CO129-576-10 Estimates 1940 6-10-1939 - 22-10-1940 — Page 205

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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded.

HON. SIR HENRY POLLOCK.-Your Excellency,—As Senior Unofficial Member I beg leave to move, as an amendment to the resolution, that the Draft Estimates be referred for consideration in detail to a Select Committee consisting of the Colonial Secretary, the Financial Secretary and all Unofficial Members.

Whilst thanking Your Excellency and the Hon. Financial Secretary for the explanation which you have given at this meeting of the Council, I feel it would be premature for me to address any remarks now upon the Budget, or perhaps I should say upon the Budgets, which have been laid before us. I therefore do not propose to say anything upon either of these Budgets on the present occasion but simply to move the amendment which I have mentioned and which will be seconded by my Hon. Friend, Mr. Dodwell.

HON. MR. S. H. DODWELL.-I beg to second that.

The amendment was put and carried.

H.E. THE GOVERNOR.-That concludes the business of the meeting but before adjourning I should like publicly to inform Hon. Members at this stage of the effect of the legislation which I have enacted by a stroke of the pen just before the meeting of this Council. I have the new duties and I now ask the Financial Secretary just to mention them.

THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY.-The new duties are:

On petrol, duties on light oils increased to 60 cents per gallon;

On liquor, duties on liqueur, champagne and other sparkling wine increased to $16.25 per gallon (British produce) and $26 per gallon (foreign);

On brandy, duties increased to $6.25 per gallon (British produce) and $20 (foreign);

On gin, whisky and other spirituous liquors duties increased to $12.50 per gallon (British produce) and $20 (foreign);

On port, sherry and madeira, duties increased to $7.50 per gallon (British produce) and $12 (foreign);

On all other still wines duties increased to $6.25 per gallon (British produce) and $10 (foreign);

Duties on beer and all Chinese and Japanese type liquor have not been altered.

ADJOURNMENT.

H.E. THE GOVERNOR.-Gouncil stands adjourned sine die.

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