Trade, Finance and Development
Since 1938 the Financial Secretary has assumed a purely administrative function in the Colonial Secretariat and under his direction the Treasury is responsible for the public accounts, all of which are subject to the supervision of the Director of Audit. The assessment and collection of rates are the responsibility of the Commissioner of Rating and Valuation; and the collection of miscellaneous indirect taxation and of the direct taxation levied under the Inland Revenue Ordinance of 1947 are the responsibility of the Commissioner of Inland Revenue. The Director of Commerce and Industry (formerly Superintendent of Imports and Exports) is charged with the collection of import and excise duties and with the direction of preventive work. The Director of Supplies and Distribution (formerly Director of Supplies, Trade
Trade and Industry), who was appointed after the war to handle the large volume of supplies imported by Government after the re-occupation of the Colony, now deals with the importation of a small range of important bulk foodstuffs and controlled commodities and also administers an elementary rationing system and a system of price control. Normal procurement for government requirements is the responsibility of the Controller of Stores. The control of enemy property and property abandoned during the war is in the hands of the Custodian of Property.
Four departments, originally set up under the Develop- ment Secretariat, deal with fisheries, agriculture, forestry and public gardens respectively.
Social Services
The Secretary for Chinese Affairs is a senior administrative officer and has a wide and general responsibility in all matters affecting the Chinese community. The Commissioner of Labour is responsible for ensuring that the conditions in factories and workshops, particularly with regard to health and safety, are in accordance with the requirements of exist- ing legislation, for providing conciliation machinery for the settlement of disputes about wages and other terms of service, for the encouragement of modern trade unionism, and for the implementation of such International Labour Conventions as can be applied to the Colony. The Social Welfare Officer operates under the general direction of the Secretary for Chinese Affairs, and among his duties are included the protec- tion of women and girls, the inspection of emigrant ships, the supervision of child and juvenile welfare and the general co-ordination of all welfare activities in the Colony.
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