§ Mr. STEWARTasked what was the maximum annual revenue obtained by the Colony of Hong Kong for the opium farm; what is the revenue for this year; and what is the estimated revenue for next year?
Mr. HARCOURTI cannot, without much longer notice than the hon. Gentleman has given me, state the maximum annual revenue from this source. The rent paid by the farmer under the contract which expired early in 1910 was $1,452,000, to which must be added receipts from divan licences, which amounted in 1909 to $1,860. The rent of the present farm, which will continue during 1911 and 1912, is $1,183,200 a year. This is the total revenue now derived from opium owing to the closing of the divans.
§ Mr. STEWARTasked what has been the total cost to the Colony of Hong-Kong for the upkeep of Imperial post offices in China during the last twenty years; and whether it is proposed to continue charging the Colony for the upkeep of these post offices in the future?
Mr. HARCOURTHong Kong has been relieved of all expense in respect of these post offices since the beginning of the present year. In these circumstances, the hon. Gentleman will perhaps not press for a reply to the earlier part of his question, which I could not in any case answer without much longer notice.
§ Mr. STEWARTasked whether, for calculating the military contribution upon the revenue of the Colony of Hong Kong, it is the custom to calculate the percentage charged upon the amount received by the post office without deducting what it costs to run that Department; and, if so, what has been the amount collected from the Colony upon this item since the present method of collecting the military contribution has been instituted; and does the cost of running the post office exceed the receipts?
Mr. HARCOURTThe answer to the first part of the hon. Gentleman's question is in the affirmative. I cannot answer the second part without much longer notice than the hon. Gentleman has given. In recent years the cost of the Post Office has sometimes exceeded and sometimes fallen short of the receipts. For the present year the estimated revenue is $403,100 and the estimated expenditure $456,897.
§ Mr. STEWARTIs it the case that the Colony pays an Income Tax of 20 per cent. of the receipts of a Department on which it loses $60,000 a year?
Mr. HARCOURTI cannot make the calculation as rapidly as the hon. Member, but I will work it out and give an answer.