HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
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THE COLONIAL SECRETARY.-The amount of new money to be taken out is $7,380. I would ask the Council to remember the Government's point of view, that we do not want to keep the gaol any longer than honourable members do, and we only put this in because we feel it is really in the interests of the Colony from the point of view of economy.
HỌN. MR. J. P. BRAGA.—I just want to say a few words on the point of economy raised by the Hon. Colonial Secretary. The total staff provided is $18,820; then five per cent. depreciation on the cost of machinery $1,000; interest at six per cent. on the capital expendi- ture of $100,000, $6,000; divide $100,000, the cost of the building by ten the period of ten years the Hon. Colonial Secretary before stated we should be in the possession of a new gaol-gives you a total of $38,820 per annum, against the item of $28,250 for miscellaneous ser- vices provided for next year for the whole cost of printing for the Government outside the gaol. Therefore, there is a deficit against the scheme of over $7,000. On the score of economy I think the figures prove against the Government's case.
H.E. THE GOVERNOR.-Apparently the first figure for staff should not be $18,820 but $17,820, and of that charge part is already in the Estimates. Only three warders are additions in connexion with this scheme.
HON. MR. J. P. BRAGA.-It is not shown separately what would be the full salaries of the three warders. As a set off I would submit for your consideration the very heavy cost of paper and bookbinding material, which the Council has no means of ascertaining from the Estimates before us. If that is included it will be seen that the total is even higher than that estimated, even assuming that the salaries of three warders instead of six would be charged to the printing vote proper.
H.E. THE GOVERNOR.-We already have to-day a Gaol printery for which considerable sums are included in the Estimates. The proposal now is that the printery should be enlarged so that even more Government work can be done there.
HON. MR. J. P. BRAGA.-The cost of paper would have to be paid out of some vote or another to make up for the printing contract- ed outside.
H.E. THE GOVERNOR.—I can only say that the matter has been gone into very carefully by the Superintendent of Prisons, who came to the conclusion that this scheme would result in economy. This is not a vote I shall press against the considered opinion of the unofficial members of this Council. Like the Hon. Colonial Secretary, hold out no hope to the Council that the new gaol will be speedily built. The cost of building a new Government Civil Hospital will be some- thing like $5,000,000 and the cost of a new gaol will be about $5,000,000, a sum of $10,000,000 altogether, and inasmuch as we shall
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