1
433
Once more I must dwell on this subject; the amount of work performel by our surveyors continues to increase and, that it becomes necessary for me to draw attention to it is, I think, ample testimony that it is satisfactorily performed, for we all know that public duties ill performed soon declare themselves.
During the ten months January-October, 1899, the tonnage surveyed at Liverpool was 1,077,260 tons, in Hongkong 239,280 tons were surveyed, this gives 97,932 tons per surveyor at Liverpool and 119,640 tons per surveyor at Hongkong.
The Revenue derived by the Colony from the work performed by the Marine Surveyors has increased from $10,055.87 in 1890 to $13,598.61 in 1899, the "overtime" fees alone in 1899 amount- ing to $480.
The Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies has recently notified his sauction to an increase in the salaries of certain Officers, and I would very respectfully suggest that his pro- fessional qualifications might place the Government Marine Surveyor in the same category as the senior Executive Engineers of the Public Works Department with regard to their increase, and similarly that the Assistant Marine Surveyor who is also a qualified Engineer should be placed on the same footing as the other Executive Engineers of the Public Works Department.
LIGHTHOUSES.
21. The amount of Light Dues collected was as follows:-
Class of Vessels.
Rate per tou.
No, of Ships.
Tommage.
Total Fees Collected.
Ocean Vessels,
Steam-Launches,
River Steamers, (night boats),...
Launches plying exclusively to Macao and West River, by night,
Launches plying to Maçao and
River Steamers (day boats),
West River, by day,
Total,...
C.
1 cout
25
M
3,381 118 1,187
4,947,855 4,355 846,072
49,473.55
43.55 2,820.61
388
་་
Free
896
20,725 934,479
69.22
do.
206
10,812
6,176
6,763,798 52,406.93
Telegraphic and telephonic communication has been kept up with the Gap Rock and Cape D'Aguilar during the year. From the former station 907 vessels have been reportel as passing, and in addition 149 messages were received and 3,444 sent, including the daily weather report for the Observatory,
From Cape D'Aguilar 1,271 vessels were reported, and in addition 1,827 messages were sent and 14 received.
28 hours and 50 minutes of fog were reported from Gap Rock during the year, and the fog signal gun was fired 181 times. On one occasion the fortnightly relief could not be effected owing to the rough sea.
GOVERNMENT GUNPOWDER DEPOT.
22. During the year 1899 there has been stored in the Government Gunpowder Depôt, Stone Cutters' Island:-
Gunpowder, privately owned,
Do., Government owned,.
Cartridges, privately owned,
Do.. Government owned,
Explosive Compounds, privately owned,
Do..
No. of Cases. Approximate
Weight.
33,403
91 6,613 77
Ibs.
604,170 1,820
1,363,358
2,342
16,225 123,839
Government owned,
21
1,226
Total,...
42,547
2,110,138
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