CO129-376 - Governor Sir Lugard - 1911 [3-4] — Page 388

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Government House,

Hongkong, 12th. April, 1911.

I have the honour to lay before you

the following observations in regard to the Military Contri-

-bution payable on the Revenue raised to meet the interest

and sinking fund for the service of the Loan for Railway

Construction, and to solicit your sanction to the course I

venture to propose.

2.

The Colony of Hongkong has, as you

are aware, been compelled to undertake the construction of

a Railway to connect with the Chinese line from Canton to

the Frontier. This while it was a measure of self-preserva-

-tion, will no doubt be an immense boon to British Trade

more especially when the further extension to Hankow on the

Yangtze is constructed and affords through communication to

Peking. The Colony is, however, a small one with a Revenue

of some $6,000,000 only and an undertaking which has cost

fully £1,200,000 constitutes a very heavy tax on its re-

-sources, more especially at a time of world wide trade

depression such as the last 3 or 4 years have witnessed

IGHT HONOURABLE

FIS HARCOURT, M.P.,

115

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