William Robinson, invigorated by his recent visit to Shanghai and the races, made a very lucid and exhaustive speech to his Legislative Council at its reassembling on the 3rd instant, and of this speech His Excellency has politely sent us a copy. He began by referring to the new arrangement which has added General Black and Mr. Wei A-yuk to the Council as official and unofficial members respectively. 'I'o the former, as the General Officer Commanding the forces, falls the duty of governing the Colony when the Governor is absent; the latter is expected to bring the Government into still closer touch with the Chinese community. The Governor farther mentioned that two unofficial members had been added to the Executive Council, Messrs, Chater and Bell-Irving; but of course in both Councils the Government still retain a majority of voices; for these changes do not make Hongkong more of a self-governing colony, ever in municipal matters, than it was before.
The first of the measures coming before the Council mentioned by the Governor was the one fixing the colony's military contribution at 17} per cent of the colonial revenues. '1' Bill is the final result of much di cussion and negotiation. he unofficial members have lately memorialised in favour of a return to the fixed sum of £40,000, but the Governor held out no hope that this would be granted, Then Sir William passed to the Budget for 1897. Ihe estimated revenue, a conservative estimate, for 1897 is $2,438,823; the expenditure is estimated at $2,769,083, of which the loan accounts for $368,000. 'I'he actual current expenditure is therefore estimated at $2,401,083, showing a surplus of $87,740. lhe Governor then gave a list of the principal increases in expenditure as compared with 1896, making short comments on some of them, and referring particularly to the Sanitary Department, for which a larger staff of inspectors is required. On the other hand, "economies have been effected as opportunity offered, on the lines suggested by the Retrenchment Committee, but such Opportunities have been rare." Sir William adds that: "The rate of exchange for the estimates for 1897 has been taken at 2s, 1d, the same rate as was taken for 1896, which may be regarded os a safe rate so far as the word safe' can be applied to exchange."
Whence the Governor passes to the general condition of the Colony, financially and otherwise. The estimated revenue for 1896 was $2,288,366; the total actual revenue will be probably $2,495,000, and the total expenditure $2,445,000, leaving a surplus of some $50,000. The increase in receipts is mainly due to premia on Land Sales, estimated at $70,000, realising to date $250,000. The principal item of unforeseen expenditure was $70,000 for plague expenses. A short history is given of the 1896 plague visitation, which carried off 1,097 Chinese and 7 Europeans, It is noted that there was no general exodus of the Chinese population; and the services of Dr. Yersin and Dr, Kitasato, each of whom has prepared an antitoxin for the treatment of the disease, and of Dr. Wilm, of the German Navy, who was lent by Admiral Hoffman, and put in charge of the Kennedytown Hospital, are duly recorded. Recorded also is the very severe typhoon which swept over the colony on the 29th of July last, and caused great damage to property, and little loss of life.
Passing over small matters not of general interest, we come to the water supply of the city of Victoria, which is now a recurring anxiety when a dry season is prolonged. Projects, we learn, have now been prepared and approved for
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.