195
Expansion of activities in this department has necessitated the reorganization of duties. A new post of Assistant Controller of Stores has been created offset by the deletion of an Executive Officer post. Increased activities account for the minor increases in the grades of Clerk, Storekeeper, Office Assistant and Watchman. The remaining new posts represent transfers from daily-rated to monthly-rated status plus daily-rated posts in the same grade previously provided for under Other Charges. These changes, together with normal increments, account for the increase of $162,810 in the vote for personal emoluments. Under Other Charges, significant changes consist of the transfer of the vote for office equipment from Annually Recurrent to Special Expenditure; the amalgamation of the Sand Monopoly votes, previously shown separately, in other appropriate recurrent votes; and the deletion of the provision for Stationery. Office sundries are now provided for under Special Expenditure, and paper will henceforth be the responsibility of the Government Printer.
Under Special Expenditure the provision for furniture for Government buildings and quarters has been reduced by $750,000, the current year's figure being the highest to date. For accounting purposes the vote for office equipment has been sub-divided, and the increase over last year's provision partly indicates expanding departmental requirements but is in the main offset by the omission of many items (now to be charged to this vote) from departmental Special Expenditure subheads.
HEAD 40 — SUBVENTIONS
Estimate 1957/58
$57,955,050
Revised estimate 1956/57
43,742,000
Approved estimate 1956/57
51,683,410
Actual expenditure 1955/56
34,727,237
Social Welfare
Estimate 1957/58
$3,849,430
Revised estimate 1956/57
1,685,000
Approved estimate 1956/57
1,719,350
Actual expenditure 1955/56
1,672,250
On the advice of the Social Welfare Advisory Committee subventions to certain welfare organizations have been increased. The most substantial increase is $95,000 to the Boys' and Girls' Clubs Association, which will enable that Association to carry out the first part of their three year development plan for the expansion of club facilities on the rooftops of multi- storey buildings in the resettlement estates-particularly new estates-for underprivileged boys and girls living in the estates. The increase of $50,000 to the Hong Kong Family Welfare Society is mainly to meet the revised salaries of their professional staff. $30,000 to the Family Planning Association of Hong Kong is to cover increasing activities and the cost of employing a full time medical officer. Other substantial increases include $28,000 to the Good Shepherd Sisters for maintenance of girls placed in the Home by the Social Welfare Office and for payment of rates; $20,000 each, to the Hong Kong Sea School and the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children on account of increasing activities and/or employment of additional staff and $15,000 to the Ebenezer Home for the Blind for improving the facilities of the Home. A new item is the provision of $200,000 for the Christian Children's Fund Inc. to meet maintenance costs of the orphanage extension described in the next paragraph. This provision is in part offset by a reduction in the recurrent subvention to the Salvation Army for King's Park Orphanage. Provision for rates payable by a number of welfare organizations is also included.
Under Special Expenditure are items of $1,600,000 for the Christian Children's Fund Inc. covering the cost of extending their orphanage under construction at Wu Kwai Sha, to provide additional accommodation for 360 orphans to be transferred from the Salvation Army King's Park Orphanage, for which a token provision of $1 million was previously provided under Head 31, and $100,000 for the Good Shepherd Sisters to meet half the cost of building and equipping another residence for 52 girls.
Estimate 1957/58
Revised estimate 1956/57 Approved estimate 1956/57 Actual expenditure 1955/56
Medical
$8,041,500
7,438,000
7,252,860
6,185,682