of our constitutional system that members of Finance Committee are debarred from the privilege of proposing an increase or additional votes, but you can always exercise that which members of the House of Commons exercise, or try to exercise, of cutting
power
down votes. I now propose the first reading of the Appropriation Ordinance. The Estimates will
be laid on the table.
A.
Abstract of the probable Kebenue of the Colonial Government of Hongkong for the Year 1880, showing also the Revenue received under the similar heads in the Year 1878, being the Year previous to that in which the Estimates are prepared.
LAND REVENUE,
RENTS, EXCLUSIVE OF LANDS,
LICENCES,
TAXES,
POSTAGE,
FINES, FORFEITURES, AND FEES OF COURTS,.
FEES OF OFFICE, .
ESTIMATED FOR 1880.
RAVENUE OF 1879,
$
$
f.
155,000
148,837.33
62,000
60,307,45
250,260
177,684.65
208,400
324,998.75
93,800
83,825.70
15,500
8,089.37
7•14, 2$31 }
77,048.03
500
481.90
06.066- AM-138 20,000
39,033.91
16,6853.90
9,700
7,705.91
SPECIAL RECEIPTS, under. Ord: 10p 1867.
2,888.10
1,017,956
947,037.72
1.524.028.
SALE OF GOVERNMENT PROPERTY,
REIMBURSEMENTS IN AID OF EXPENSES INCURRED BY GOV.
ERNMENT,
INTEREST,
MISCELLANEOUS RECEIPTS,
TOTAL
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