LEGISLATIVE council budget debate
Hongkong Daily Press.
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BAR HONGKONG, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1938.
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日堂十月壹拾捌拾叁百玖千登英
UNOFFICIALS GIVE VIEWS ON BUDGET
CHINESE MEMBER URGES
MORE BUILDING
Sir Henry Pollock Wants Early Trade Resumption
THE DEBATE ON THE BUDGET FOR 1939 was held yesterday at a
meeting of the Legislative Council. presided over by His Ex- cellency the Governor. Sir Geofry Northcote, K.C.M.G.
Features of the meeting, otherwise known as "Unofficials' Day" were the lengthy surveys made by the Unofficial Members, who while agreeing in the main with the proposals put forward by the Govern- ment, had suggestions to offer in the various phases of Public Works for 1939.
The Senior Chinese member, the Hon. Mr. T. N. Chan. stressed the, urgency of building more houses to meet the ever-increasing.de- mand and also expressed the hope that whatever plans the Govern- ment may have to Increase the revenue, income tax would not be in- troduced.
The Senior Member, Sir Henry Pollock, urged the British Govern- ment to press vigorously for the promptest resumption of trade be- tween this Colony and South China.
THE COLONIAL
SECRETARY
Hon Colonial Secretary said:→ On 13th October, 1938, by a Reso-
ESMATED DEFECTT
The estimated deficit, should revenue continue as originally pre- dicted... Is thus reduced $2;405,435 to $1.658,898.
The following are the items
lution of this Council the draft which have been added:- ! estimates of expenditure for 1930 Head 9. Education Department were referred to a Select Com-
-Fraining of Teachers $18,000 mittee consisting of myself, the Head 13, Kowloon Canton Financial Secretary and all unoffi- cial members of this Council. We
now present our report in the form of the redrafted print bearing to- day's date.
After due consideration the Com- mittee deemed it prudent to const
assistant Mechanical
• Engineer Head 20, Police Force-Care- taker at Tsun Wan ...... Head 24 (A); Public Works
Department-2 Class VIB Clerks ....
der the possibility of a less favour-Head 28, Royal Observatory
able revenue position than the 1938 Agures would in more normal times Justliy
The Committee was assured that every item of Special Ex- penditure in all departments and every item of Public Works, Extraordinary requires" inde- pendent sanction apart froin" the general provision offered by the Appropriation BULL." It was also assured that recurrent works, such as maintenance of roads or buildings, car without difficulty be retarded should the financial position in 1939 'make this desirable,
ESTIMATES SUBSTANTIALLY"
SAME
-Aerological Investiga- tion, (England) Head 31. Public Works Ex- traordinary-Alterations
to Prisons
lee Street Pier to Pot- tinger Street Pler. (Reduced from $150,000
to $140.000)
The
1.
Report of the Select Committee. have seemed advisable in the different circumstances existing 10,000 since the Budget was originally framed, but on the whole, if we $798,000 || are,, to keep 'the Colony up to date, efficient and competitive amongst
Committee considered
at the ports of the world, there is some length the claims of various❘ very little in the proposed expend- charitable organisations for increa-] iture that it would not be false sed subsidies but did not in the economy to cut out. circumstances described recommendį any additions.
Refore sitting down I should. like to express my thanks to my unofficial colleagues for their careful and diligent work In Committee. Every Head of Estimates was scrutinised and many Heads of Departments were summoned to attend our meetings. On every hand I was assured of the advantages from the practical point of view of this new method of considering the Colony's annual expendi tare.
In fact, as appears from the Re- port of the Select Committee on the Revised Estimates, we have" agreed to certain additions being made to the original Estimates in order to carry out work which we regard as essential.
HOUSING COMMISSION Whilst congratulating the mem bers of the Housing Commission and their Secretary; Mr. W. H. Owen, upon the interesting sug- gestions which they have made for the improvement on overcrowding In this Colony, we feel that in 1939
I wish also to thank Mr. Hayitle can be done in the way of
implementing their report.
kins for his labours both before and
DANGEROUS TO HEALTH during the final stage. To add
In any case, the removal of our anything in praise of the Honour- able Financial Secretary would be siums must take many years to almost presumptuous on my part. complete, and in the meantime our
ed..
"
I now move "That the Estimates streets remain in an unmavoury from of Expenditure for the year 1939 disease - disseminating condition, as now presented be approved." almost as dangerous to the health The Finansial Secretary second-of the Colony as are the slums. As a result of representations made by Unofficial Members in 1938 a certain amount of street washing THE HON. SIR HENRY
has been done, but, except in some * POLLOCK
of the central localities, the filthy 11,200 The Hon. Sir Henrry Pollock said: condition of the roads and side- Your Excellency-As has been walks is still a disgrace, thus con- 24 customary for many years past, I tributing greatly towards our un- desire, as Senior Unoficial Mem- enviable tuberculosis record, Alling ber, to make some observations on our hospitals and greatly increas- 989 the Budget for 1939 on behalf of ing the work and budget of the myself and all my Unofficial Col- Medical Department. We are not leagues.
satened that more could not be What I am about to say, there- cone this direction, even with Yore, represents the united views the restricted supply of water at of all the Unofficial Members of our disposal, provided that the 20,000 this Council:
Hushing is carried out under pro-
250
We thank Your Excellency for per supervision so as to prevent $50.483 the able and comprehensive sur- ¡ waste, vey of the future needs of this Colony which you gave in your Budget speech.
The following are itens on which Excellency's suggestion have been omitted or reduced:-. Head 11(B). Air Services.
Sub-head 12, Control »
Launch Head 13, Kowloon-Canton
Railway.
$ Sub-head. 34. Additional Crossing Station between mile 1 and 114
Head 31, Public Works Extraordinary. Sub-head 4, New Police
Station--Stanley
$90,000
41,000
50,000
Kennels. Kennedy Town 20.000 Sub-head 30, Layout of a
· Goverturient · Quarry. --- HoL Un.
On this understanding the esti mates have been left substantially ás originally drafted, except for the excision of certain items represent-Sub-bead 11, New Dog ing a gross saving of $796,000. On the other hand certain additions have been made to the original draft estimates, most of them small the Items erroneously omitted, in first place, but in two cases more considerable sume, namely $18,000 for the implementation in part of the recommendations of the Com- mittee on the training of teachers and $20,000 under Public Works Ex- tra-ordinary for the adaptation of part of the Victoria, Gaol to accom- medate remand prisoners and the Uke. at present housed in Stanley Gaol Neither ofthese proposals had been sufficiently advanced when the first draft was prepared för ́their inclusion in the original print:
Fu
75,000
(Reduced from $150.000
to $75,000) Sub-head 37, Eloon-Can- ton Road; Improvements to Kowloos-Muk Ferry Bection.
.500.000 Sub-head 45, Rewiring of Government Buildings. (Reduced from $22,003 to
917,000) Bub-head49, Botanical? Gardens Layout of Albany Bite Sub-head 68,.
Reclamation from
5.000
"5,0
We entirely approve of the new procedure in connection with the Budget which has enabled the Unofficial. Mem- bers, through the appointment of the Select Committee,/-to- discuss thoroughly the Budget with the Head of the various departments before" before the Estimates finally come before this Council.
NEW GOVERNMENT HOUSE. Subject to the plans for the new Government House near Magazine Gap being hereafter submitted to the Finance Committee for its ap- proval. we agree to the expenditure in 1939 of the sum of one hundred thousand dollars upon the levelling of the site..:
There are.
believe. many citizens who are inclined to regard: this project as unnecessary and extravagant. We have, therefore considered it carefully from all Tt enables us to pass our views angles and we are satisfied for on to Your Excellency before the four very good reasons that it is adoption of the Budget is pro-essential posed.... It permits of a full discus- sion of the. Government program-, me and policies, and in every way it is more practical and therefore in the best interests of the Colony. -
My colleagues, during lengthy meetings of the. Select Committee. have thoroughly studied the esti- mates for all departments; and while, we recommend caution be fore embarking on long term pro- jects, we unanimously regard the Budget as a sound and by no means extravagant one.
EXPENDITURE CUT
Certain
tain curtailments of expen- diture, detalled in the Revised Estimates, and referred to in the
Firstly Because the present Govern
ment House and Mountain Lodge, cost ratepayers annually so much in upkeep that it may be truly said of them that they have passed their genomic life, MA RE becondly-Because the accommoda
tion at the present Government, House is inadeymite for the needs of the Colony. Thirdly-Because the old Gove
House is required, as part of le City Development scheme, to be utilised for the Erasing of the C.8.0. and, P.W.D), staffs, during the build- sing of new Government offices. And Fourthly-Beenuse, it will save
the Colony the expense of maint ing Mountain Lodge
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