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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
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so that we may arrive at definite knowledge of the cost of running each department."
The Government and the public have had four years practical experience of this change, and in our view the result justifies the doubt entertained by the unofficial members at the time. We res- pectfully submit that for the reason we have given, public interests would be better served by a reversion to the old system of grouping all expenditure under each department concerned, even were a little more time and labour entailed thereby.
The Hon. Colonial Secretary, in his speech introducing the Estimates now before us, said that "the notes in the draft Estimates will afford members of the Council much information on points of detail."
The notes are very scanty, and in some departments are almost entirely absent. Reference to the Estimates of the Sanitary Depart- ment and the Public Works Department will bear out my statement. It is true that some notes are given in the "Abstract," but in order to facilitate reference such notes-and they should be fuller than they are in many cases-should also be shown in the body of the Estimates. If they are considered unnecessary as foot-notes in the Estimates, then they should not be given in some departments such as the Botanical and Forestry Department which rightly furnishes notes for every item showing a difference, however small. There should be uniformity in the method of presenting these Estimates which are presented to the public as one indivisible whole.
It is now my ungrateful task to offer a few remarks on the ever increasing expenses of the Colony's administration. Last year, as the spokesman for the unofficial members of this Council, I had the honour to draw attention to expenditure increasing at what we called an alarming rate. The same comment seems to be more than ever called for. We feel that we would be failing in our duty as representatives of the Chinese who form the bulk of the population, if we were to let this matter pass without calling attention to it.
The unofficials pointed out in 1928 that Personal Emoluments alone showed the enormous increase of $843,134 in the draft Estimates for 1929.
In the Estimates now under consideration the net increase in Personal Emoluments, including Rent Allowances and High Cost of Living Allowances under Miscellaneous Services, is $680,543. Of this amount the item "New Posts" accounts for $396,520, after savings in the abolition of posts have been allowed for.
Sir, this expenditure seems far too large, following as it does the enormous increases sanctioned for 1929. Even taking into account