CO129-435 - Governor Sir May & Acting Governor Claud Severn - 1916 [9-11] — Page 606

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HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

70

14TH OCTOBER, 1915.

PRESENT:

HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, SIR F. H. MAY, K.C.M.G.

HIS

EXCELLENCY MAJOR-GENERAL F. VENTRIS (Genera! Officer Command ing Troops).

HON. MR. CLAUD SEVERN (Colonial Secretary).

THE BUDGET STATEMENT

THE COLONIAL SECRECTARY moved the first reading of a Bill intituled. "An Ordinance to apply a sum not exceeding nine million eighty-one thousand two hundred and nine dollars to the Public Service of the year 1916."

THE COLONIAL TREASURER se-

HON. MR. J. H. KEMP (Attorney conded. General).

HON. MR. A. M. THOMSON (Colonial Treasurer).

HON. MR. W. CHATHAM, C.M.G. (Director of Public Works).

H.E. THE GOVERNOR then said-It is usual for me to address members of this honourable Council at some length on the Bill which has just been submitted instead of at the second reading, so that my

HON. MR. C. McI. MESSER (Captain remarks may possibly be of some assistance Superintendent of Police).

HON. MR. WEI YUK, C.M.G. HON. MR. POLLOCK, к.C. HON. MR. E. A. HEWETT, C.M.G. HON. MR. E. SHELLIM.

HON. MR. D. LANDALE.

HON. MR. LAU CHU PAK.

MR. A. G. M. FLETCHER (Clerk of Councils).

Minutes

to the members in considering the esti- mates. In addressing you on the present financial position of the Colony, and on the position which we anticipate as a re- sult of the year's working, I may remark that on the

the whole. considering abnormal situation created by the war, there is no reason to be dissatisfied.

The Financial Situation

It was anticipated that the balance of Assets over Liabilities on the 31st Decem-

The minutes of the last meeting were ber, 1914, would amount to $2,826,375, but

read and confirmed.

Finance

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of H. E. the Governor, laid on the table Financial Minutes Nos. 46 to 48, and moved that they be referred to the Finance Committee.

THE COLONIAL TREASURER conded, and this was agreed to.

Papers

se

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY, by command of H.E. the Governor, laid on the table the following papers: Report of meeting of Finance Committee, held on September 10th, which was adopted; also financial statements in connection with the estimates for 1916, and an ab- stract showing the difference between the estimates of expenditure for 1915 and

1916.

I

the sum actually brought to account wag $2,910,473. The revenue for 1915, as revised, is expected to yield $11,380,605, or $27,027 less than was estimated. The expenditure for 1915, which we originally estimated at $12,486,771, is now expected te fall short of that figure by $58,525. must explain, however, that after the Esti- mates had been prepared last year, very considerable economies were made. When sending the Estimates to the Secretary of State, 1 stated that it would probably be necessary to curtail expenditure in order to meet an abnormal situation, and the Secretary of State subsequently requested that this might be done. A list of Public Works Extraordinary, which it was pos- sible to postpone, or on which expenditure could be reduced, was, therefore, drawn The total reduction amounted to up. $491,150 and the principal items were as follows:-