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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL,
Furniture:
(a) Head 29. S/H. 7
1930
$16,500
(b) Head 31. S/H. 30 (Hong Kong)
•
•
•
•
$22,000
62 (Kowloon)
$ 5,000
97 (New Kowloon)
112 (New Territories)
(c) Supplementary Supply:-
F/M 8. Item
78
9.
91
13.
110
$ 1,000
$ 3,000
.$4,500.00
.$1,190.00
$2,000.00
7,690
$55,190
In 1931 there is one vote only. Vote under Head. 29. S/H. 7. for all services $48,000.
It will thus be seen that the total Estimate for 1931 is consider- ably less than the 1930 expenditure; and the increase of $31,500 to which attention has been drawn is an increase only over one part of the original vote for 1930.
It is now considered more satisfactory to group all Furniture items under the one head and in future one account with depart- mental sub-divisions only will be necessary as against five main accounts with relative departmental allotments.
A number of the smaller points raised by my hon. friend Mr. Braga must be met by the reply that however ready the Govern- ment may be to admit the desirability of his suggestions, economy must be our first consideration for the time being. They will, however, be borne in mind.
He would seem to be labouring under a misapprehension in his belief that the city magnates of the Colony who occupy palatial residences free of rent escape assessment. The properties concerned are liable to assessment with the rest of the Colony and the Govern- ment cannot be further concerned with the precise incidence of the tax as between the firms concerned and their staffs. The hon. member couples the "Highest placed members of the Civil Service" with the city magnates in this connexion: but Government property is by law not amenable to the assessment procedure.
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