CO129-442 - Governor Sir May - 1917 [4-6] — Page 420

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+ CONFIDENTIAL.

LES TO M

GOVERNMENT HOUSE.

HONGKONG. 6th. June, 1917.

418

Sov 35/81

Sir,

With reference to my Despatch No. 180 of today's date on the subject of Mr. Hutchison's leave, I have the honour to bring the following facts to your favourable

notice.

2.

Mr. Hutchison arrived in the Colony as a Cadet in November, 1904, and returned after his first leave to England in July, 1911, when he took up the post of Superintend- -ent of Imports and Exports in connection with which he has had continuous hard and responsible work up to the present time. In addition to organizing the collection of duties on Alcoholic Liquor (Ordinance No. 9 of 1911) he has had the whole work of organizing the collection of revenue under the Opium Monopoly (Ordinance 4 of 1914); the collection of duties on Tobacco (Ordinace No. 10 of 1916); and since the outbreak of war many and increasingly heavy new duties have been imposed upon him especially in connection with the regulation of Imports and Exports (Ordinance No. 32 of 1915).

He has also been engaged for some time

past in preparing the organisation for the collection of duties on Salt in anticipation of the taxing of that commodity - a project which I fear will now be delayed owing to the political crisis at Peking -, and I had desired to keep him here till a successful beginning had been made with that

innovation.

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

WALTER LONG, M.P.

&c.,

&o..

3.

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