680
SHANGHAI
or
immense benefit of the whole Empire. A separate Council for the French Concession was appointed in 1862, and now works under the "Règlement d'Organisation Municipale de la Concession Française," passed in 1868. It consists of four French and four foreign members, elected for two years, half of whom retire annually. Their resolutions are inoperative until sanctioned by the Consul-General. The members are elected
The members are elected by all owners of land in the Concession, or occupants paying a rental of a thousand franes per annum, residents with an annual income of four thousand francs. This, it will be noticed, approaches much more nearly to "universal suffrage" than the franchise of the other Settlements. The qualification for councillors north of the Yang-king- pang is the payment of rates to the amount of fifty taels annually, or being a house- holder paying rates on an assessed rental of twelve hundred taels. For the French Concession the requirement is a monetary one of about the same amount. Several efforts have been made to amalgamate the French with the other Settlements, but hitherto without success. Meetings of ratepayers are held in February or March of each year, at which the budgets are voted and the new Councils instructed as to the policy they are to pursue. No important measure is undertaken without being referred to a special meeting of ratepayers. The Council divides itself into Defence, Finance, Watch, and Works Committee. This cosmopolitan system of government has for many years worked so well and so cheaply that Shanghai has fairly earned for itself the name of "The Model Settlement."
FINANCES
The Ordinary Revenue of the "Anglo-American" Settlement for 1904 amounted to Tls. 1,505,402, and was derived from the following sources:
Land Tax, five-tenths of 1 per cent.
General Municipal Rates, Foreign Houses, 10 per cent. General Municipal Rates, Native Houses, 10 per cent. Dues on Merchandise
Licences, principally vehicle, and opium shops
...
...Tls. 299,540.85
241,542.26
427,663.43
180,159.00
356,496.86
Tls. 1,505,402,40
The Revenue for that year was the highest on record. Nearly all the headings showed a marked improvement and in the aggregate exceeded the Budget estimate by Tls. 142,652, or 10 per cent. and the previous year's income by Tls. 163,832, or over 12 per cent.
The Ordinary Expenditure for the same year was Tls. 1,185,475 and was divided among the different departments as under :-
Police and Jail Departments
Tis. 308,412.94
45,150.32
71,415.48
Health Department, including Hospitals and Markets... Lighting Tls. 54,221.44, Water Tls. 15,349.10, Telephones Tls. 1,844.94 Public Works Tls. 195,161.30, Cleansing and Scavenging Tls. 99,391.19 Recreation Ground, Public Gardens, Outside Roads and Cemeteries Engineer & Surveyor's Staff Stock and Stores... Secretariat Tls. 110,104.25, Legal and General Tls. 11,482.34 Interest on Loans less Interest and Premium received
...
...
...
...
...
294,552.49
24,821.07
94,953.75
35,149.96
121,586.59
1
83,796.36
Volunteers Tls. 30,810.18, Fire Dept. Tls. 27,514.04, Band Tls. 20,240.25 Education Tls. 25,571.68 Museum Tls. 500, Library Tls. 1,000
78,564.47
27,071.68
...
Tls. 1,185,475.11
The surplus of ordinary income over expenditure, namely Tls. 319,927, with an authorised Loan of Tls. 94,500, was expended in new works, mostly roads in new districts, bunding, municipal, hospital and police station leaving a deficit to be carried forward to Extraordinary Budget of 1905 of Tls. 112,139.72.
The Ordinary Municipal Revenue for 1905 was estimated at Tls. 1,617,500 and the Ordinary Expenditure at Tls. 1,349,200; the Extraordinary Revenue at Tls. 388,300 (estimated surplus Tls. 268,300, debentures Tls. 120,000) and the Extraordinary Expenditure including Tls 112,139 deficit from 1904 at Tls. 372,340.
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