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CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION
Supreme Court and the District Court and has jurisdiction cor- responding roughly to that of the Court of Appeal, and the Divisional Court of the Queen's Bench Division. Final appeals from Hong Kong go to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London.
ADMINISTRATION
Under the general direction of the Colonial Secretary, the ad- ministrative functions of the Government are discharged by some 30 departments, all the officers of which are members of the Civil Service. (A list of these departments is given in Appendix VII.)
The Colonial Secretariat, under the general administrative con- trol of the Deputy Colonial Secretary, co-ordinates the work of departments and makes, or transmits from the Governor, the Governor in Council, or the Colonial Secretary, all general policy decisions. The Financial Secretary is responsible for financial and economic policy, the Establishment Officer deals with all matters relating to the Public Service, and the Defence Secretary advises on defence, co-ordinates the work of the local forces and acts as the main channel of communication between the Government and Her Majesty's Armed Forces stationed in the Colony. The Secretariat includes a Political Adviser seconded from the Foreign Office.
The Secretariat for Chinese Affairs is an important channel of communication between the Government and the people of Hong Kong. In addition to assisting in the assessment of trends in public opinion, and advising on local customs and beliefs, the department is also responsible for helping in the presentation of official policy to the general public, and for advising on matters which may arise in the relationships between other government departments and residents. For many years these functions have been carried out by constant personal contact with a wide variety of Chinese organiza- tions including the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, now about to celebrate its centenary, the Po Leung Kuk, Kaifong welfare associa- tions throughout the urban areas, district and clansmen's associa- tions, multi-storey building associations and religious groups.
During the year a major development took place in the Secretariat for Chinese Affairs, when the City District Officer scheme was launched. These men are intended to be political officers, and