Mr. Herbert Smith, who is one of the commissioners appointed by the Governor to enquire into the charges levied by the Government on shipping frequenting the waters of the colony, and the expenditure scored a point on this subject. He at once incurred in the interests of shipping, has objected to the waste of time which would be involved in carrying the enquiry into certain directions, stich as the aunount of the original expenditure on buildings connected with the Harbour Department and Water Police, that of the various lighthouses, the observatory, the Inunches and boats, Causeway Bay Breakwater, the dredger, and the hospital bulk Hygeia, and the proportion of the military contribution, if any, that could be debited to shipping. In a letter to the Government he pointed out that this was obviously beyond the scope of the Secretary of State's suggestion, and would entail endless discusioe nnd prolonged research, and suggested that paragraphs 3, 4, 5, and 6 of instructions to the Commission should be referred to Me. Chamberlain. In reply His Excellency has agreed to waive enquiry on these points, and begs that the Commission will proceed to enquire into.the other points with as little delay as possible.
HONGKONG ELECTRIC LIGHT COMPANY, The annual meeting of this Company was hald on the 29th ult., when the report and accounts were adopted wd voce. The Chairman in proposing their adoption stated that there hud been a steady improvement in the earnings, due chiefly to the increase in the use of the incandescent light, that of the arclighting being small. He went on to justify the small dividend paid by reminding
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.