347
The Bill was passed there and then, and, in reply to a request by Mr. RYRIE that Mr. MACEWEN's question and the reply thereto should be specially noted, Sir WILLIAM DES Vaux further said :--
"His Excellency-Of course this will be recorded, and I think it "will be just as well to mention in the minutes that Mr. MACEWEN drew "attention to the matter, and that I said that this extra rate was intended "by me to be distinctly a payment for the Gap Rock Lighthouse and nothing else. Of course, when Mr. RYRE talks of a promise, I must say it is absolutely impossible for me to bind my successor about anything. All I can say is that I have not the slightest intention to apply "the rate for any other purpose. If a necessity arose for doing so, I should come to this Board and inform it of the fact."
From these extracts it will be clear to His Excellency the Governor that Sir WILLIAM DES Vaux made an explicit pledge, so far as he was concerned, that when the purpose for which this Special Gap Rock Lighthouse Rate was levied had been achieved the impost would cease. This being the case beyond all cavil, my Committee confidently appeal to the Governor to carry out the expressed intentions of his predecessor in office, feeling sure that His Excellency's sense of justice will bind him to the fulfilment of the pledge given to the representative of this Chamber.
The tax of one cent per ton levied prior to 1889, and still imposed, on shipping, yields more than sufficient to provide for the upkeep and maintenance of all the lights, and the Committee therefore have the less hesitation in praying for the abolition of the Special Gap Rock Lighthouse Rate.
Trusting that His Excellency will see his way to perform the pledge made by his predecessor without undue delay,
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient Servants,
To Honourable
J. H. STEWART LOCKHART,
Colonial Secretary,
R. CHATTERTON WILCOX, Secretary.
No. 1386.
SIR,
(Governor to Senior Unofficial Member, Legislative Council.)
GOVERNMENT House,
HONGKONG, 12th November, 1896.
I have the honour to forward, for the consideration of yourself and your colleagues the Unofficial Members of the Legislative Council, the enclosed copy of a letter from the Chamber of Commerce suggesting that the Gap Rock Lighthouse Rate, which was first imposed in 1890, should be now abolished in accordance with my predecessor's promise which, however, he stated could not be binding on his successor.
The rate, if continued, is estimated to yield during the ensuing year about $65,000, and if this amount is withdrawn from the estimate of revenue for 1897 the latter will be exceeded by the estimated expenditure.
It is therefore necessary either that the rate should continue to be levied, or that the loss which would be entailed by its abolition should be made good from some other source of revenue.
I shall therefore be greatly obliged if you will be so good as to confer with your colleagues on the matter, and acquaint me with your and their views as to whether it is preferable to continue to levy light dues generally as at present (including the Gap Rock Rate), or to devise some alternative source of revenue in order to make good the deficiency which the abolition of light dues would entail.
In the event of your recommending that light dues should be abolished, I shall be glad to be favoured with your valuable advice as to the method by which you consider the deficit caused by such abolition may be met.
The Honourable
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
THE SENIOR UNOFFICIAL MEMBER OF
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
WILLIAM ROBINSON,
Governor.
(Senior Unofficial Member, Legislative Council, to Governor.)
No. 1292.
SIR,
(Colonial Secretary to Secretary, Chamber of Commerce.)
COLONIAL SECRETARY'S OFFICE,
HONGKONG, 14th August, 1896.
I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 31st ultimo, on the subject of the Gap Rock Light Rate, and to inform you in reply that the matter is receiving the attention of the Government.
The Secretary,
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
J. H. STEWART LOCKHART,
Colonial Secretary,
SIR,
HONGKONG, 17th November, 1896.
I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your despatch, No. 1889, of the 12th instant, enclosing a copy of a letter from the Chamber of Commerce, suggesting the abolition of the Gap Rock Lighthouse Rate, and asking for an expression of the opinion of my colleagues and myself as to whether it would be preferable to continue to levy the light dues as heretofore, or to devise some other means of covering the deficiency in the revenue entailed by the proposed abolition of these dues.
Permit me to inform your Excellency that your despatch was circulated among my colleagues, and the question was gone into at length at a meeting held yesterday.
The result of our deliberations was that we decided that, in order to come to a definite decision, it would be essential for us to have the Estimates for 1897 in our hands.
347
The Bill was passed there and then, and, in reply to a request by Mr. RYRIE that Mr. MACEWEN's question and the reply thereto should be specially noted, Sir WILLIAM DES Vaux further said :--
"His Excellency-Of course this will be recorded, and I think it "will be just as well to mention in the minutes that Mr. MACEWEN drew "attention to the matter, aud that I said that this extru rate was intend- "ed by me to be distinctly a payment for the Gap Rock Lighthouse and nothing else. Of course, when Mr. RYRE talks of a promise, I must say it is absolutely impossible for me to bind my successor about any- thing. All I can say is that I have not the slightest intention to apply "the rate for any other purpose. If a necessity arose for doing so,
should come to this Board and inform it of the fact."
I
From these extracts it will be clear to His Excellency the Governor that Sir WILLIAM DES Vaux made an explicit pledge, so far as he was concerned, that when the purpose for which this Special Gap Rock Lighthouse Rate was levied had been achieved the impost would cease, This being the case beyond all cavil, iny Committee confidently appeal to the Governor to carry out the expressed intentions of his predecessor in office, feeling sure that His Excellency's sense of justice will bind him to the fulfilment of the pledge given to the representative of
this Chamber.
The tax of one cent per ton levied prior to 1889, and still imposed, on ship- ping, yields more than sufficient to provide for the upkeep and maintenance of all the lights, and the Committee therefore have the less hesitation in praying for the abolition of the Special Gap Rock Lighthouse Rate.
Trusting that His Excellency will see his way to perform the pledge made by his predecessor without undue delay,
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient Servants,
To Honourable
J. H. STEWART LOCKHART,
Colonial Secretary,
R. CHATTERTON WILCOX, Secretary.
No. 1386.
SIR,
(Governor to Senior Unofficial Member, Legislative Council.)
GOVERNMENT House,
HONGKONG, 12th November, 1896.
I have the honour to forward, for the consideration of yourself and your colleagues the Unofficial Members of the Legislative Council, the enclosed copy of a letter from the Chamber of Commerce suggesting that the Gap Rock Lighthouse Rate, which was first imposed in 1890, should be now abolished in accordance with my predecessor's promise which, however, he stated could not be binding on his
successor.
The rate, if continued, is estimated to yield during the ensuing year about $65,000, and if this amount is withdrawn from the estimate of revenue for 1897 the latter will be exceeded by the estimated expenditure.
It is therefore necessary either that the rate should continue to be levied, or that the loss which would be entailed by its abolition should be inade good from some other source of revenue.
I shall therefore be greatly obliged if you will be so good as to confer with your colleagues on the matter, and acquaint me with your and their views as to whether it is preferable to continue to levy light dues generally as at present (including the Gap Rock Rate), or to devise some alternative source of revenue in order to make good the deficiency which the abolition of light dues would entail.
In the event of your recommending that light dues should be abolished, I shall be glad to be favoured with your valuable advice as to the method by which you consider the deficit caused by such abolition may be met.
The Honourable
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
THE SENIOR UNOFFICIAL MEMBER OF
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
WILLIAM ROBINSON,
Governor.
(Senior Unofficial Member, Legislative Council, to Governor.)
No. 1292.
SIR,
(Colonial Secretary to Secretary, Chamber of Commerce.)
COLONIAL SECRETARY'S OFFICE,
HONGKONG, 14th August, 1896.
I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 31st ultimo,
on the subject of the Gap Rock Light Rate, and to inform you in reply that the matter is receiving the attention of the Government.
The Secretary,
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
J. H. STEWART LOCKHART,
Colonial Serretury,
SIR,
HONGKONG, 17th November, 1896.
I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your despatch, No. 1889, of the 12th instant, enclosing a copy of a letter from the Chamber of Commerce, suggest- ing the abolition of the Gap Rock Lighthouse Rate, and asking for an expression of the opinion of my colleagues and myself as to whether it would be preferable to continue to levy the light dues as heretofore, or to devise some other means of covering the deficiency in the revenue entailed by the proposed abolition of these dues.
Permit me to inform your Excellency that your despatch was circulated among my colleagues, and the question was gone into at length at a meeting held yesterday.
The result of our deliberations was that we decided that, in order to come to a definite decision, it would be essential for us to have the Estimates for 1897 in our bands.
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