[ 5 ]
459
:
wicontroverted, and these misleading statements coming from such a source would have had a most injurious effect in determining the issues that His Excelloney sought to establish in his printed specch. That the doubt of the correctness of the Governor's statements which existed with my Committee should immediately bo set at rest--both for the good of the public and also for His Excellency, who might be led to form further false conclusions from the erroneous premises he had started -appeared to be the only course that could be taken, even though it might trench upon His Excellency's leisure, which was limited owing to his burried departure and ill-health, which the Chamber regrets should have become so confirmed at this juncture as to necessitate his return to Europe. But the sooner error is dissipated the better. Taking His Excellency's paragraphs in their order :---
42
No. 1 assumes that my Committee in their letter of 1st May implied that vessels of Foreign construction ought not to be taxed at all, but that juuks should not escape taxation. By no process of reasoning cau any portion of the Chamber's letter be contorted to bear such an interpretation. It should be clearly remembered the statement of His the Ilarbour Excellency to which this Chamber took exception was, that the cost of
Master's Establishment, Harbour Launches, Harbour Police. and the Observatory, "involving an aggregate expenditure of some $80,000 per annum,' was "principally "maintained out of the ordinary taxation of the Colony." Here no issue was raised by Ilis Excellency as to the taxation of European and Chinese built vessels. The Chamber's letter was confined to proving that the ordinary taxation of the Colony was not used for the purposes of conducting Government establishments for the regulation of shipping, stated by His Excellency, but that, on the contrary, shipping not only paid its own way but added to the general revenues of the Colony. The addition to the revenue of the Harbour Master's Department from the collections derived from junks in 1890 was $22,397. These native craft occupy the attention of the officials of that Department in many ways, and necessitate the upkeep of five different establishments, Vessels of European besides Victoria, in the Island, for their almost exclusive use. construction do not require these five outstations. The Harbour Master's establishment is clearly entitled to be credited with all the revenue it collects in connection with the conduct of its special work. An implication seems to lie, iu His Excellency's minute, that Are not the facts junks pay more than they should do in comparison with other vessels.
as
as follows? For this payment of $22,397 per annom, in 1889, about 3,500,000 tons of juuks escaped the payment of light dues, as stated by flis Excellency. Further, junks carried in 1890 283,273 nativo passengers without interference of any kind from, or payments to, the Harbour Master's Department. Junks also carried crews in and out, numbering 587,838 men, which also did not come under the revenue cognisance of the Harbour Master's Department. So that for the payment of $22,397 per annum or 0.64 cents per ton, junks obtained these particular privileges free and many others connected with their working, while vessels of European construction were specially taxed for each item. A reference to the receipts of the Harbour Master's Department for 1890 will shew these several items, paid by European constructed vessels, to be as follows:---
Emigration brokers
Shipping seamen (21,852 men shipped and discharged)
Examination of masters
Survey of steamers
Registry fees..
Medical fres-emigration
License steam launches
Survey certificates steam launches
...$ 1,400.00
10,830.00
2,135.00
9,060.87
278.00
13,096.75
422.50
995.00
Light dues collected in 1899, which include the extra levy for the Gap Rock 72,028.33
for 9 months only
$110,246.45
which was contributed by 9,000,000 tons of shipping of European construction, or say, 1.225 cents per tou, against 3,500,000 tons junk traffic which contributed 0.64 cents per
ton.
His Excellency's minute states: "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." This statement is not borne out by the figures at the disposal of my Committee, as is clearly shewn above. Native craft only pay about one-half of what European do, though doubtless some statement exists on which His Excellency hazarded these remarks.
Paragraph 2 points out that my Committee erroneously included in Harbour Master's Revenue the amount received for the 12 months of 1890 for
Registry of boats
Registry cargo boats... Cargo boats' certificates...
...$4,631,50
6.272.50
1.192.50
$12,096.50
because this branch of the service was conducted by the Registrar-General's Department. and therefore the income was applicable to that establishment. The Chamber's error was natural, for it appears anomalous that work so intimately connected with the Harbour Department should be done by a branch of the service so unfitted, apparently, to conduct the operations required of it. The additional work, if thrown on the Harbour Master's Department, to grant these three forms of certificates, could doubtless be performed without further aid of any kind, or, at the most, trifling assistance only would be needed by that branch. It appears the Registrar-General's department for 1890 cost the Colony $19,370.29, while the receipt for these three certificates yielded that establishment $12,096.50 for work that is intimately allied to shipping and probably could be efficiently performed by trifling clerical assistance under the supervision of the Harbour Master's Department. In dealing with the question of the other Government expenditure for the services of shipping, which is not classified specifically under that head, His Excellency is pleased to mention the cost of water taken by ships from the waterworks of the Colony. Before the Some misapprehension of the actual facts is apparent in this statement. completion of the Tytam works no water was taken from the Government reservoirs for the use of shipping. The various purveyors of water supplied vessels from their own private mains and other systems of collection, charging shipping for such water. During the recent drought. when these private sources dried up, Government permitted the owners of water boats to draw supplies from the Tytam reservoir, for which they charged these purveyors of water 20 cents per 1,000 gallons. The rate was fixed by the Government, so it is presumable the revenues of the Colony were amply protected when making the arrangement. Subsequently, when the water famine became acute, this privilege accorded to water boat owners was withdrawn. It is evident therefore that shipping does pay for all water taken from Government waterworks.
25
His Excellency remarks :--
It would be less unreasonable to debit
"a number of other items for service to shipping, as 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 case 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.
>
It is difficult and perhaps unprofitable to follow His Excellency in the minute analysis he suggests with regard to the various services performed by almost every public department to shipping. Still, the two minor incidents be mentions are capable of assess-
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.