Directory_and_Chronicle_1918 — Page 1015

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HONGKONG

1902 Sir Henry Arthur Blake, G.C.M.G. 1903 Francis H. May, C.M.G. (Administrator) ef 1904 Sir Matthew Nathan, K.C.M.G.

et 1906-7 Hon. F.H.May,c.M.G.,Ad'tor. (forl month) ef 1907 Sir Matthew Nathan, K.C.M.G.. ef 1907 Hon. Mr. F. H. May C.M.G. (Adminis.)

1907 Brigadier-Gen. Sir F. D. Lugard, K.C.M.G.

939'

1909-10 Sir H. May, K.C.M G. (Administrator) 1910-12 Brig.-Gen. Sir F. D. Lugard, K.C.M G. 1912 Hon. Mr. Claud Severn (Administrator) 1912 Sir Henry May, K.C M.G.

1913 Hon. Mr. Claud Severn (Administrator) 1914 Sir Henry May, K.C.M.G.

The Government is administered by a Governor, aided by an Executive Council of six officials and two unofficials. The Legislative Council is presided over by the Governor, and is composed of the Officer Commanding the Troops, the Colonial Secretary, the Attorney-General, the Treasurer, the Secretary for Chinese Affairs, the Director of Public Works, the Captain Superintendent of Police, and six unofficial members, one of whom is elected by the Chamber of Commerce and another by the Justices of the Peace. The other four, two of whom are Chinese, but British subjects are appointed by the Government.

FINANCES

The estimated revenue for 1918 is $14,763,590, being $1,521,590 in excess of the approved estimates for 1916 and $506,260 in excess of the revised figures for 1917. The estimated revenue for 1918 includes a sum of $1,007,000 from the special war rate and as a sum of $502,500 from the same source was included in the estimated revenue of 1917, the estimated ordinary revenue for 1918 is almost exactly the sanie as in 1917. The estimated expenditure for 1918 is $12,140,475, which is $284,543 less than the estimated expenditure of 1917. In October 1917, it was estimated that at the end of the year the balance of assets over liabilities would be $2,867,945, but out of this sum payment had to be made to the Common- wealth Governinent in respect of the maintenance of prisoners of war and interned enemy subjects who were sent to Australia. The sum of $2,867.945 added to the estimated balance of revenue over expenditure in 1918-viz., $2,623,115 — gives a total of $5,491,060 as the balance of assets over liabilities at the end of 1918. The Colony has a small public debt. A loan of £200,000 was contracted. in 1886. Another loan of £200,000 was contracted in 1893, and in 1894 the unredeemed balance of the first loan was converted from 4 per cent. debentures into 3% inscribed stock, thus bringing it into uniformity with the loan raised in 31893. In 1906 the Government raised a loan of £1,100,000 in London at an average price of £99 1s. per cent., bearing interest at the rate of 3 per cent. This money was originally lent to the Chinese Government for the purpose of redeeming the Canton- Hankow railway concession from the various persons who had acquired interests in it from the original American concessionaires. The total cost of the loan, including expenses of issue, was £1,143,933. It has now been fully repaid and expended on railway construction within the Colony. A free gift of $3,000,000 raised by loan in 1917- was made to the Imperial Government for war purposes. A sum of $2,000,000 was given for the same object out of the surplus revenue of 1916. The Colony's military contribu- tion in 1917 was estimated at $2,701,760, and the special tax contribution which is to be continued for the duration of the war was estimated to reach in the same year the sum of $1,007,000.

The rateable value of the whole Colony in 1917 was $14,410,153, showing an increase of 0.89 per cent. over the previous year. The rateable value of the Colony shows an increase of 33 22 per cent. in the decade 1908-17.

DESCRIPTION

The island of Hongkong is about 11 miles long and from 2 to 5 miles broad; its circum- ference is about 27 miles. It consists of a broken ridge of lofty hills, with few valleys of any extent and scarcely any ground available for cultivation. The only valleys worthy of the nanie are those of Wong-nai Chung and Little Hongkong, both of which are remark- ably beautiful and well wooded, being in fact the only parts where any considerable arborescent vegetation was formerly to be found. The island is well watered by numerous streams, many of which are perennial. The city of Victoria and suburbs are supplied with water from the Pokfolum, Tytam, and Wong-nai Chung reservoirs. The first-nained, constructed in 1866-69, has a storage capacity of sixty-eight million gallons, while the Tytam reservoir, constructed in 1883-88, and extended in 1896, s an area of about 29 acres and a storage capacity of about three hundred and