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The Head of the Sanitary Department is, ex officio, the chairman of the Urban Council. This Council's functions and authority are more restricted than its title suggests, and are subordinate in many respects to the executive authority of Government. The Council's power to originate subsidiary legislation in matters concerning public health and conser- vancy is subject to confirmation by the Legislative Council.
Local administration in the New Territories, which include the many islands within Hong Kong's territorial waters, is in the hands of a District Officer. In addition to his administrative duties this officer is magistrate and land officer for his district, and is empowered to hear small debts cases and to decide summarily certain types of cases concern- ing land. The rural area was formerly divided into two districts, the northern and the southern, each under its Dis- trict Officer, but since the re-occupation it has so far been found more convenient to have one officer responsible for the whole area. Other permanent departments are: The Audit Department, the Education Department, which controls the Government schools and supervises all private schools within the Colony, the Fire Brigade, the Harbour Department, the Department of Air Services, the Police Department, the Railway Department, the Post Office, which controls tele- communication services and broadcasting, but not the tele- phone service which is maintained by a private company, the Prisons Department, and the Royal Observatory.
Since the war a Press Relations Office has been set up and it is intended that this should become permanent. Another new and senior appointment which is intended to be permanent is that of the Secretary for Development. This officer is responsible for all matters concerning the exploitation of the Colony's natural resources; under his general direction there have been set up four new sub-departments dealing with fisheries, agriculture, forestry, and public gardens respective- ly. The pre-war Botanical and Forestry Department has been abolished and its functions absorbed by these new sub- departments.
Several temporary departments were set up during the Military Administration and continued to function during the year under review. The Department of Supplies, Trade and Industry was established primarily to handle the large volume of supplies imported by Government after the re-occupation; by the end of 1946 normal Government procurement had to a great extent been taken over by the Stores Department, but the importation of bulk foodstuffs and controlled commodities on Government account, the administration of an elementary rationing system, and the gradual imposition of a system of price control were still in the hands of the Director of Supplies, Trade and Industry. The Quartering Authority is responsible for such improvisation as is possible to meet the Colony's