846
SHANGHAI
one pretext or other, be sent to the City Court for judgment; the almost invariable re- sult in the latter event being that in a month or so the prisoner has been permitted to escape to renew his depredations.
It was to these disturbers of the law that, in December 1905, as mentioned in a previous page, the provincial officials made their appeal at what they alleged to be attempts to interfere with the dignity of the Lord of the Soil. As a fact, of course, the Municipality has shown itself all through more regardful of the Imperial interests than the Provincial authorities. It is only necessary to refer to the pages of the Peking Gazette within the last few years to understand the dangerous state of disorder existing in the lower Province. Unfortunately, the headquarters of the Smuggling Association are in the im- mediate vicinity of the Foreign Settlements, and though the Municipality would prefer not being in any way forced into contact with any of the political parties of the State, with which it has no concern, the case becomes different when the lives and properties of the residents with which it is charged are endangered.
FINANCES
The Revenue for 1911 was the highest on record. The growth of the Settlement is shown by the list during the past twenty one years in the chief sources of Municipal Revenue, namely, Land Tax Tls. 54,645 to TIs. 691,000, Foreign House rate Tls. 44,477 to Tls. 508,096, Native House rate Tls. 104,740 to Tls. 679,871, Wharfage dues Tls. 64,322 to Tls. 180,778, and Licence fees Tls. 109,559 to Tls. 445,451.
...
Tls. 690,999.57
The Ordinary Revenue of the "Anglo-American" Settlement for 1911 amounted to Tls. 2,589,628 and was derived from the following sources :--
Land Tax, six-tenths of 1 per cent. less 20 per cent. General Municipal Rates, Foreign Houses, 12 per cent..........
Do. do. on houses beyond Settlement limits, G per cent. General Municipal Rates, Native Houses, 12 per cent....
Do.
on houses beyond Settlement limits, 6 per cent. Licences, principally vehicles, and opium shops Dues on Merchandise
do.
***
Rent of Municipal Properties, Markets, etc. Contribution from Gas, Telephone, and Tramway Companies...
495,596.35
12,500.88
664,528.58
15,342.27
445,451.00
180,778.22
50,726.99
33,703.99
Tis. 2,589,627.85
The Ordinary Expenditure for the same year was Tls. 2,347,690, and was divided among the different departments as under :-
Police Force
Volunteers...
Fire Brigade
Health Dept. General
-
...
...
...
...
Do. Hospitals, Cemeteries, etc.
Public Works Dept. General
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Building.
•
Creeks and River
Drainage
Roads
Lighting
Parks, etc.
...
...
G
Tls. 161,540.68 49,292.77
Tls. 168,036.21
43,761 89 36,174.83
16,945.13
220,029.88
86,618.27 37,735.53
Tls. 868,909.45
44,717.59
49,990.89
210,833.45
Public Band
Education, including Public Schools
Finance Department
Secretariat, Tls. 130,556.55, General Tls. 51,545.72
L
Interest, Tis. 94,690.57, Redemption of Debentures, Tls. 135,625.00
609,301.74
49,621.51
46,519.05
55,378.59
182,102.27
239,315.57
Tls. 2,347,690.11
The surplus of ordinary income over expenditure, and extraordinary income from various sources, amounting together to Tis. 494,536, was expended in new works, mostly municipal buildings, roads, and land for same.
The Ordinary Municipal Revenue for 1912 was estimated at Tls. 2,611,150 and the Ordinary Expenditure at Tls. 2,139,615; the Extraordinary Revenue, including estimate surplus of Tls. 171,805 and Tls. 800,000 to be raised by debentures, at Tls. 1,045,665, and the Extraordinary Expenditure, including Tls. 432,825 for Central Offices Extension at Tis. 1,033,170.
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