CO129-226 - Acting Governor Marsh - 1886 [4-5] — Page 70

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the taxation is stated to be

about £3 per head, and at first sight it would appear that this Colony is very lightly taxed. I

think however that in order to

form

wages

a correct comparison, the

earned in each

each country by

the lower classes by far the most

-numerous section of the com

of the community

ought to be taken into consideration.

I presume that 12/ a week

may

be taken as a low estimate of the wages of labouring

men

at

home. Here thousands of the

lower-

lower class Chinaman do not earn,

than

at a high estimate, more #2,50 a month, say 3/4. The taxes

at home are

therefore equal to _ -five weeks pay of a labouring

man earning 12/ a week, whilst in

Hongkong they

are in excesI

of 9

"weeks' pay. Of course, these men do

not pay

as much as £3 and $5.72

respectively, but in speaking of

Taxation it is usual to reckon it

as an

amounting

to

so much per

per-

head of the whole population.

Indirectly the poorer Chinese pay

taxes