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Captain Emil Francke, who was master of the unfortunate Great Northern liner Dakota when she was lost off the Japanese coast, March, 4, 1907, has been appointed superintendent for the Northern district of the Pacific Coast Steamship Company.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
THE LIQUOR TAX IN HONGKONG.
(Daily Press, September 18th.)
[September 27, 1909. amount required for running expenses-
as
In
very few railways built have paid their working expenses in the first year.'
THE GOVERNOR'S estimate short,
is
that the Colony will have to provide about six lakhs of dollars on railway Not the least interesting feature of Thurs-account alone in 1911. May there not also be some additional loss of revenue from opium 28 the years pass? True, the advertisements call for tenders for the opium farm for three years, but as the import of opium decreases every year, it may the absence of any be presumed, in
Thursday last was a red-letter-day in the annals of the Chinese Company of the Shang-day's debate in the Legislative Council on hai Volunteer Corps. For the first time in its the Bill imposing an import duty on short history it received Imperial recognition alcoholic liquors consumed in the Colony in the from of a banner from H.H. the Prince
was the explanation given by H. E. THE Regent, who had commissioned Prince Tsai
GOVERNOR of the need for such a large sum Hsun to make the presentation on his behalf.
The Kiangnan Arsenal Dock Co., says the of money as this tax is calculated to yield. Shanghai Mercury, is at present a very busy We drew attention a week ago to a state- ment made in Council by the Hon. Mr. HEWETT, that the proposed import duties on alcoholic liquors would probably yield to the Colonial Treasury a sum approximating a million dollars net. We recalled the fact that the Government's original proposal- to obtain revenue by largely increasing the fees for licences to sell alcoholic liquors was estimated to produce not more than two and a half lakhs of dollars, and we
place. They have on the stocks four tow boats that are being built for the Peiho Conservancy
Board, the fifth of five monster caissons for bridge work on the Tientsin-Pukow Railway has just been completed, and it is understood that work will soon be commenced on a small cruiser for the Chinese Government, as well as a yacht for the use of the Admiral. In addition the C. M. streamer Meefoo is getting a new rudder, while several coasting vessels are being
overhauled.
It seems that the Chinese Government is confidently reckoning upon the return of Sir Robert Hart to China, A Chinese newspaper published in Peking states that in discussing the national finance question certain Ministers are reported to have said that upon the return of Sir Robert Hart a joint meeting consisting of representatives of the Waiwupu, the Board of Revenue and Sir Robert Hart will be held, After this due representations will be made to the Ministers of the various countries regarding the control by the Board of Revenue of the receipts of the Imperial Maritime Customs.
of public works in the Philippine Islands, who Mr. James W. Beardsley, formerly director was succeeded by Mr. James F. Case, and later appointed consulting irrigation engineer to the bureau, has resigned, his resignation having taken effect on the 11th. Mr. Beardsley had just completed an important mission- that of studying the irrigation systems of Java, India and Egypt, and reporting thereon to the insular government. He also represented the insular government in an irrigation congress held at Spokane, Washington. Acting Governor Forbes received a cable announcing this resignation and expressed his regret at the loss of such an able man as Mr. Beardsley. He characterized the reports he had made as "extremely able and
valuable" ones.
M. A. Tobin, formerly chief clerk in charge of the municipal water office at Singapore, was sentenced last week to three years rigorous imprisonment on each count of the indictment, the sentences to run concurrently. The charges had reference to three sums of $30, $60 and $15.
Accused's Counsel in pleading for as light a sentence as possible mentioned that Tobin was the son of a general in the British Army, was educated at Dublin University and for a short time himself held a commission in the Army. He was foolish enough to get married on a small salary, had one child, and his wife was in a delicate condition. He had previously got into trouble through contracting debts with chetties. The prisoner received his sentence stoically, but Mrs. Tobin fainted and had to be borne from the room by two European sergeants. Eighteen foreign ships, representing 29,196 net tons, entering Cebu during August made that month one of the busiest in the history of that port. The total receipts for the month were P18,214.26. On account of the new export regulations which were put in force last month a loss of P58.140.04 was suffered on hemp alone. Under the old regulations the receipts would have been P240,284 30 instead of what they were. For a while, says a Manila contemporary, on account of the new tariff law which required goods to be brought be to the Philippines in one bottom to
the entered free,
outlook was rather gloomy for Cebu. Now, however, merchants are beginning to be more hopeful, as the Blue Funnel Steamship Company has announced thet their steamers from Tacoma will make Cebu a regular port of call. This will give Cebu à steamer from the United States every twenty-eight days. It is also hoped by the merchants that these arrangements may be made with New York steamers in the future.
asked what need existed for raising under the alternative scheme such a very much larger amount. The thought that then occurred to us-though we left it unrecorded was that the Government had come to regard the prospect of obtaining from "substantial the Imperial Parliament a
towards the loss of opium contribution" revenue as extremely doubtful, and that it would be well, therefore, to make the sum sure of having in hand necessary to cover the estimated ex- financial position given by His EXCELLENCY penditure. But the explanation of the yesterday shows that the conjecture was erroneous, and that the Government still has a lively faith that Parliament will do
..
on
the bidding of the Government in the matter and give the Colony a contribution amount- ing to two and a half lakhs, being but half the amount of the total estima ed loss which the Colonial revenue will suffer by the restriction of the traffic in opiumn. This, then, would leave the Colony to make good the other two and a half lakhs. In addi- tion to this the Government are anticipating a deficit equal to the amount shown in last year's Budget, which was almost met by taking the Civil Servants' Widows and Orphans Fund, as a loan. Adding interest due on this sum, a total liability of $421,000 has been incurred. Add further the $72,170 which was still needed to balance last year's Budget, and we thus get a total of nearly five lakus as the deficit to be made good in the next Budget, plus the two and a half lakhs' loss On opium-together seven and a half lakhs. The import tax liquors will meet the deficit if the Imperial Parliament acts up to expectations in the little matter of the "substantial contribution." Should there be any failure in this respect, or should the revenue, as is quite possible, not come up to the Governinent's expectations, then still further revenue will be needed. The outlook as regards taxation is still distinctly ominous, and the Budget statements for the next. few years will be awaited with greater interest and more apprehension than has of late years been the case. Qur only hope of a more satisfactory balance sheet rests upon the savings in expenditure which have followed the investigations of the Retrenchment Committee, and we imagine the total cannot be prodigious. Looking further ahead, to the year 1911, THE GOVERNOR reminds us that the full interest on capital account of the railway will have to be met-interest on one million sterling-and the railway sinking fund also comes into operation that year. His EXCELLENCY added to this the hint that we may have to make up a deficiency in the
definite information to the contrary, that the Government's revenue from the opium farm will be au annually decreasing amount. On the other hand, large annual expenditures to which the Government is now committed -as, for instance, on the new Law Courts and the new Post Office--will have come to an end in a couple of years-if we may dare prophesy at all on such a question-and the decreasing income from opium may not therefore be so severely felt, especially if the Imperial Government lives up to the standard of contributing half the loss for a few years. That, however, is a vain hope, we fancy. They may do it for one, but it it highly improbable that they will give us an annual doñation. We conclude, there- fore, that it will be obvious to anyone who looks a little ahead in these matters that the additional revenue raised by the import tax on liquors-even if it amounts to one million dollars net a year-will not suffice wards unless the trade of the Colony improves and develops to a much greater to balance the colonial budgets of 1911 on-
extent than we can at present see any
grounds for anticipating.
(Daily Press, September 20th.) The leading topic of conversation in the Colony is naturally the operation of the Liquor Tax Law which was brought into force within an hour after it had passed. through the Legislative Council last Friday, This was a complete surprise to "the trade" and the community in general, for, in the first place, the notion is a common one that a law does not come into operation without previous notification in the "Government Gazette," and secondly the public had had no idea that the Government, while the Bill was before the Council, had been making their arrangements for the operation of the measure as soon as it became law. Previous is not, we publication in the "Gazette believe, a legal requirement. We presume the practice in England in this connection is applicable in the Crown Colonies. When the commencement of an Act of Parliament is not specifically enacted, the Bill becomes law when the day, month, and year on which it is passed and received the royal assent is endorsed on the Bill immediately below the title. This endorsement becomes part of the Act and is the date of its commence- ment when no other commencement is Very few provided in the Act itself. Acts of Parliament, of course, come into operation in this manner; they generally specifically state on what date they will come into force, as is the case, for instance, in the amended Stamp Ordinance, which was recently passed, but the Government cannot be expected-would not in fact be justified in the public interest-in delaying the operation of such a measure as this liquor tax a day after it has passed through the Legislative Council. It does not seem to us that "the trade" or the general public can have any legitimate grievance against the Government on that account, and though it may be that the community is surprised by the suddenness with which Ordinance is brought into the new.
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