CO129-265 - Public Offices & Others - 1894 — Page 593

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RES A CO

Report on the Revenue and other Accounts of the

Colony of Hong Kong, examined by the Local Auditor, for

1893.

1.

The programme of work for the year 1893

practically embraced the examination in detail of the

whole of the Revenue Accounts of the Colony with the

exception of the assessed taxes, and the monthly progress

returns sent home will indicate the extent of the exam-

ination made and show that the programme was carried out

almost in its entirety.

2.

In my Reports on 1891 and 1892 I pointed

out that the collections of Squatter's licences and villare

house rents were not altogether satisfactory. In 1893

good work has been done in getting these Accounts into

better order, but the arrears of village house rents,

although not large as a total, are yet considerable in

particular instances and it appears doubtful if they will

ever be collected.

The Squatters' Commission have

evolved something out of the chaos which existed as regards

several villages, and, as the work proceeds, no doubt in

time all the villages in the Colony will be put on a satis-

factory basis as regards rents, but the new departure made

of collecting the village taxes half-yearly, at the same

time as the rent, as reported in letter No 8/46 of 14th

August, 1893, somewhat complicates matters, and has

necessitated the opening of new collection books in the

Treasury.

3.

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