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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
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To my mind the Civil Service is not only overstaffed, but in many individual cases grossly overpaid, and I feel that until this fundamental defect in Administration has been remedied, it is a matter for regret that it should be necessary to call upon all the civil servants to bear a sacrifice which, no doubt, works great hardship in individual cases. And this regret is all the greater when we reflect that this necessity would not have arisen this year if Government had only acceded to the unanimous and urgent business- like request of the unofficial members-about which I understand my Honourable friend, the Senior Unofficial Member, will speak-to fix exchange forward for all the 1936 sterling commitments. More- over, until this defect is remedied Government obviously is not in a position to find the necessary money for various necessary projects. For instance, malaria is still rampant in the Colony, and I would like to see half a million, or even a million, dollars devoted in one year to eradicating this disease. But salaries having absorbed over fourteen million, where is the money to come from?
I apologise for the time I have taken up this afternoon.
I beg to move the motion standing in my name and respectfully commend it to the consideration of this Council. (Applause).
THE HON. SIR HENRY POLLOCK.-Your Excellency, I have much pleasure in seconding this motion which has the unanimous support of the Unofficial Members. My Honourable friend, Mr. M. K. Lo, is to be congratulated upon the trouble which he has taken in looking up and presenting to this Council the illuminating figures which he has just laid before us in regard to the very large expenditure of this Colony upon the salaries and pensions of Civil Servants. This heavy burden demands the serious attention of the Government at the present time when a marked trade depression synchronizes with an unbalanced Budget.
In my Budget speech, on the 3rd October last, speaking on behalf of all the Unofficial Members, I said (see Hansard 1935, page 180):-"Regarding retrenchment we are glad to learn that the Government is carefully considering whether it is necessary to fill up Posts as vacancies occur. Our Staff of Civil Servants is a very large one, even after making the fullest allowance for the fact that the Government has also to perform the duties of a Municipality. Indeed it is considered by some that we have too many Regulations in this Colony and too large a staff of Subordinate Officers fussing about and worrying people regarding the meticulous observance of Regulations. Also the prevalent notion that Police Officers and Sanitary Inspectors acquire merit by prosecuting people is apt to render the Government unpopular and to make the man in the street consider that we could do with fewer of such Officers."
In the same debate my Honourable friend, Sir William Shenton, recommended (Hansard page 188) "a careful survey of every branch of the Government service with a view to effecting substantial economies."