CO129-420 - Governor Sir May - 1915 [1-2] — Page 463

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459

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

HONGKONG. 19th. February, 1915.

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt

of your telegram of the 24th. of December and of your Despatch No. 6 of the 6th. ultimo in which you request that the Estimates of Expenditure for the current year may be brought within the revenue as nearly as may be, and intimate your wish that the

scheme for the relaying of buoys in Victoria harbour should be proceeded with.

2.

In order to give effect to your wishes a reduction in the programme of Public Works Extraordinary of no less than $1,000,000 in round figures is necessary. The total appropriation for those works is $2,229,785, of which no less than $1,162,000 is in respect of the 3 large works mentioned in para- -graph 16 of my Despatch o. 363 of the 5th, of November. These

works are in progress and it is not practicable to reduce expendi- -ture on them by curtailing the work, which is all let on large

contracts.

If, therefore, these votes are not disturbed

the suspension of practically the whole of the remainder of the

programme of works would be necessary in order to effect the economies desired. But the Government is already committed to many of these works and I fear their suspension would entail much in-

-convenience and no little loss.

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

LEWIS HARCOURT, M.P.,

&C.,

&c..

&c...

3.