No. 369.
28th September, 1886. C.8.0. 1626 of 1886.
HONGKONG. -
305
No. 20 87.
CORRESPONDENCE RESPECTING A PROPOSED LIGHT-HOUSE ON GAP ROCK,
(In Continuation of No. 39 of 1886.)
Presented to the Legislative Council, by Command of His Excellency the Officer Administering the Government, on the 25th March, 1887.
The Officer Administering the Government to the Secretary of State for the Colonies.
SIR,
GOVERNMENT HOUSE, HONGKONG, 25th November, 1886.
I have the honour to forward, for your consideration, copy of a letter from the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce in which I am requested to represent to you the urgent necessity for the erection of a Light-house for the Southern approach to Hongkong, and to submit a proposal recently made by Sir ROBERT HART, the Inspector-General of the Chinese Imperial Customs on behalf of the Chinese Go- vernment to construct this Light-house, if the Colony will guarantee the cost not to ' exceed $90,000. The Chinese Government will bear the cost of maintenance of this Light, if the Colony will provide the means of occasional communication in order to supply stores, water, &c.
2. The Chamber of Commerce state that the majority of the representative of the Ocean Steam-ship Companies and of privately owned steamers and sailing vessels, arriving from the South, are willing to acquiesce in the payment of one cent per ton extra Light Dues for the term of three years or longer if necessary, as a contribution to the cost of the proposed Light-house. It is estimated that these extra dues would realize fully fifteen thousand dollars per annum, and the Chamber ask that an equivalent sum should be taken out of the existing Light Dues which realize about $25,000 per annum, whereof about $9,000 are applied to the upkeep of the Light-houses.
3. Before forwarding this letter I thought it desirable to visit the different rocks and islands to the South of the Colony accompanied by Officers competent to express an opinion as to the best situation for this Light. Commodore MORANT the Senior Naval Officer in the Port having kindly placed H. M. S. Heroine at my disposal, the different places were visited by me on 27th September last, accompanied by the Commodore, by the Surveyor General, and by the Harbour Master and the Assistant Harbour Master. It will be seen from the annexed reports of these Officers that the Gap Rock, about thirty miles to the South of Hongkong, is con- H. Master 4th Oct., 1880, sidered to be the best situation for a Light-house, and this opinion coincides with
those that have been expressed on several previous occasions.
Enclosure 2.
Com. 30th September.
C.S.O. 2258 of 1886.
Enclosure 3.
0.8.0. 2258 of 1886.
Enclosure 4.
S. G. 20th Nov.. 1886.
C.S.O. 2704 of 1886.
Governor to Secretary of
State No. 267 of 13th
4. As the question of a Light-house and of one on the Gap Rock, in particular, is not a new one I beg to refer to the previous correspondence quoted in the Governor to Secretary of margin. I submit also, for your information, a Minute which I laid before Council
April, 1867.
State No. 77 of 1st April, 1873,
S. of S. Desp. No. 42 of
15th April, 1873.
S. of S. Desp. No. 96 of
11th July, 1873.
S. of S. Desp. No. 22 of
20th March, 1880.
Gov. Desp. No. 132 of 15th July, 1882.
Enclosure 5. *
C.S.O. 553 of 14th Sept., 1886.
on the 17th September last in reply to a question put by the Honourable A. P. MACEWEN to the following effect: "To call for correspondence between Captain "MCLEAR of H.M.S. Flying Fish and the Government, with the Minutes thereon, respecting a Light-house on Gap Rock or its vicinity, and to move a resolution on the subject.'
4:
5. The financial position of the Colony as I have had the honour to report on several occasions renders it necessary to exercise strict economy although the Revenue is steadily increasing. Last year it yielded $1,251,890, the highest hitherto received, if the exceptionally large amount of duty received on Opium in
The Right Honourable
THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES,
* Sessional Paper No. 39 of 1956.
London.
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