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(5)
had to be rejected as imposing additional burdens on an
already heavily burdened officer.
8. While these difficulties on the material side were
discussed in many conferences, it was found that the method
of approach by an ad hoc Committee as reported to the
Secretary of State for the Colonies in His Excellency's
82752 telegram of 19th August, 1932, itself broke down through want
of a common basis on the above and other problems which fell
to its lot to settle. It should nevertheless be stated that
the Committee had done good work in the preparation of draft bills which formed the basis of subsequent discussion. Having
therefore indicated the lines on which His Excellency desired
the reorganisation to proceed, His Excellency directed that the
Director of Medical & Sanitary Services should draft the
requisite legislation in direct consultation with the Attorney
General. Drafts were ready by 16th November, 1933, and on that
day Executive Council approved appointment of a Committee under
a past head of the Sanitary Department and comprising Chinese
and European members of the present Board to consider and report
on the scheme exemplified in the bills.
9.
The Committee failed to present a unanimous report
being almost equally divided and Chinese members were to be
found on both sides. Of five members, three reported in favour
of a modification of the scheme in approximation to the status
quo, and, while recognising the difficulty in which the
Director of Medical & Sanitary Services found himself, being
responsible for the health of the Colony while a number of the
essential services were outside his control, it considered the
compromise represented in the draft bills to be unworkable.
minority held on this point the contrary view and urged that it
was essential that the Director of Medical & Sanitary Services
The
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