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THE ADMIRALTY DOCK.
OFFICIAL REPLY TO THE PETITION FOR REMOVAL.
The Hon. Sir Paul Chater, Kt., C.M.G., has forwarded to us for publication the following documents relating to the public petition in favour of the removal of the Admiralty Dock and Naval Yard from the position at present contemplated to a site putside the city of Victoria :-
Hongkong 9th April, 1933. SIE--On the 26th ultimo you were good enough to receive a depu ation composed of representatives of the various commercial in terests in this Colony, when the question of the proposed new Admiralty dock was discussed and when as chairman of the deputation I bad the honour to inform Your Excellency that we proposed to draw up a petition to the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies praying that a Royal Commission be appointed to consider the whole question relat ing to the dook.
In consequenes of the unanimous support this movement has received from all sections of the Hongkong community a petition has now been prepared and though the time at our disposal has been limited signatures have been readily obtained including those of all c'asses and nationalities represented here and em. bracing most, if not all, of the leading business firms in the Colony.
I have now the honour to hand Your Exce' lency this petition, with the request that you will be pleased to forward it to the Right Honourable the Secretary of State for the Colonies, and would further ask that Your Excellency be good enough, as soon as possible, to telegrapha summary of the petition to London. In conclusion I would beg on behalf of this community to express our gratitude for the kindly sympathy Your Excellency has shown to to us in this matter, and to express the hope that with your able assistance the great improve ment for the Colony advocated in our petition may be carried out. I have, ke.,
CP. CHATER,
Chairman. His Excellency Sir HENRI A. BLAKE,
G.C.M.G., &c., &o, &g, ·
Government House, Hongkong, April 17th, 1903. SIE, I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 9th instant enelosing a Petition to the Secretary of State for the Colonies regarding the Naval Yard Extension and Dockyards, and to in- form you that I have caused it to be transmitted to Mr. Chamberlain with an expression of my strong approval of the prayer which it embodies.
2. I have also, as requested in the third para- graph of your letter ander acknowledgment, telegraphed a summary of the petition to London. I have the honour to be, Sir, your most obedient servant,
H. A. BLAKE,
Governor, &c. The Hon. Sir C. P. CHATER, C.M.G.
1
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
poses of His Majesty's Navy, but I am in. formed by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty that, though it would no doubt be an advantage if more room were available for extension, the area of the Naval Yard; when completed, will bo 394 acres, and there is space for the construction of another dock of the largest size, should an additional dock be found 1ecessary at soine future date. Thera is therefore no necessity. from a Naval point of view, for any change of site.
Government House, Hongkong, 8th July, 1903. SIE,-With reference to my letter of the 17th April (No. 2807/03/G-C.8.0.), I have the honour to inform you that a despatch, of which the enclosed is a copy, has been received from the Secretary of State for the Colonies. I shall be glad if you will communicate its tenor -to the other signatories of the petition.-I have the honour to be, Sir! Your most obedieut servant,
HENRY A. BLAKE,
Governor, &c. The Hon. Sir C. P. CHATER, C.M.G.
(Copy
Downing Street,
||5th June, 1903. SIE, I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No. 184 of the 8th April last, forwarding a petition from residents in Hongkong to the effect that the Naval Yard should be removed to another site.
2. It is suggested that the present site of the Naval Yard is inadequate for the pur.
[July 13, 1903.
works would next have t be considered and agreed to. These could then be executed by the Colonial Government to their Lordships'. satisfaction, but entirely at its own cost.
When completed the new establishment could be taken over by the Navy, and the present. Yard handed over to the Colonial Government.
HONGKONG IN 1902,
FINANCIS.
2. The r Lordships also state that as the At the Legislative Council on the 8th inst. abandonment of the scheme for the extrusion there was laid on the table II.E. the Governor works now under construction at the Nival | Sir Henry A. Blake's Report on the Blue-book Yard would mean postponing for an indefinite for 1902, from which we make the following period, the provision of a sufficient equipment | extracts :— for tho British Naval base in the Far East. they could not under any circumstances consent to stop those works, the early completion of which they believe to be necessary to security.
4. Subject, however, to these extension works being completed, and to the Navy continuing to occupy the present Yard and anchorage until new accommodation had been provided their Lordships would be prepared entertain a pro- posal to transfer the Yard, as soon as the Colony at its own cost had made equivalent provision for Naval requirements on an approved site. I enclose an extract from the Admiralty on this subject.
The revean for the year 1902 exclusive of land sales amounted to $4,329.712.48. Land - sales for the year reached $571,361.22. The total revenue from all sources Was there. fore $4 901,073.70, or $295,105.70 more than the estimate. All the main sources of revenue showed an excess over the estimated receipts with the exception of interest on credit balances aud the water recount, which yielded 82,993.08 and $14,050.53 respectively less than the estimate. Licences and internal revenue showed an excess of no less than $158,340.55 over the estimate, and there were alac consider. 5. You will observe that this scheme would able excesses under feos of court or office, &c., involve the Colony in very heavy expenditure post office and light dues. The expenditure for and the expenditure would not be imited to the the year, chiefly owing to the sums disbursed povision of a New Naval Yard and Dook, since (under the head of miscellaneous services) in con- the removal of the existing yard would a'so nection with plague, was very large, and far in necessitate the removal of the whole or a large excess of the estimate. The estimated expendi. part of the Military Establishment adjoining ture (including that on public works extraordin- the Naval Yard, and the erection of new Ord-ary) was $4,558,955 26, but the actual disburse- nance Stores. Magazines, Barracks, &c., and ments exceeded this estimate by $1,350,593.25. possibly of new defence works.
The total actual expenditure was $5,909,548.51. Deducting from this the total actual receipts, ther was a deficit of $1,008,474.81 on the actual working of the year, though the surplus of assets on December 31st amounted to $66,869 exclusive of arrears of revenne.
6. I have very carefully considered the whole subject, and while I am at once most reluctant to negative a proposal put forward by influential members of the community ad supported by yourself, and am well aware how strong are the objections to existing arrangements, I regret to have to inform you that I have come to the e nclusion that the expenditure would be heavier than the Colony could bear, and I therefore request you to inform the petitioners that I do not find myself able to meet their wishes. I have, etc,
J. CHAMBERLAIN,
Governor Henry A. BLAKE,
G.C.M.G., &o., &c., &c.
RITRACT FROM A LETTER FROM THE ADMIRALTY TO COLONIAL OFFICE,
DATED 9TH MARCH, 1903. Their Lordships' first duty is to provide for the necessities of His Majesty's ships on the China Station, present as well as future, and under no circumstances can they assent to abandon the present works, the early completion of which they believe to be necessary to security.
Subject, however, to the requirements of the Navy being met, their Lordships are anxious to place no obstacle in the way of the commercial expansion of the Colony, aud they fully recognise that it is best whenever possible to establish Naval Stations outside the boundaries of great commercial harbours.
Whilst, therefore, their Lordships for the reasons already stated cannot see their way to themselves negotiate for any new si'e for the Naval Yard, they would not refuse to consider an offer from the Colony to re-provide equivalent accommodation on an approved site.
In suggesting equivalent accommodation, their Lordships have in view not not only the Docks, Basins, Stores, Magazines, Workshops and other accessories to a Naval Yard, but also the available anchorage and whatever defences are necessary to ensure security equal to that obtained under present conditions, and it might also be necessary to replace the Naval Hospital, which is in the vicinity of the present Yard.
It is further necessary that the Navy should continue to occupy the pr sent Yard and anchorage until the new establishment is ready, and can be hand d over to them.
If the Colonial authorities are prepared to deal with the matter on this basis, I am to suggest that they should in the first instance forward particulars of any sites they proposed to offer, which must not be on the mainland.
Should their Lorships find it possible to accept any one these sites, the details of all necessary
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General Revenue and Expenditure.-Here is given a brief abstract of revenue and expendi ture for the years 1901 and 1902.
Assets and liabilities. --At the end of the year 1902 the surplus of the assets of the Colony over the liabilities amounted to $66,869.88, the total assets being $15,903.89 exclusive of arrears of revenue amounting to $90,780 and the total liabilities, to $749,034 01.
Public Debt.-There is a public debt of £341,799. 159. ld outstanding. The original debt was incurred in connection with the Praya reclamation, the Central Market, and water, drainage, and sewerage works. Interest at 3 por cent. is payable upon the loan, which is being paid off by a sinking fund.
INDUSTRIES.
Most of the local industries of the Colony were carried on with satisfactory results during 1902 and were less hampered by plague than during the preceding year. The fall in the exchange value of silver, to which Sir W. Gas- coigne referred in his Blue-book Report for 1901, continued throughout 1932 with hardly a break. The effect of this fall, however am- barrassing in other respects, is undoubtedly advantageous as regards many local produc tious and indus'ries. Cotton-spinning in Hong. kong was carried on in 1902 under more favour- able circumstances than have prevailed since the initiation of this industry. Comparative immunity from plague, together with improved skill on the part of operatives, resulted in largely increased production, and, aided by declining exchange which checked excessive imports of Indian yarns, the local spinnings were freely sold at gradually advancing dollar prices. Under normal conditions the progress of this industry may now reasonably be con- sidered as assured, but the possibility of au annual recurrence of plague which experience bas proved drives many of the work-people from the Colony, owing to their strong dislike to the measures instituted by the sanitary authorities, is a factor which must not be over. looked in attempting a forecast. The sugar industry had many adverse conditions to contend against during the year, which was a most auprofitable one. Chief amongst these was the continued competition with bounty-fed beat sugars, which low prices in Europe (the result of enormous overproduction) allowed of being placed in Eastern markets at a level never
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