We have already reviewed the Report of the Muni i Council, on their administration daring 1869-70; and parpose now to examine the budget for 1870-71. The probable income is estimated at Tls. 192,674 from actual collections, besides a balance of Tls. 7,334 from 1870, and Tls. 6,242 which bad been accumulated towards buying anew bridge for the Soochow Creek, bat which will now, we presume, pass into general account, The total available reves for the year will thus be Tls. 206,251; and of this it is proposed to spend Ils, 205,189, leaving a working balance of only Is. 1,062, on the lst March 1871.
It is rather remarkable that, notwithstanding the late sweeping revision of the Land Tax assessment, the estimat~ ed receipt from that source differs only by Tls. 22 from that of 1870. The various rafes which may be called tenants' taxes—house tax, lighting rate, and naissance rate—are lumped, for convenience, under the one head of "General Municipal rate," and are fixed at 6 per cent on foreign and 8 per cent on native houses. This involves an inerense of per cent over the rate collected Just year, though the amount expected to be collected from the tax-payers will be less by some is. 1,600 than the income of Inst year. The increase in the per centage of foreign rates is inevitable, as the proportion between tax on laud and rates on buildings must "not exceed one-"twentieth of one per cent. on the "gross value of the former, to "one per cent, on the assessed "annual rental of the latter." In. the increase, the relative proportion between foreign and native rates lins been carefully observed. These three taxes aggregate Tls. 67,478; and, with wharfage dues, which are es: timated to yield is. 95,360, form the staple sources of revenue. Licenses contribute Tls. 18,000, of which opium-houses alone pay ' Tls. 10,000; and the Local Post office yields Tls. 3,530, thereby paying its own expenses within two hundred taels. Interest account, the sale of night-soil, cemetery fees, and other minor items go to make up the total, The estimated expenditure is less by Tls. 26,000 than that of 1870; but there is an actual increase on most items; as two large sams—Tls. 20,400 for the pontoons and shore line, and Tls. 16,900 for the purchase of Jand—are unrepresented in the budget for
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.