458
[ 2 ]
Still, sufficient remains to show that shipping, judging from these selected items, is self-supporting. For the Harbour Master's Department is used in other ways for the general purposes of the colony, outside of shipping, while if the light dues and their upkcop be added to the totals on their respective sides of the account, say, "expenditure $5,076.38," receipts $31,308.46 (taking for the latter item the twelve months of 1889, which embraces the normal collection before the inercase sanctioned last year), shipping not only fully disburses the cost of all special services incurred for its purposes, but contributes a very handsome fund to the general revenues of the colony.
I am to add that my Committee think no time should be lost in correcting, what appears to them to be, misleading statements, if the figures here quoted represent all items of public receipts and expenditure connected with the shipping of the colony, otherwise a very false impression may be generally formed if the matter is allowed to go forth as it is, umcontradicted.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your most obedient servaut,
F. HENDERSON,
Secretary.
The Honourable W. M. DEANE,, M.A., C.M.G.,
SIR,
Acting Colonial Secretary.
COLONIAL SECRETARY'S OFFICE,
HONGKONG, 7th May, 1891.
I have the honour by direction of the Governor to acknowledge the receipt of your Jetter of the 1st inst., upon which His Excellency has placed the following minute.
F. HENDERSON, Esq.,
Secretary Chamber of Commerce.
I have, &c.
F. H. MAY, for A. C. S.
[3]
(2)- That "Registry of Boats," of "Cargo Boats," and "Cargo Boat Certificates," the work connected with which is done by the Registrar-General, is considered by the writer as not part of the "ordinary taxation of the colony" (such as for instance the proceeds of jinricksba licences), but go to make up a fund which ought to be specially credited to the Harbour.
It would seem less unreasonable to debit a number of other items for service to sbipping us, for instance (such as occur to me at once), viz. (1) a portion of the cost of the Waterworks in respect of the water taken by ships, and (2) a portion of the salaries of the officers of almost every Public Department, besides (for the reason above indicated) those of the Registrar-General's Office, from the Governor, who occasionally (as in the ease of the cargo boat strike) is largely occupied with harbour questions and has to deal daily with a considerable number of harbour papers, down to the Sikh policeman who takes charge of drunken sailors.
I think it also worthy of note by my successor that the present tourage on ship. ping, including the special rate to be remitted when the Gap Rock light is paid for, are only 2 cents per ton, and that if they were to be increased up to 5 cents per ton--an increase not in the least likely to be required--Hongkong would only then be level with Singapore in respect of harbour charges (where the ordinary rates are 3 cents per ton and 2 cents additional for the Basses Rock light on vessels going westward), which port is, I understand, next to Hongkong, the cheapest in the world.
No one would deplore an increase of taxation in Hongkong more than myself; and I have merely suggested as worth consideration, if such unhappy necessity should arise, whether the weight ought not to fall rather upon the non-local shipping than upon the rate-
payers.
The effect on trade in the latter case would be certain, but in the former would, I am inclined to think, be almost inappreciable, if it be true, as I am informed, that the tonnage dues levied at the Ports of China full upon large vessels with a weight from 15 to 20 times greater than the rates charged in Hongkong, thus rendering "a negligeable quantity" the risk of a transfer elsewhere of this distributing contre.
Hongkong, 7th May, 1891.
G. WM. DES VŒŒUX.
MINUTE TO BE CONVEYED TO THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
ON THEIR LETTER OF THE 1ST OF MAY.
I am not clear as to the object of sending this letter at the present moment. Though no doubt the Committee of the Chamber has approved an official report of the facts contained in it, I question much whether an assembled meeting of the Committee considered the matter so pressing as to be thrust on the Governor, by way of reply to his recent speech, within three days of his departure on account of ill-health,
But whatever the cause of the action taken in their name I do not doubt that the facts adduced in this letter furnish a useful contribution to an interesting subject for the consideration of my successor.
note:-
I have naturally no time to deal thoroughly with the question myself, but I may
(1)That the payment by junks of taxes aggregating the respectable sum of $22,397 is treated as though it should be credited to tho harbour, apparently for the purpose of proving that vessels of European construction ought to pay nothing at all.
[If it be urged that junks pay no light dues, my reply is that, relating to tonnage, trading junks pay far more than European vessels, even including the special Gap Rock tax, about to be remitted.]
SIR,
HONGKONG, 22nd May, 1891.
The Committee of the Chamber of Commerce direct me to acknowledge receipt of the Acting Colonial Secretary's despatch No. 767 of 7th May, in which was enclosed a minute from His Excellency the Governor of 7th May upon a letter addressed by this Chamber on the 1st May to the Colonial Secretary, which called the attention of the Government to certain statements made in an undelivered but published speech of His Excellency which appeared in the newspapers of this Colony on the 30th April.
His Excellency appears not to be clear us to the object of the Chamber's letter of 1st May.
That letter my Committee consider plainly indicated its object, His Excellency made certain statements in that speech, undelivered orally, which the Chamber considered were not in accordance with facts. If these statements had been allowed to pass unchallenged, it would have been reasonably assumed that they were unanswerable because
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