( 18 )
The Ordinance contains various other provisions for the improvement of the light and ventila of domestic buildings.
The water supply of the City was augmented by the construction of a new reservoir with capacity of 33,000,000 gallons at Wong-nei-chong Gap.
Two filter beds were also added and an addition made to the means of impounding water s Kowloon.
The
D.-CLIMATE.
average monthly temperature was 71.9° F. as compared with 72.9° F. during 1898. The maximum monthly temperature was in July when it reached 82.9° F. while the minima was recorded in January being 59.0° F.
The highest recorded temperature was 92.9° F. and the lowest 43.6° F.
The total rainfall for the year was 72.7.
The wettest months were August with 19.98 inches and June with 18.975 inches, and the dries was January with 0.85 inch.
The relative humidity of the atmosphere throughout November with 62% and highest in August with 85 %. 34 days only was there no sunshine.
The direction and force of the wind were as follows :-
January,
February,.
the year was 75 per cent. being lowest
No rain fell on 237 days in the year.
( 19 )
TELEPHONES.
160
All the principal Police Stations in the old Colony and in the New Territory are connected by elephone, as are the Gap Rock and D'Aguilar Lighthouses.
IX.-MILITARY FORCES AND EXPENDITURE.
1.-Regular Forces.
The following return shows the number and nature of the Forces employed in the Colony ring 1899:-
EUROPEAN.
INDIAN.
Cours.
Officers.
Commis- sioned Officers.
Non-Com- missioned Officers
Officers.
Commis- sioned Officers.
CHINESE.
Non-Com- Non-Com- missioned Officers
TOTALS.
and Men.
and Men.
missioned Officers and Men.
eneral Staff.
rrison Staff,
oral Artillery,
K.-S. B. R. A
bral Engineers,
biuese Suh, Miners,..
Corresponding
Force in Beaufort's Seal
(0-12).
od Royal Welsh Fusiliers,..
my Service Corps,..
ongkong Regiment,...
val Army Medical Corps,
adian Sub-Medical Staff, 10. D, and Corps,
P. D. and Corps,
1899.
in Points.
Mean Direction Menu Velocity
in Miles per Hour.
Corresponding
Force in Beaufort's Scale
(0-12).
Maximum hourly Velocity during the Month.
NE by E
12:3
2
44
E by N
143
46
E by N
18.9
36
E by N
13-4
42
E by S
10:3
31
SE by S
13.1
43
SE by S
11-2
46
ESE
11:0
32
E by N
11-3
34
G
E by N
104
35
6
NE by E
18-2
36
G
F
12:4
37
Year,.....
E
12.7
2
46
8
ducational,
Total,
5
1
403
12
8
174
953
38
15
6
97
5
1,598
25
5
1
122
449
477
185
69
976
7
980
1,007
:
42
3
9
2
1,431
69 3,226
March,
April,
May...
June,
July,
August,
September,
October, November, December,
VIII-POSTAL, TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE SERVICE.
There was a large increase in postal business, the number of covers and articles receivel and despatched shewing an increase of 1,255,610 over the figures for the previous year.
year,
International correspondence showed an increase of 409,860 letters.
The sale of stamps at Hongkong realised $216,791.45, or $16,404.32 less than in the previou
The volume of correspondence as shewn above largely increased, and the decrease in receipt for stamps was due to the adoption of the penny postage rate on letters to the United Kingdom and the majority of British Colonies.
loss.
There is reason to believe, however, that the increasing correspondence will gradually remove the
The total revenue for the year was less by $19,270.63 than that for the previous year. expenditure was also less by $3,658.76.
The nett profit on the year's transactions to the Hongkong Post Office was $80,006.69.
There are no Government Telegraphs.
TELEGRAPHS.
The
The Colony contributed $530,414.30 (17 per cent. of its revenue) towards the cost of the above esides $15,000 in aid of the construction of Barracks, and $45,300 for Defence Works, making a total 7 $620,744.30.
2.—Volunteer Forces.
The total establishment of the Corps is 350 of all ranks. The strength last year was 1 Field attery (98) of six 2-5 q. f. Machine guns, 3 machine gun Companies (146) of 4 Maxim guns each,
Infantry Company (31), an Engineer Company (20) and a Band (13).
des,
The Corps was re-armed with 303" Martini-Enfield Artillery carbines and Magazine Lee-Enfield
The '45" Maxim guns are being converted into guns of '303" calibre.
The expenditure in the Volunteers which is cutirely borne by the Colony was $28,644.23 for
se year.
3.-European and Indian Police.
The European and Indian police are a Constabulary Force being armed with Martini-Enfield rbines.
X-GENERAL ÜBSERVATIONS,
The most important event of the year was the taking over and subsequent government of the few Territory upon which I have already fully reported.
The Plague again visited the Colony in epidemic form.
The flow of Chinese to and from the Colony is continual. Over sixty-one thousand persons migrated from here nine-twelfths of them going to the Straits Settlements, 7,500 went to San Francisco, and 3,500 to British Columbia.
One hundred and ten thousand Chinese returned to Hongkong from Ports other than China, of hom $4,000 came from the Straits Settlements. The vast majority of these emigrants and inni-
ts merely pass through Hongkong en route from and to China.
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