Tue Colony of Hongkong was not free from its share of ansteties and depressions during 1901, and these are reflected in the blue book report, just issued, of H. E, Major-General Sir W. S. Gascoigne. Most of these sets-hack were, however, due to special causes, and the report tells, on the whole, a story of steady, even vigorous, progress. The revenue for the year, exclusive of land sales was $3,973 578, or $636,523 more than the estimate; inclusive of land sales the total revenue was $4,213,8! The expenditure, including the h outlay on Public Works Extraordinary, was $4,111,722, and there was thus an excess of revenue over expenditure of $102,171. The amount realised from land' sales was only $240,815 as compared with $816,000 in 1900, This was partly due to the fact that, except in the New Territory, the available space for building is becoming very limited. To meet this, "very extensive reclamation works have been and still are being successfully carried out, and large areas of level building ground have thereby been created. It is hoped that before long a practical commencement will be made of a new reclamation, which will extend from the Naval Dockyard in the centre of the town to Causeway Bay in the East." In spite of the diminution of the revenue from this source the total excess of assets over liabilities in the Colony's financial statement amounted to$1,036,523, not including certain arrears of revenue amounting to $61,182.
The reported trade of the port shows a sad series of "decreases" in the imports; of 12.3 per cent in coal, 27.8 per cent in cotton, 8 per cent in rice, 18.7 per cent. in timber, and 423 per cent in hemp. "The import trade," says the report, "was very depressed throughout the year. La the interior of China there was much poverty, and trade was hampered by unauthorised exactions on goods beyond the confines of the treaty ports. The fall in the exchange of silver and the high values ruling on the home markets—especially in raw cotton and all cotton fabrics—also militated severely against this branch of trade." The opium trade was far from prosperous, but that in Indian cotton arn showed "a decidedly marked improvem-:: t over the previous twelve mantis, The imports to Hongkong and Shanghai, which showed a shrinkage of close upon 60 per cent in 1900, increased again over 100 per cent during the past twelve months, while sales in Hongkong showed an excess of 45,715 bales." By way of explanation the report goes on: "A grest and important movement has taken place which has opened the whole of the markets of inland China to the world. Manufacturers on the spot will certainly be unable, at least for some time, to meet the greatly increased demand which will thus be occasioned, and in the meantime India may fairly hope to reap some share of the harvest, more expecially if likin—a veritable millstone round the neck of this trade—is effectually removed."
The total tonnage of shipping entering and clearing Hongkong harbour during the year amounted to being an increase, compared with 1900, of 880,240 tons, and the same in excess of any previous year. The shipping returns for the iwo years mentioned show that though there has been a large decrease in the number of vessels under the British flag, chiefly due to the withdrawal of some river steamers, there has been an increase in British tonnage of 58441 tons. Besides this there was an increase in the business of junks engaged in local trade of more than 700,000 tons over the previous year. One consequence of the continually increasing tonnage in the harbour is that the problem of providing berth accommodation becomes more acute, and the report remarks that " though there may not be any very pressing necessity just at present, there can be no reasonable doubt that the water-space will soon be found inadequate, Most of the local industries were well employed during the year, but cotton-spinning was hampered by the plague, and the sugar industry by the large importations of Con'inental bounty-fed sugar intoJapanand other markets which used to draw their supplies from Hongkong, The shipping industry is described as being prosperous; over-speculation in shares both in Hongkong and Shanghai, which has in many cases adversely affected the value of shares, the report considers " merely a temporary condition," which will right itself Ifthe heavy fallin silver remains permanent the result will be a stimulation of local production, particularly in the repairing and docking of ships, which can be excellently done by Chinese under European supervision. As in most places the labour question is "the crux of the industrial problem" and it is hoped that the extension of the boundaries of the colony may make it possible to provide cheaper and healthier accommodation for the labouring classes. Meantime an important work is carried on by the Forestry and Botanical Department, which has been experimenting in the planting of trees and, the introduction of new plants of economic value, Plants and seeds are regularly interchanged with other botanical institutions, and the number of plants successfully introduced into the colony is constantly increasing. Goyernment has taken steps to bring in better qualities of the sugar cane for cultivation in the New Territory.
During the year, $687,325 was expended on public works, The most important scheme initiated was the construction of waterworks to supply the Kosloon peninsula with water by gravitation. This it is estimated will cost altogether $835,000. Work has been commenced meanwhile on an additional reservoir for the city of Victoria. A number of new buildings are also in progress, among them new law courts, harbour offices, western market, and Governor's Peak residence, Arrangements for the construction of an electric tramway nine miles in length were almost brought t" a conclusion last year, The vital statistics show that at the census taken in January 1901, the civil population of the colony was 283,975 of whom 9,560 were non-Chinese. The new territory was not included in the census, but is estimated to contain another 100,000 residents. The death rate for the year was 23.5 per 1,000, but excluding deaths from bubonic plague, which accounted for 1,562, the rate was 1903 per 1000. British deaths numbered 116, There is a significant clause in the report which stutes that "in spite of the efforts of the Government, the Sanitary Board, and the Legislature, during the past few years, the sanitary state of the colony still leaves much to be desired." Reference is made to the appointment of Mr. Osbert Chadwick, C.M.G. and Professor Simpson, M.D., two sanitary experts of repute, to visit the colony and report on measures practicable for the amelioration of the sanitary condition of the city, and at the same time to enquire into the origin of bubonic plague, which is its special curse. These officials had not arrived at the end of 1901, but it was hoped they would have completed their task before the publication of next year's report.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.