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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
next year and provision has, therefore, to be made. Should either or both of the Colours be presented to the Corps there will be a corres- ponding saving to the Revenue.
It has been decided by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to postpone for the present the formation of a Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in Hong Kong.
Head 34 Miscellaneous Services.
The matter of the Government's contribution towards the cost of three armed launches for anti-piracy work in the delta has already been before the Finance Committee. The agreement terminates in March of next year, but as it is possible that it may be renewed, provision for the whole year is made. The cost is admittedly heavy, but it is essential that the commerce of this Colony should be protected from piractical attack.
A small vote has been inserted for extra clerical assistance to avoid trivial items of supplementary supply.
Subhead 24-" Chinese Faculty at the Unviersity of Hong Kong." Your Excellency is keenly interested in the promotion of higher education in the Chinese language at the University. At first the beginnings must be small, but in time it is hoped that the faculty may attract students from China, Malaya, and elsewhere. For the present it cannot be expected to be self supporting, and provision is made for the salary of an adviser, the Reverend H. R. Wells, O.B.E., and one lecturer.
The allowance for teachers to subordinate officers studying Cantonese has been increased to $15 per month. It is most important that officers who have to work with and amongst the Chinese should have some knowledge of the language. Sub-head 27 has been raised to $17,000 to cover the cost of the increased allowance.
The increase in subhead 29-" Other Miscellaneous Services" from $23,250 to $200,000 is due to the fact that the Emergency Vote which was omitted from the Estatmates for 1927 was later found necessary and had to be furnished to the extent of $200,000 by Supplementary Supply. The outlook is still so uncertain that expenditure on this account is likely to be unavoidable next year and it is preferable to budget for the amount now and thereby avoid, as we hope, any need for a supplementary vote next year.
Asiatic subordinate officers receiving a salary of more than $450 per annum are granted a rent allowance after 10 years' service. More officers are qualifying for the allowance year by year, consequently the vote has had to be increased.
The vote for telegrams had to be augmented by a supple- mentary vote of $11,000 in March of this year, owing to the great increase in telegraphic correspondence resultant on the disturbances in
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