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that clerical service in a way which is desirable. We now know how much that service is costing us. Last year it was proposed to make this change shortly before the introduction of the Estimates, but I resisted it because I did not see how, in the short period available, it could possibly be done although I realised it was a move in the right direction. I do not think there is any great magic in knowing how much the clerks in one department cost in any one year, because you may have clerks in lower grades one year and in higher grades the next. A clerk may grow up in a department and reach his highest grade, but his succes- sor may only be a third class clerk although suitable for the position. The same work would then be done at a lower rate. You cannot say that the clerical service of one department is going to cost so many thousand dollars and that it is necessary to spend that amount of money to get the work done efficiently. If you get a clerk who is particularly good, he may work up from $1,200 a year to $3,000. He goes on doing the same work because his knowledge is essential to that depart ment. But, later on, when he is re-placed on retirement probably by someone else in the same department, the whole cost is altered without necessarily any reduc- tion in efficiency.
TRADE STATISTICS
It is a matter of regret that the statis- tical department of the Imports and Exports Office has been for the time being abandoned, I may say--and I think the hon. Senior Unofficial member knows that there was no great enthusiasm shown by those for whom the returns were particularly drawn up. If you enquire from the Superintendent he will tell you that they were not regarded as of very great value, and although we obtained annual results showing the trade of the Colony it is doubtful whether these re- sults were really correct. They were based on information supplied by ship- pers. They looked very nice and those persons who like to see everything or ganised to this extent will, perhaps, think it a great loss that these returns are not now available. The work to be done necessitated the employment of a great many clerks at comparatively low salaries.
It was practically a mechanical process and could not be done with less clerks than those employed. You either had to have all of them or none at all.
LABOUR REGISTER
With regard to the register, of the value of which hon, members have had practical experience, that will, of course, be main- tained by the Police but it is not neces- sary to show any special sub-departnfent for this work. An adequate staff will keep that register up-to-date because the Government and the community realise it is an extremely valuable one, and experi- ence has shown in what way it can be enlarged so as to add to its use.
REDUCTION OF STAFF
It has been necessary, of course, in effect, to reduce to some extent the staff view of the economies which we hope to of senior officers, particularly in the Public Works Department, but great care has been taken not to terminate the employ be required in the event of certain works ment of any officers whose services may heing resumed. We have been particu difficult to get sufficient officers for certain larly careful of that. It is extremely
work and, therefore, when we have them- after long waiting it is disappointing to have to get rid of them. I can assure hon. members that great care has been taken in going through the establishment and we have not terminated the employ ment of any senior officer or European overseer unless it would be absolute waste of money to continue his services. We have really strained the question to some extent and have retained some officers whose services will only be required if work is resumed which at present does not appear in the estimates.
HAWKERS LICENCES
As regards the Hawkers' licences to which members have referred, I think it is realised that we have to maintain some proportion between the number actually required or who get some sort of livelihood from hawking and the block in the streets caused by hawkers' stalls in crowded parts of the city. I have resisted attempts by the Captain Super- intendent of Police to reduce the number
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below certain figures, and I have gone carefully into his arguments on this ques tion of obstruction. The Senior Member of Council and the Chinese members can rest assured that this matter of Hawkers' licences will not be lost sight of. Unless there is real reason for reducing the licences, either owing to obstruction or to the fact that certain classes of hawkers are unnecessary, the number will not be reduced.
REFUSE DESTRUCTORS
The Senior Unofficial member and his colleague referred to the question of re- fuse destructors, and I may say at once that when I came to this Colony I came with knowledge of refuse destructors in the Straits Settlements and Malay States which made me think they were wonder- ful things to perform two offices-that of destroying refuse and supplying a very good class of manure. I tried to impress my views upon Sir Henry May and found him entirely unsympathetic. I consider- ed I was in the right and thought they should be erected in this Colony. Since then we have called for reports from various places, and hon. members will remember that the Acting Colonial Secre- tary, Mr. Fletcher, in the debate on the Budget in 1923 referred to this matter. I am going to read you his remarks be- cause they converted me to the opinion that refuse destructors here are unneces- sary. Dealing with the matter Mr. Fletcher said:
"It was asked that we should have an incinerator for the destruction of rubbish. That question has been gone into exhaustively on three occasions, first in 1901, and again in 1906, when reports were laid on the table in this Council, and again in 1921. On each occasion we asked particulars of Singa- pore, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, and other towns and the replies were most dis- couraging becauuse of the enormous expense. The capital cost of building runs as high as six and a half dollars per ton of rubbish consumed annually, against our cost of eighty cents for all our plant and material, The rubbish is largely of a light vegetable nature and it requires a third of its weight in fuel to consume and leaves a third in slag to be got rid of. The destructor re
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quires complete renewal once every ten years. The question of the disposal of the slag is also a matter of great dif- ficulty. At Home it is very much used for road repairs, but here we have a much better and entirely accessible material in granite. Therefore, this slag would have to be carted away. It could be used in reclamation hut it would have to be taken there. The nuisance of these collecting stations on the Praya would not necessarily be done away with. The town is very narrow and the destructor would have to be at one end or the other and all refuse would have to be taken along the streets as now. An incinerator most be more or less a nuisance to people in the neighbourhood, and I think it would cause much more trouuble than the find- ing of an occasional cabbage leaf on a bathing beach now does."
That statement to my mind is con- vincing.
LATER TRAMS AND FERRIES
With regard to the question_the_hon. member has raised concerning late hours tramus, the for the ferry service and Western ferry service is run under con- tract and I am perfectly certain that if the successful tenderer for that service considered it would pay to run to a later hour he would do it at once. Even if he would not do it merely for the comfort and convenience of those who liked to stay up very late at night, no doubt special fares could be arranged. Two o'clock in the morning was given as a suitable hour, but I really think that people who can afford habitually to stay out until that time for reasons of their own might be expected to be able to afford a motor boat. Trams stop at an early hour. do not know and have never known the reasons.. But the same remark applies to those people on the island who wish to remain up to such late hours for reasons into which we need not enquire they might be expected to pay for a motor car. However, the companies might be ap- proached to see if they would run later services. The ferry runs until one o'clock but that is only for Kowloon. The Peak trams run until 12 o'clock and it is always possible to arrange for a late car. Only the low level trams, therefore, have to
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