*
September 28, 1908.]
for the redemption of subsidary coinage pending a final decision on this question. Considerable increases in salaries payable in sterling are due to fall in exchange. Under the vote for Land Office and Registracy a new post has been created, and p ovision is made for the salary of a deputy official who will also undertake trade marks registration. 'The necessity for this extra assistance has been strongly urged by the Chief Justice, and, after careful inquiry, I have satisfied myself that it is necessary.
THE JUDICIARY.
my
CHINA OVERLAND TRADÉ REPORT.
FOBISTRY,
In the Forestry Department a Chinese head of the Assistant Superintendent devoting more gardener has been employed in order to admit
we hope to obtain a revenge, and in order that time to the forestry of the Colony from which he may be more competent to assist the away. Superintendent in that department when he is
EDUCATION.
!
any estimated revenue from land sales, is the margin or balance which we have to devote to capital expenditure in Public Works Extra- ordinary and to devote half it to the Military ordinary. If that system were applied to the Cottribution and half to Public Work extre
present year when we have a heavy automatio increase of expenditure to face, this contribution would be reduced from $1,210,739 to $762,994, which would only be 12.6 of the ordinary revenue, instead of 20 per cent., but in pros- perbus years it might similarly exceed 20 per There are however serious difficulties, ofas recognise, in the way of this proposal, and
Secretary of State. I have not as yet decided to prop se it to the 'The honourable member who represents the Chamber of Commerce, regret to-day were he not so worthily represented (Hon. Mr. Hewet) whose absence I should by the honourable member on my right (Hon. Mr. Stewart), made some very strong remarks last year on the subject of this Contribution. He described the attitude of the Imperial senting Government as that of a highwayman" pre-
In the Education vote there are a few DOW posts created for assistant mesters or pupil Immediately on
teachers especially at Saiyingpung and Wantsai arrival the Chief schools, to Justice represented to me the urgent necessity scholars
meet the large increase of a third judge, both in order to lighten the expenditure to enlarge the premises of these
which last year
necessit led 80 work of the judges and in order to form a more effective Court of Appes). I found that closed.
Government schools. Three small schools are my predecessor had not considered that the Wantsai, Yuen Long with Pingshau and Shauki Tungbangchow is amalgamated with necessity had been demonstrated and that the wan, which has never been opened, does not appear Secretary of State, after a full review of the to be required as yet. A new one has been founded argument put frward by the Chief Justice, at Cheung Chau at the request of the people. had finally negatived the proposal. I felt my. self that the existing Appeal Court, con.
There are various retrenchments, but a large sisting of two judges only, of whom the Chief Code, $9,378, an increase in the cost of the increase of the sum payable under the Grant Justice had a casting vole, must necessarily be a farce, since it practically prohibited an appeal Evening Continuation Classes in future, from Technical Institute, as we propose to call the from a decision of the Chief Justice, unless it! 88,05 to $12,605, together making a sum of was intended to take the case to the Privy $13,933. Both increases denote a sound pro- Council, a course prohibitive to any but very wealthy litigants. In this view I was supported vote for Education over the last vote, apart from grees in education. The increase on the whole by the Chief Justice and the Puisne Judge, the Attorney General and the members of the Bar, which is more than evered by the increase in what is due to fall in exchange, is $19,585, bat, like my predecessor. I have found the feer, $21,650. general opinion to be that, except for the pur-stands at $232,139, namely: 3.83 per cent of the The total spent on education poses of an Appeal Court, a third judge was ordinary revenue, as against an average for not immediately required. The cat involved, the last seven completed years of 2.47 per cent, estimated at $25,000 and all the difficulty of and an estimated average of 3.41 per cent for finding accommodation pending the completion the current year. of the new aw Courts were additional reasons
If we, however, deduct from the expenditure on for deferring such
education the amount appointment. I realized by fees, these averages become 1777 suggested therefore that the judge of the for the seven Shanghai Court should gisit Hongkong twice
years, 2.477 for the current year, and 2.63 for next year the estimated in a year and sit as an Appeal Judge here. In this proposal the Secretary of State
revenue for 1909 being $72,350 and the melt and the Foreign Offie have agreed, but as I however, are vitiated by the varying rates of cost of education $159,789. The comparisons, have only recently received the telegram, no exchange, and if the increase in the vote for provision appears in the Estimates. The cost 1309 which is due to this cause were eliminated is small £275. We must, I think, regard this you would find that the percentage of net cost as only a temporary measure, for appeal work is sore to increase and will take up more
to ordinary revenue is almost precisely the time than the Shanghai Judge can spare. It
same as this year, namely 2.4. It is interesting will, I think, bridge over the time which must for the United Kingdom. Lord Onslow, speak to contrast these figures with the figures elapse before the new Law Courts are open, ing in the ouse of Lords on June 24, stated when, I hope, we will be in a position to afford a third judge.
that in twenty years the expenditure on education bas sextupled and is now nearly twenty millions, In the same period the amount raised locally for education had increased by 173 per cent. Twenty millions is 12.8 per cent of the revenus of the United Kingdom, as against our 2.6 per cent. We may, I think, feel that this most important of all the functions of civilized government is well attended to in this Colony, and that the last two years have shown therein a marked advance both in the number of pupils, and in the standari of education-of which the success of the Technical Institute is not the least valuable. The increase in attendance is not confined to the Government school but is common to all. dual desks for all schools, avoiding overcrowding, We are gradually providing and a considerable saving has been effected by making these in Hoogkong.
7.
8
Under Judicial and Legal, I have but few words to say. Under Police, as also under Harbour Master's Department, there are number of entries referring to boat painting. This is consequent on a change I have recently made by which Government officers are now responsible for the painting of numbers on janks, and the duties have been properly organised. Under
"Medical, provision is made for taking on the private nursing staff which will benceforth be incorporated with the Government Hospital staff. I have thought it unnecessary to replace the present assistant bacteriologist, who desires to resign when his term of service expires in March, by a fully qualified Medical Officer. The other charges of this Institution which have been calculated од a somewhat liberal scale have also been considerably reduced.
THE SANITARY DEPARTMENT.
THE MILITARY CONTRIBUTION,
The re-vorganization of the Sanitary Depart ment consequent on the passing of the recent Bill is fully set out in the Appendix and the general merits were fully described by me in introducing that Bill. I have thought it better to incorporate the Plague staff and Sanitary staff under one establishment, since the distinotion was purely artifical, and those who have hitherto been designated as Plague staff are available for other duties in connection with plague or otherwise which may be assigned to them by the Head of the Department. A large increase, 84,000, has been provided for rat poison. The total expenditure on Banitary department shows
the other reasons. a saving of 837,511, in spite of the loss by exchange and the creation of the new post of the Head
The vote for Defence shows a small increase for the Military Contribution of $25,161 owing for 1909 as compared with our estimate for this to the improvement in our estimate of revenue
year. The incidenes of this contribution does not however fall, as Mr. Chamberlain desired the Colony should be able to devote a larger sum it should, so that in times of increased prosperity
to ita defence and in times of financial difficulty it should contribute less. The estimates before us are a good example of this; for while our revenue is estimated to increase by 8:25,SU6 only, upon which WJ pay 1 he additional less the Military Contribution, is increased by oost I have referred to, our expenditure, $357,774, owing to the fall in exchange and that although the balance of ordinary revenue I have already explained and expenditure is $447,000 to the bad, we have an increased contribution to pay. of the Sanitary Department seemed to me that a better means to attain the It has against which must be set the cost of the object Mr. Chamberlain had in view would be Building Authority's staff and charges transfor- red to Public Works Dəpartment.
to take the difference between ordinary revenue and ordinary expediture, which together with
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pistol at the head of the Colony and ordering us to stand and deliver 20 per cent of our revenue. He based his opposition apon the assumption that the garrison was maintained here chiefly for Imperial purposes. To those remarks I did not personally refer for I felt that a question of such importance should only be approached after a faller knowledge and investigation than it had been possible for me Colony as I then possessed, I approached the to devote to it after so short a residence in the
matter with an
mind, possibly with Contribution weighed a bias in favour of the view that the too heavily, and I was fully prepared if my examination of the matter should confirm that view to appeal to the Imperial Authorities for its reduction; but I cannot say that is the conclusion to which I bare been led. What are the facts? Roughly speaking we pay one-third to one-half of the provided by the Imperial Government. It is total cost of the defence forces. Armaments are
absurd to contrast our position with that of the Straits, who, for the last year or two have paid the extra cost of their defense. Towards the Navy, to whose protection we owe our existence, we con- tribute nothing. It is the Navy which protects comparatively small land force here. its docks and its coaling stations and not the Colonies and Protectorates in Africa with The
which I bave been associated very many years bear the entire cost of their defence, though their frontiers are coterminous with those of European Continental nations. In the event of war they would have to bar the extra on DE of their defence,
The amount they pay out of their revenues to cent. than twenty per cent, in some cases, but defposible forces is, I think, more like fifty per
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"You
it is difficult
at 20 exact figure from published statistics. I think the Imperial Government could not be socused of injustice if it said to us to-morrow: grumble at the cost of the defence forces and works provided. We will withdraw them and selves and you can furnish your own defence." look after our docks and coaling stations our- What would be the result? It would cost us two or three times as much as we now pay. Look at the enormous value of the material property-belonging both to the Colonial Government and to private oftisins here: what proportion does our military contribution bear to bat capital value regarded as an insurance against war risks? Will you put it as high as one per cent. All the nations of the world are grosning under the burden of the cost of defence, and we cannot claim exemption. Honourable members are aware that a consider- able section of our fellow countrymen complain that the expenditure on the army and navy has of recent years been unduly reduced, yet I see from the financial statements of the last two total estimated revenue of the United Kingdom completed years that 53 and 41 per cent of the
was spent on d-fence, and in that sum paid by the British taxpayer is included from one-half Hongkong. We pay only 2) per cent of our to two-thirds of the cost of the defences of
geographical position renders as peculiarly revenue, and I must remind you that if our vulnerable to attack and increases the cost of defence, it is this very good geographical 'position to which we owe our prosperity,” It li
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