2
The Hon. Mr. J. J. Paterson asked that the workings of the Widows and Orphans' Fund be published; and the cost of Defence Contributions was criticised by the Hon. Mr. M. K. Lo. The Hon. Mr. J. P. Braga drew attention to the needs of Kowloon and the New Territories, and made a plea for better Chinese broadcasts.
The Unofficials' criticism was replied to categorically by the Colonial Secretary, the Hon. Mr. R. A. C. North.
69
EXCESS WATER RATES
Councillors present were:
His Excellency the Governor (Si: Andrew Caldecott KT., C.M.G., C.B..);
His Excellency the General Officer Commanding the Troops (Major General A. W. Bartholomew, C.M.G., C.B.E., D.S.O.,);
C.B.,
The Colonial Secretary (Hon. Mr. R. A. C. North);
The Attorney General (Hon. Mr. C. G. Alabaster, K.C., O.B.E.,);
The Acting Secretary for Chinese Affairs (Hon. Mr. W. J. Carrie);
The Colonial Treasurer (Hon. Mr. E. Taylor, C.M.G.);
Hon. Commander G. F. Hole, R.N., Retired) (Harbour Master); Hon. Mr. T. H. King General of Police);
(Inspector
Hon. Dr. A. R. Wellington, C.M.G., (Director of Medical and Sanitary Services);
Hon. Mr. A. G. W. Tickle, (Direc- tor of Public Works, Acting);
Hon. Mr. J. J. Paterson: Hon. Mr. J. P. Braga 0.8.E.; Hon. Mr. S. W. Tso, C.B.E., LL.D.; Hon. Mr. T. N. Chau; Hon. Mr. S. H. Dodwell.
Hon. Mr. M. K. Lo; Hon. Mr. M. T. Johnson; Hon. Mr. A. W. Hughes:
Mr. D. M. MacDougall (Deputy Clerk of Councils).
The Colonial Secretary moved the second reading of a Bill intituled, "An Ordinance to apply a sum not exceeding Twenty-five million five hundred and eight thousand two hundred and sixty-nine Dollars to the Public Service of the year 1937."
The Colonial Treasurer seconded and the Bill was read a second time.]
Addressing
the Council, the Hon. Mr. J. J. Paterson said: Sir, Since Sir Henry Pollock made his Budget speech last year, Your Excellency has arrived in this Colony and the Unofficial Members wish that your advent could have coincided with a greater measure of prosperity in the Colony you have to govern, a wish Your Excellency probably shares. It remains for the Unofficial Members to you of their understanding of the difficulties all those who may charged with the administration of this Colony must be faced with to- day and to wish Your Excellency and Lady Caldecott a very hearty welcome.
assure
be
re-
We join with the Colonial Secre- tary in expressing our gratitude to Messrs. Tratman and Breen for all they have done for Hongkong and with him we wish them every happiness in the future. We con- tratulate Mr. N. L. Smith and our- selves on his promotion and appointment to this Colony. In the absence of Sir Henry Pollock I have been asked by my colleagues to make some general observations on the budget for 1937 and on events leading up to it. It's usual to con- gratulate the Colonial Secretary on the excellent manner in which he has presented his Budget; on this occasion we can do so with more
fervour than usual, the memoran- dum he has had prepared together with those of the Colonial Treasurer and D.P.W. are admir- able. We wonder, though, whether the formula adopted for the Public Works Department, where items of expenditure are
discussed across the table, could not be extended to other spending departments.
Dollar's Decline Perhaps I may be forgiven if at the outset I refer to exchange. Since Sir Henry Pollock spoke last year we have seen the rate slide steadily to its present level, one at which we are very closely allied
to the Standard Dollar and which most of us consider the proper thing to be. But because of this descent, Government's immediate finances have suffered. Perhaps I am being blatantly hindwise when I say that to some extent this loss might have been avoided.
Government was in an invidious position; it must have known to about what level the Hongkong dollar was headed. The Unofficials knew nothing; they did, however, ask that, so far as was possible, sterling commitments (salaries ex- cepted) be covered and they re- mark rather sadly now that it was Unofficial money. Or at least it originally was the property of the taxpayers of Hongkong.
lie
But I believe the fault to deeper than in these recent years. Government has always argued that its policy was never to fix, that whether one settled or did not settle the years would strike a balance.
And so they would if nobody had fixed the dollar, but had the other plan been adopted, always to settle, Government could in the past have known exactly at any given time what its commitments were and expressed them in the coin of the Colony. More recently, the tax- payer would have been saved a lot, perhaps more correctly in the light of the present Budget, the motorist and the Civil Servant.
Commission
The Retrenchment dealt with the settling of exchange in paragraph 5 of its Report on the Treasury. Government cannot say it wasn't told!
cut.
en-
Salary Cut Which brings me to the salary
While I remark rather sadly! that such blisters are no new things: among the Unofficial community, this in no way dampens the thusiasm with which the ninety and nine welcome the sinner into the fold, especially as those of the mer- 'cantile community who can look to benefit from Provident Fund or similar scheme appreciate that if the details given recently in a local paper of the "Widows and Orphans" be true, or anywhere near true, then, and not forgetting pensions, widows and orphans are in posses- sion of a very bad bargain-one that would make an insurance man shudder.
As the cat is now out of the bag, may we ask Government to issue a statement showing how this Fund has operated in the past and how it is proposed to carry it on in the future, for I can assure you, Sir,
that if in the sober world of business, so far removed from High Olympus, any em.ployer of a large staff tried to drive so hard a bar- gain, he could never hope to keep his people contented.
As an illustration I think I'm correct in saying that a bachelor though he may have subscribed to the Pool all his life, yet only gets back half his subscription on retire- ment or his estate that half on death. Or, more accurately, his estate does not benefit. I do not see why Benedicks should be penalised.
were
Perhaps the answer is this, that this Fund was started by private enterprise when such things by no means common and when modern and more or less established procedure had not been laid down. Had management of the monies been left to the beneficiaries, no doubt the rules would have been brought up to date, but Government sequestered the proceeds, despite Unofficial protest and rude people say used them to build the Kow- loon-Canton Railway.
Abuse Needs Correcting The Unofficial Members fully realise that in starting this hare they may be adding to the expenses of this Colony if that portion of the balances required cannot be ear- marked to this end, but, in common fairness, they feel they must em- phasise and ask for the correction of an abuse. That this may not be easy, we admit, but at least the beneficiaries of a subscriber from now on should in every case
get out the money put in, with reason- able interest.
Liability for this Fund is not shown in the Colony's accounts, though the Directors of public and private companies are forced very properly to declare the "true and correct view
the of the state of Company's affairs", including con- tingent liabilities, and Government might well remember the parable of the mote and the beam.
no
It must be remembered, however, that a great number in this com- munity have no pension and Provident Fund; any provision they can make must be by their own erforts, not easy in these days.
Letters have appeared in the Press which seem to suggest that Hongkong is in process of cutting European staff to below those levels usual in other Crown Colonies. I think I'm correct in saying that, so far from this being the case, Government merely is in process of coming on to parity with them, and has quite a long way to go yet.