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9. The Commissioners have already reported to Government their views on the desirability of building a new Government Civil Hospital.*
SANITARY DEPARTMENT.
For the work to be done the Commissioners do not consider that this department is overstaffed. In their opinion there are only two methods by which retrenchment can be fFected. Firstly that street cleansing be done by contract. The Head of the Sanitary Department stated that this would be much cheaper than the present system of doing the work departmentally, though he doubted whether it would be done as efficiently. The risk of this cannot be avoided if savings are to be effected.
The Com-
2. Secondly the replacement of European Sanitary Inspectors by Asiatics. This policy has been adopted in Malaya, and has proved satisfactory. There the only Euro- peans are the chief inspectors. It is claimed for the European that he has greater integrity and is more reliable. He is however very much more expensive. missioners recommend that the scheme be given a thorough trial. It might be necessary in the first instance to obtain through the Malayan authorities a nucleus of Asiatic inspectors from that country.
3. The Commissioners considered the question of incinerators and the flushing of streets with sea water. They were glad to learn from the Head of the Sanitary Depart- ment that the latter is already practiced with the consequent relief to the water supply. Regarding the former they regard the capital cost as prohibitive. They would moreover point out that the evil of dumping refuse at sea is mild compared with that of discharg- ing sewage direct into the harbour, without first passing it through a septic tank.
4. They would invite the attention of the Head of the Sanitary Department to the fact, that limitation of the number of hawkers involves Government in the cost of in- carceration of those persons, who commit the offence of hawking without a licence.
FIRE BRIGADE,
The Chief Officer of the Fire Brigade who is also the Inspector General of Police,- thus effecting a saving in the salary of Chief Officer,-has already reduced the number of 2nd class firemen from 80 to 60 and of motor drivers from 35 to 32. The Com- missioners do not recommend any further reductions, either in the European or Chinese personnel, as the Fire Brigade is an essential service.
DISTRICT OFFICES.
The two District Offices are both small departments with but one executive head for each, and a total of three European land bailiffs between them. The Chinese staff is proportionately small. The Commissioners do not consider that there is a possibility of any reduction here.
BOTANICAL AND FORESTRY DEPARTMENT.
This is another small department which appeared to the Commissioners to be run most economically. The area to be looked after is the whole of the Island and the New Territories, scattered throughout which are Government plantations. In addition the Botanical and Forestry Department performs work for and advises other departments, notably the District Offices, on all matters appertaining to trees, etc. No reductions are recommended.
ROYAL OBSERVATORY.
Hong Kong is one of the few Colonies which has an Observatory department of any size functioning as a self-contained unit. But Hong Kong is peculiarly situated geographically, and as a result has to perform weather reporting services for the large amount of shipping that uses the South China seas. Depending as it does for its very existence on shipping it is but right that the Colony should undertake this work.
*Not reproduced.