May 12, 1900.]
THE COLONY'S FINANCES.
The financial returns of the Colonial Treasurer for 1899 are published in the Gazette. The revenne was $3,610,143.25, an increase on the 1898 revenue of $691,984.01, while the expendi- ture amounted to $3,162,792.36, an increase of $320,987.16.
In revenue the principal increases were:- Assessed Taxes, $52,565,05; Opium Monopoly, $14,333.84; Stamps, $33,893.31, Ront of Leased Lands, $12,666.03; Profit on Subsidiary Coins, $20,508.76. The two principal decreases were :- Fines, $25,383,76; and Postage, $19,270.63. In all 56 items show an increase, and 24 a decrease. On the expenditure side of the account there were increases in 17 items and decreases in 12. The chief increases were:-Police, $41,801.81; Sanitary Department, $20,991.64; Military Expenditure, $130,113.64; and Miscellaneous Services, $222,225.05. The chief decrease was :— Public Works, Extraordinary, $102,702 29.
The following is the statement of assets and liabilities on the 31st December, 1899:-
ASSETS.
Balance in bank at current account
Coins in transit
Arrears of Taxes,
Arrears of Crown rent
Arrears of Crown rent, New Territory Arrears, miscellaneous
Advances
Suspense House Servico
Profit Money Order Office
* Total assets
Balance
CHINA OVERLAND TRADE REPORT. Special Land Sales Fund which formerly exist- ed in Hongkong, ont of which special votes outside the Estimates were taken for Extra- ordinary Public Works, since it is desirable to maintain the practice of placing all the Ex- penditure on the Annual Estimates. I would add that in recent years, although the special Land Sales Fund has been abolished, the Expenditure on Extraordinary Public Works has as a matter of fact on the average more or less, balanced the Revenue derived from Laud Sales.
18. I have carefully considered the memo- randa from some of the Unofficial Members of Council enclosed in your despatch under acknowledgment, and also the protest from Mr. T. H. Whitehead, M.L.C, forwarded in your despatch No. 346 of the 1st December last, and the above remarks deal with most of the points raised by them.
19. I would only add that I fully concur in their views, which are shared by yourself, as to press. ing on Sanitary improvements in the Colony as fast as the finances admit; but I adhere to the S 0.
opinion that it is not neccessary or desirable to 40,980.16 raise a Loan for meeting any special Expen- 200,000.00 diture in the New Territory since the re- veque from the New Territory appears likely before long to be sufficient to meet such Expenditure, and moreover the Public Works 124,843,4 comtemplated in that Territory are not of 665.95 sufficient magnitude or of such a character as 8,000.0" to render necessary or to justify the raising of
a Loan." $464,543.13 311,773.32
233.47 38.242.60 40,000.00 1,517.41
$706,318.45
Not including $831,109.92, value of Silver at Mint.
*
KIAYING.
[FROM A CORRESPONDENT,}
Kiaying, 30th April.
MANILA
[FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.]
835
Manila, 28th April,
A TALE OF THE NORTH COAST HOW THE NAVY NEARLY SANK AN ARMY TRANSPORT.—-AN INCIDENT
IN THE COAST PATROL,
The small gun-boats, bought and captured from Spain by the U. 8. Government, are com manded by young naval officers, who prefer working out their energy in coast patrols doing duty on the big ships There are more than twenty boats of this little" mosquito fleet," and their work is lonely and discouraging, so that the least promise of excitement is eagerly welcomed. The Mindoro, Ensign McCarthy commanding, has returned from the north- west coast of Luzon, where for two long months she has been steaming back and forth, looking for filibusters. Such duty is monotonous to a degree, a heavy sea or a hot sea being about the only differences from one day to another. But now and then excitement does come to this naval patrol, and the weary work of months is forgotten in the hope of a good capture or a good fight.
Two weeks ago, at two o'clock on a misty morning, the vigilant watch on the Mindoro, oruising north of Aparri, spied a steamer's lights and the gun-boat was headed to cross th stranger's bows. No especial interest was attached to the strange vessel by the crew of the gun-boat, for the coastwise traders are always shipping in and out of Aparri ; still it is the duty of the patrol to ascertain what all vessels are doing as anyone may be on illegitimate business. The Mindoro was running without I have just returned from a tour through the lights, and had come to within a mile and a half southern part of the prefecture of Tingshowfa of the stranger, when the latter suddenly chang- in Fuhkien. In Wu-ping haien I found an ed her couise and the heavy clouds of smoke that anomalous condition of affairs. What purported rolled from her funnel told the gunboat she to be a Protestant chapel was the headquarters 9,342.30
was going to run away. Then hope dawned in 6,360.00
of a set of people numbaring several hundreds. the hearts of the coast patrol; after waiting and 19,100.00 The Roman Catholic chapel boasted a consti-watching for two months perhaps they had at 13,400.00 tuency of some thousands. At frequent inter- 292.36 vals raids were made by the one or the other in 37,224.70
which firearms were used, though happily no 14,016.87
lives had yet been lost.
2,300.00
LIABILITIES
0.
Crown Agents drafts in transit
Military Contribution
Deposits not available
20,000.00 53,581.78 443,684.77
Refund of Taxes.
Officers' remittances
22,505.81
Money order remittances
Transit charges, General Post Office
Civil Pensions
Police Pensions
Private Drainage Works
Public Works
Miscellaneous
Suspense account
Balance overdrawn, Crown agents
Total Liabilities
+
115,809,52 8,718.34
$766,316.45
THE ESTIMATES FOR 1900.
THE ANSWER TO THE UNOFFICIAL MEM-,
BERS' PROTEST.
The following is the text of the extracts from Despatch No. 50 of 16th February, 1900, from the Secretary of State for the Colonies regard ing the memoranda from 'uu-official members of Council and the protest of the Honourable T. H. Whitehead on the subject of the estimates for 1900, which were laid before the Legislative
It seems the magistrate, a Hunau mau. had been greatly provoked by what he considered the unfair pressure brought to bear by the Roman Catholics to compel him to decide law suits in their favour. Not daring to stand out rigidly for his rights he conceived the idea of calling into being a Protestant faction to balance the Catholics. The scheme was but a partial success, for the new party was more unruly and violent than the old. Litigants allied themselves to one or the other of these factions, so that his administration of justice was an ineffectual effort to arbitrale their disputes. He appealed to me with an urgency that was almost patustic to command the Protestants not to go gunning for the Roman
Council by Command of His Excellency the Catholios, and wound up by saying that they similar to those given to the hall is disre- -
Officer Administering the Government, on Mon- day, the 7th instant:-
16. I desire moreover to point out that I do not think it desirable that the whole of the small available balances of the Colony should be immediately swallowed up in the execution of Extraordinary Pablio Works as proposed by the Unofficial Members of the Legislative Council, as I consider it very desirable that the Colony hould posses considerable reserre finds, to meet the possibility of an unexpected and un- avoidable diminution in the Colony's Revenues. The present Hongkong balances are com- paratively trifling in amount.
17. I concur in the view expressed in para- graph 4 of your despatch under acknowledg. mont that the proceeds of Land Sales are properly applicable only to works of permanent utility This view has been frequently ex- pressed in despatches from my predecessors,
would not obey him and he did not know nader whose jurisdiction they were. 1 urged him to punish law-breakers without fear or favour and assured him I should not interfere. I tried to show the alleged Protestants how contrary their ways were to the Gospel and especially the sin and danger of such violent conduct as that of which they had been guilty. They finally took down the inscription over the door, styling the place a gospel-hall and agreed to disband and send some of their number to Kiaying for instruction in the Scriptures. I saw the Roman Catholic catechist, who told me that only one of the so-called Catholics was a baptised member.
Both magistrates and people in some section seem to have an idea that those who become Christians cease to be citizens and become de- pendents or proteges of the foreign country to which the missionary belongs. I laboured hard to disabuse the mind of the Shang-hang hsien
|
|
last found an enemy. The jingle bell rang in the engine-room and the Mindoro gathered headway for the chase. "Fire a shot well across her bow." commanded Ensign McCarthy, and the six-pounder barked its arbitrary orders over to the stranger. She paid no attention. “Give her another, well clear," came the order from the bridge, and the second summons was unheeded like the first. Fire over her this time, so she may hear the whistle of the ball," ordered the bridge, and the gunner obeyed. This stranger answered this third and decisive summous by putting out her lights and throwing back a roll of black smoke that hid her from the view of the puran- ing gunbo it. To say the crew of the Mindoro were hopeful and jubilant but faintly expresses their enthusiasm. The stranger had given every proof of being an enemy; her disregard of the third sammons to halt branded her as such and the instructions given to the sea sentry are
on land | fire if the third order to
garded, Here was a prize in their very grasp; she was surely filibuster trying to land arms, or was a steamer conveying the fugitive Aguinaldo to Hongkong. No such capture had been made in a year and the patient waiting an1 watching of the Mindoro’ were at last rewarded. There were the best of good reasons to believe all this; why would any honest ship run from the third summons to halt, knowing, as all ships do, what comes after ? The Mindoro was doing her eight and a half knots and the stranger was a mile ahead, hidden behind the sinoke from her funnel. Can you get sight on her?" asked the bridge of the gunner ? No, sir, nothing but | her smoke.” Open fire on her, 3,000 yards;" and following these orders the six pounder sent shot after shot into the cload of smoke ahead. After the
蕲春
8
and it is in accordance with this principle that magistrate on this point but the next day he ports from shot there were three sharp re-
instructions
peace!
it was laid down in paragraph 26 of the se
sent for the preparation of Colonial the Cut a proclamation urging the people and Estimates referred to above that in the On the river below Chan ping hsien I no- Abstract of Expenditure the head for works ticed a new lekin station. The tax is levied on net annually recurrent should be kept distinct charcoal, rafts of logs, and on paper. from the total Expenditure on other services, which should not, as a rule, exceed the total estimate of Revenue exclusive of Land Sales. It is not, however, necessary to re-establish the
An attempt is being made to levy a tax here in the city to defray the expense of the military, On all shop-rents 15 per cent, is to be added and paid over to the anthorities.
the stranger's direction and three bullets sang over the gun-boat's deck. Then
the crew of the Mindoro positively cheered, they were so happy as they cleared their ship for action. There was no doubt of it now here
the best
it ouance that had ever come to a coast patrol since the work began: After the eighth shot from the six-pounder the stranger blew long on her steam whistle and alowed down. The Mindoro ran through
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.