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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
I quite agree with the hon. senior unofficial member that this Council is not the proper place in which to debate the details of the number of launches required by the Government Marine Surveyors' branch of the Harbour Master's department. The Government is quite pre- pared to meet the wishes of the hon. unofficial members in this matter up to a certain point.
I venture to ask the hon. senior unofficial member if it will meet his wishes if the vote is passed without alteration and the Govern- ment gives him an undertaking that the money will not be expended until the question of the launches has been submitted to the newly constituted Harbour Board and the report of the Harbour Board has been considered by the Finance Committee. That is an undertaking of a kind which I gave last year on a certain other point which was in dispute between hon. members and the Government, and hon. members know that the undertaking was very carefully carried out, with results which were satisfactory, at any rate to the unofficial members.
HON. SIR HENRY POLLOCK-The Government will, of course, abide by the decision given?
H.E. THE GOVERNOR.-The proposal is that these items be refer- red to the Harbour Board and that they should stand as part of the Estimates. If the Harbour Board recommends them, then the items will go to the Finance Committee, and, if the Finance Committee re- commends them to this Council, they will then be passed. If the Har- bour Board does not recommend them, then I am willing not to incur expenditure upon these items without prior reference to this Council.
HON. SIR HENRY POLLOCK. That is very satisfactory, Sir.
In connexion with the item $585,684 for the Prisons Department,
HON. SIR HENRY POLLOCK said.-With reference to this item, I have to move:
"That the proposed vote of $585,684 for the Prisons Depart- ment be reduced to $547,114 by the omission of the sum of $120,750 consisting of the following three items appearing in the Estimates for 1930, namely:
Item 22 on page 45 Linotype Composing Machine $14,200;
Item 23 on page 45 Rota Print Machine $6,550;
Item 4 on page 84 Victoria Gaol New Printing Shop $100,000; and also by the omission of the sum of $17.820 being the proposed personal emoluments of six Officers (new posts) in the said new Printing Shop, as set forth on page 46 of the Estimates."
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