Mr. Bickle /3/11/35.
Mr.
Mr.
Sir C. Parkinson.
Sir G. Tomlinson
Sir C. Bottomley.
Sir J. Shuckburgh
ts
53556/35 Hong Kong
8
Downing Street,
November, 1935.
19
Permt. U.S. of S.
Parly. U.S. of S.
Secretary of State.
(4)
DRAFT.
HONG KONG
NO.
O.A.G.
481.
FURTHER ACTION.
Sir,
I have etc., to acknowledge
the receipt of your despatch No. 544
of the 2nd of October relating to the
control of the finances of the Tung Wah
Hospital, the Kwong Wah Hospital and
the Tung Wah Eastern Hospital. I have
noted the arrangements which have been
made as indicated in paragraph 5 of
the
you despatch.
2. Opportunity will no doubt be
taken as occasion offers in the future
placing
for such pressure as may be
possible upon the Directors with a
view to effecting further reforms.
I have etc.,
(8gd.) MALCOLM MacDONAL
Page
Page
No. 544.
Sir,
나
GOVERNMENT HOUSE,
HONG KONG,
RECEIVED
4-NOV 1935
O. O. REGY
2nd October, 1935.
FB.
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of
your despatch No.307 of the 8th August regarding the financial
assistance granted from public funds to the Tung Wah Hospital,
the Kwong Wah Hospital and the Tung Wah Eastern Hospital and
to address you on the subject of the greater financial control
of expenditure as foreshadowed in the final paragraph of Sir William Peel's despatch No.66 of the 30th January.
2.
ن
The special collection mentioned in paragraphs 6
and 7 of that despatch and raised between 17th September, 1934,
(the date on which the Advisory Committee and the Directors
of the Hospitals at a joint meeting unanimously approved that
an appeal should be made to the Government for financial help)
and the 31st December, 1934, amounted to $47,482. A grant of
the equivalent amount was accordingly made to the Directors
on the 2nd March, 1935.
3. It was not found feasible to defer the payment
of this grant until a scheme for the better financial control
of expenditure had been devised and put into operation for
the following reasons. In spite of the promise that financial
assistance would be recommended, there was considerable
difficulty in securing persons willing to stand for election
as Directors for this year. The 1934 Directors consented
after much persuasion to continue in office for a short period
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
MALCOLM MACDONALD, M.P.,
in
&c.,
&C.,
&c.
9
ge 9
ge 9
Page
Page
2.
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10
1/72746/20
3
153518/55
1/72944/2
30
in January and February but even then it was evident that
the election could not take place for some considerable
time. The opportunity was therefore taken of amending
Ordinance No.31 of 1930 so as to reduce the unwieldy
size of the Directorate and also to allow the appointment
of a sufficient number of temporary Directors to carry
on in an emergency. This took the form of Ordinance No.6
of 1935 and, in connection therewith, I would invite
your attention to Sir William Peel's despatch No.130 of
the 4th March, 1935. As financial assistance was urgently
needed by the Hospitals, the grant as mentioned above
was made on the 2nd March, but the new Committee which
took office on the same day was forthwith reminded of
the necessity for devising a scheme for the better control
of expenditure.
4. It was and still is the opinion of the
Government that the Advisory Board appointed under section
11 of Ordinance No.31 of 1930 should take a more active
part in the control of the Hospitals particularly on the
financial side. A scheme such as the appointment of a
Finance Committee to be composed of representatives of
the Board of Directors and the Advisory Board had already
been the subject of mention and it was hoped that some
scheme on these lines would be acceptable.
5.
Various conferences were held between the
Directors and the Advisory Board and a number of proposals
were put forward for discussion. Finally after considerable
negotiations the agreement of the Directors was secured
on the following terms: -
(1) A qualified accountant shall be engaged to look
after the books of the three Hospitals.
(2)
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