37
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HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
is of opinion that it is in the best in- terests of the Colony to reduce our com- mitments on large works and, while maintaining what we have and keeping our staff ready for action, to postpone the initiation of any new policy of large public works until the financial and poli- tical horizons are alike more favourable. We are already committed by necessity to starting down the facile path of bor- rowing; it would be easy to accelerate the pace but the Government could not recommend so dangerous a policy at the present moment. We have every reason, especially in view of the events of the last few days, to hope that the horizon will clear, and when the Colony is flourishing again, as we are sure it will, the revenue will increase, opportunities for favourable borrowing will arise and the Government will be prepared to start again on the forward policy which is for the moment held in abeyance.
In pursuance of this policy the expendi- ture on Public Works Extraordinary has been reduced to $3,706,264, itself no mean figure for a Colony of the size of Hong- kong, as against a probable expenditure this year of nearly six million dollars. This year will, it is hoped, see the com- pletion of the Fire Brigade Station, the new cells at the Magistracy, the exten- tion of the Sisters Quarters at the Government Civil Hospital, King's Col- lege, the Ventris Road Quarters, the Quarry Bay School, the Kowloon Hos- pital, the Shek Lai Pui Reservoir and connected works, the Pipers Hill Reser- voir and various roads and Police Quar- ters. The details of the works to be undertaken this, year are given in the printed Estimates. The only new works to which I think special reference should be made are:
Sub-heads 5 and 6. Garages are consi- dered necessary for the protection of Government vehicles and to save depre- ciation of Government property.
Sub-heads 16, 18 and 19 are for the im- provement of roads, some of them danger- ous, which it is considered unwise to postpone.
Items 23, 24, 25, 26 and 47 on which it is hoped to spend no less than $283,000 next year are all connected with a scheme
for preventing the constant flooding of the Happy Valley area. In this connec- tion I would invite the attention of Hon- ourable Members to the recent debate on a motion by the Honourable Dr. Koch in the course of which much was said on the need for improved methods of deal- ing with heavy rainfalls.
It is hoped that the completion of these works will obviate the damage from floods in this area in future.
Sub-head 32. The Government regrets. that it is unable to proceed with the proposed new prison on the Kai Tak Reclamation.
In anticipation of the completion of the new prison repairs had been reduced to the minimum at Victoria Gaol and it has therefore become necessary to ask for a special vote this year.
Sub-head 37 representing the balance of the vote of $907,660 required to repair the damage done on Hong Kong Island alone by the storm of July 19th last is a gentle reminder of the damage one night can do and of the need to hold in reserve some unallocated surplus. balance to meet contingencies of this
kind.
new
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Sub-head 53. Improvements to Kow- loon Point $50,000. This represents one of the very few
works of any magnitude provided for in the Estimates now under discussion. The roadways outside the Star Ferry Wharf have prov- ed entirely inadequate to deal with the ever increasing traffic. Safety and con- venience alike demand early attention to this area and the Government considers that improvements should no longer be delayed.
The markets provided for under sub- heads 54, 78 and 79 are expected not only to assist in the development of new areas, but to bring in substantial
revenue.
Sub-head 65. $85,000 for surfacing the road to Kowloon Hospital is considered justified in view of the necessity for im- proving the means of access to the new | Hospital.
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HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
Sub-head 96. The area to be exhumed lies in the mid- dle of an area in course of development and the work of exhumation can no longer be delayed.
Exhumations $39,000:
Sub-head 98. Provision is made for commencing the filling in of two danger- ous and unhealthy swamps at Tong Mi and Kowloon Tong.
Sub-head 103. There has been some difficulty over the foundations of the walls for the Waterboat Dock at Lai Chi Kok and it has been found necessary to make provision for strengthening them.
The unsatisfactory matshed used for the School at Cheung Chow was practi- cally destroyed at the last typhoon and it is necessary to erect a proper School building (Sub-head 104-$40,000).
Sub-head 112-$15,000 is to provide a very necessary means of communication along a difficult portion of the Frontier.
It will be noticed that the Shing Mun Water Scheme has for the moment dis- appeared from the Estimates, for reasons which I have already explained. The loan proposals will in due course be laid before you in their appropriate form.
KOWLOON-ÇANTON RAILWAY
The policy of the Government is to maintain the Railway in the highest state of efficiency so that it will be ready to take full advantage of that re-opening of through traffic which we hope will take place at an early date. The Railway, owing to circumstances outside our con- trol, has proved an expensive luxury dur- ing the current year but it would be very false economy to allow it to deteriorate. The earnings of the Railway depend on the state of South China and until South China is once more in a state of peace and prosperity the revenue derived from the Railway must inevitably suffer. As you are aware the Fanling-Sha Tau Kok Branch has been re-opened and provision is made for its maintenance and running
expenses.
DEFENCE
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This head is divided up into three Section:
A. Volunteer Defence Corps,
B. Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, and C.-Military Contribution.
With the first and the last Honourable Members
The are already familiar. second is new, though the Council may recollect that earlier in the year His Excellency met members of the business community when the question of Naval Volunteers for Hongkong was raised. The matter has been carefully gone into with the Naval Authorities in Hongkong who are of opinion that the Naval Volun- teers would be of great assistance both to them and to the Colony in times of emergency, and that the scheme is practi- cable. The Admiralty have been asked if one gunboat of the "Insect " class could be sent out to Hongkong about the middle of next year, the gunboat to be loaned to this Government which would then undertake the cost of up- keep, fuelling and trained personnel. The Scheme will depend for its success on the response made to a call for Volun- teers and this call cannot be made until the details have been more fully worked out with the Naval Authorities. It is not possible to make more than a very rough estimate of the annual cost, but it is anticipated that $40,000 for the half year will be sufficient, and in view of the importance attaching to this new pro- posal the Government feels justified in asking the Council to make provision for starting the Scheme next year.
The only important alteration under Head 33 A is the provision for a whole- time Adjutant for the Volunteer Corps. The Government considers this neces- sary in order to maintain and improve the efficiency of the Corps.
The Military Contribution shows a re- duction of $621,228 the one drop of cold comfort derived from a falling revenue.
MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES
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Sub-head 1. Bathing places show small reduction justified by past experi- ence. I would observe at this point that