CO129-301 - Governor Sir Blake - 1900 [9-12] — Page 153

SIR,

NH44.

PRINTED FOR PARLIAME ColReports Jumalt 314

× Six copies.

151

GOVERNMENT House, HONGKONG, 6th October, 1900.

RES REGE 10 NOV

I have the honour to transmit to you the Blue Book for 1899, and to submit for the following general Report on that year :-

1.- FINANCES.

your

information

During the

year 1899 the Actual Revenue exceeded the Estimated Revenue by $290,622.76, exclusive of the amounts derived from Land Sales and the Water Account. the excess of actual over estimated revenue was $724,006.25. The Expenditure exceeded the If these sums are included, Estimate by $467,369.80. This is exclusive of the amount spent on Public Works Extraordinary, which was considerably less than had been estimated. The total excess of actual over estimated expenditure was, therefore, only $288,520.56. the New Territory which amounted to $233,000. Of this, $47,000 was expended on account of the The excess was due to expenditure in connection with Police Establishment, while $112,000 were spent on Roads and Police Stations.

The amount received from Laud Sales was very large, being more than double the estimated receipts from this source. The excess of actual over estimated revenue under this head was 8417,824.72.

Only $7,273.03 was derived in revenue from the New Territory, the collection of Crown rent. which will be the principal source of revenue not having been begun.

The following Tables show the heads of Revenue and Expenditure, from which it will be seen that the Revenue for 1899 has exceeded the Expenditure by $447,350.89. The figures are compared with those of the four previous years, and the results show that practically without the imposition of any additional taxation the financial resources of the Colony have continued to show a gratifying elasticity:-

A-GENERAL REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE.

REVENUE.

1898.

1899.

INCREASE. DECREASE.

$

$

G

$ C.

$

C.

Gight Duce,

51,645.15

52,406.93

761.78

ences und Internal Revenue not otherwise specified,

1,459,095.90 | 1,559,387.99

100,292.09

fees of Court-Payments for specific purposes, and Reimburse-

ments in aid,

225,356.86 240,084,23 14,727.87

Post Office,

eut of Government Property,-Land and Houses, Jiscellaneous,

TOTAL, exclusive of Land Sales and Water Account,...$2,672,107.80 2,865,759.76 212,922.59 19,270.68

And Sales,

Jater Account,

133,318.87 617,824.72 484,505.85 112,732.57 126,558.77 13,826.20

337,179.99 317,909.36 401,114.11 434,487.00 33,372,89 197,715.79 261,484.25 63,768.46

19,270.68

TOTAL,....

.$2,015,159.24 3,610,143.25

711,254.64 19,270.63

Deduet Decrease,.....................................

19,270.63

Nett Increase,

.$

691,984.01

Right Honourable

JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN, M.P.,

Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies.

SC

$c..

$0.