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interest upon the very considerable capital sum which has been invested. Within the category also must come some part, quite in- -definable in amount, of the cost of the services rendered by the Harbour Office and by other Departments of the Government.
4.
On the other hand the Colony expects to receive in 1917 a gross revenue of $80,000 from light dues, leaving after deduction of Military Contribution, a net sum of $64,000 to meet all charges incurred in aiding navigetion. I may mention here that this Government is now engaged on a dredging operation in the harbour for the benefit of deep-draught vessels, the cost of which will exceed the gross sum which it expects to derive from light dues during the current year. I an addressing you regarding this in a separate despatch.
Lighthouses are admittedly not the sole aida supplied to navigation, and the term "light dues" is therefore a misnomer. The propriety of taxing shipping at least to the extent of the total expenditure in connection with the harbour was accept- -ed by Mr. Chamberlain in his Despatch No. 273 of the 29th. August, BT. 35131902; and, as the light dues, in common with other charges on
shipping, are raised solely for purposes of this expenditure, it might be as well to re-name them "harbour dues" or "tonnage dues".
The latter term is perhaps preferable, as indicating the source
rather than the purpose of the tax; depriving future disput-m ts of the tax of the argument which they now base upon its name.
It is not possible to arrive at m exact
6.
estimate of the revenue derived from shipping, or at even an
approximate estimate of the money expended upon it. Sir H. Blake
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in his Despatch No. 493 of the 7th. November, 1902, forwarded a
statement of receipts and expenditure in connection with the harbour, and I now enclose a statement drawn upon similar lines. No charge is included for services which cannot be specifically allocated, and no entry appears in respect of interest upon the enormous capital sum spent in the service of the port; for instance although under revenue there appears an item of $55,000,
being
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