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“...stock £1,143,933 at 3^-
per cent, was raised in 1906 to cover a loan to the Viceroy of
Wuchang of <£1,000,000. The Viceroy, in accordance with the
terms of the loan, had up to the end of 1909 repaid £440,000,
which was placed to the credit of a special account for construc-
tion of the British section of the Kowdoon-Canton Railway.
The contributions paid into the Joint Sinking Fund, with
accrued interest from investments thereof, came to £86,980 2s. bd.
on the 31st of December, .1909, but the value of the fund, accord-
ing to market prices, was £86,577 76*. 9d.
11.TRADE AND SHIPPING, INDUSTRIES, FISHERIES,
AGRICULTURE, AND LAND.
(a.)Trade and Shipping.
The total of the shipping entering and clearing at ports in the
Colony during the year 1909 amounted to 527,280 vessels of
34,830,845 tons which, compared with that for 1908, shows a
decrease in numbers of 4,832 vessels, with an increase in tonnage
of 215,604 tons.
Of this total, 43,794 vessels of 22,415,125 tons were engaged m
foreign trade...”
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“...Set-
tlements, &c., and to Rangoon. Business during the year showed
no increase.
(c.)Fisheries.
A considerable proportion of the boat-population of Hong Kong
supports itself by deep-sea fishing, in which pursuit a large number
of junks are engaged. The villages of Aberdeen, Stanley, Shau-
kiwan, and many others in the New Territories are largely depen-
dent upon this industry for their prosperity. Fresh water fish is
imported from Canton and the West River. There are oyster beds
of considerable value in Deep Bay.
(d.)Forestry, Agriculture, and Botany.
The formation of pine tree plantations in the Harbour Belt
between Lai-chi-kok and Lyemun has been continued to the extent
of 300 acres, and failures in the older plantations in this area, in
the catchment areas of Kowloon and Tytam Reservoirs, and in the
felled areas of Mount Kellet and Aberdeen have been made good.
A few seedlings of the Nanmu or coffin-wood tree have been
planted on the north side of Mount Victoria, the south side of
Mount...”
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“...Director of
the Imperial Institute, London, for report as to whether any of
them contained medicinal or toxic qualities, or had economic
value. The lists were sent by the Imperial Institute to the Phar-
macopoeia Committee of the General Medical Council, who reported
that there were not sufficient indications of the extent or employ-
ment of individual plants to justify the inclusion of any of them
in the Colonial Addendum to the British Pharmacopoeia. Pro-
fessor Dunstan added that none of the plants seemed likely to yield
products of economic value which are not already known.
Seeds of Aleurites Fordii, Aleurites cordata, Soja hispida, and
Perilla ocymoides, barks of Aleurites Fordii, Aleurites cordata,
and Aleurites triloba, as well as several kinds of vegetable oils
were also sent to the Director of the Imperial Institute for a
report as to their commercial value and suitability for the English
market.
Work on the flora of Hong Kong the New Territories and
province has been carried on during...”
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“...Contribution.
The Colony contributed $1,226,441 (being the statutory contri-
bution of 20 per cent, of the Revenue) towards the cost of the
maintenance of the Regular Forces in the Colony including
Barrack Services and Defence Works.
(b.)Volunteer Corps.
The expenditure on the Volunteers, which is entirely borne by
the Colony, was $38,393 compared with $45,554 in 1908.
XII.GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.
The assessment made for the year 1909-1910 (1st July to 30th
June), shows a slight decrease in the rateable value of the whole
Colony of 0*60 per cent. In Shaukiwan, the Hong Kong villages,
Kowloon Point, Yaumati, Hunghom, and Kowloon villages there
is an increase ranging from 0*44 per cent, to 10*53 per cent.,
but a decrease is shown in the City of Victoria of 2*00 per cent.,
in the Hill District of 0*31 per cent., and in Mongkoktsui of 9*73
per cent. There is a noticeable increase in New Kowloon of
$41,543 or 66*66 per cent.
The average rate of exchange (demand on London) which had
been Is. 9*6727cZ. to...”
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“...26
COLONIAL REPORTSANNUAL.
The position with regard to subsidiary coins remained unsatis-
factory, and during 1909 the Government withdrew from circu-
lation silver subsidiary coin amounting to the face value of
$779,712 and copper to the face value of $40,646. These coins
were shipped to England where they were melted down and sold
as bullion for £57,757 Is. 4d. and £1,535 0s. Id. respectively.
The loss to revenue by this transaction amounted to $76,863.17.
The discount during the year on Hong Kong subsidiary coin
varied between 4 per cent, and 7£ per cent., and on Chinese
subsidiary coin 4-| per cent, and 8 per cent. Hong Kong copper
cents were from 105 to 120 per $1, and Chinese copper cents
from 112 to 123 per $1. Negotiations continued without success
between this Government and the Chinese authorities with a
view to decreasing the excess of Chinese subsidiary coin.
In pursuance of the policy of His Majesty's Government, 26
opium divans were closed on the 1st March, 1909, and compensa-...”
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“...HONG KONG, 1909.
27
Licences are restricted to a few chemists and druggists of good
repute, who have to pay a royalty to the monopolist referred to in
(1) of ten dollars per tael of morphine and four dollars per tael
of compound of opium other than morphine. The price is thereby
enhanced. Under the conditions of these licences morphine and
compounds of opium may not be sold to the general public in
quantities less than of the value of 20 cents. The vendor must
supply the purchaser at the time of sale with a counterfoil certifi-
cate.
The possession of morphine and compounds of opium without
such certificate is illegal, and in quantities exceeding 12 official
doses whether covered by certificates or not.
Supervision of the trade in these drugs is ensured by the com-
pulsory keeping of books by the licensees, which are open to
inspection.
Opium, morphine, and compounds of opium are declared to be
poisons'under the Pharmacy Ordinance. Un'der the provisions of
that Ordinance the seller must...”
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