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Head 7-District Office, South.
It has been necessary to provide under this Head for one extra clerk to deal with the extra work involved in the imposition of rates on the Tsun Wan and Cheung Chau areas. The remaining small increases are due to the town planning development in Tsun Wan.
Head & Post Office, Radio Traffic Office and Wireless.
A-Post Office.
1. Under Special Expenditure has been necessary to provide a new Motor Mail Van for the increase of Air Mail traffic which may be expected when the proposed scheme for carriage of all first class matter by air comes into force. Electric clocks will be provided in the General and Kowloon Post Offices for the convenience of the public. Pillar Boxes will be installed at Queen Mary Hospital, Stanley Gaol and at two other points yet to be selected. Provision is made for more up-to-date equipment in the Registration Branch of the General Post Office with a view to safeguarding against loss or theft of registered articles.
2. Some reductions have been made under various Sub-heads of Other Charges. It has however been necessary to increase the provision for Stamps to pay for the cost of new dies and plates for the expected new issues consequent on the accession of His Majesty King George VI.
3. Under Personal Emoluments, provision has been made for one additional Assistant Superintendent of Mails to take charge of Air Mail. Fight additional Postal Clerks have been provided to relieve a serious shortage of staff, overtime at present being the rule rather than the exception. Two extra Postmen have been provided for the Stanley area, where a kiosk has now been opened.
B-Radio Traffic Office.
There is a net reduction of two posts in the staff of Telegraphists under this Head. three further Telegraphists being replaced by Clerks.
C-Wireless.
1. This sub-department hitherto under the control of the Public Works De- partment will be transferred to the Post Office from the 1st January, 1938.
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2. Under Other Charges the former Sub-head Repairs, Stores and Current has been divided into two new Sub-heads "Electric Current and Fuel " and "
Repairs and Stores "in the interests of greater clarity. The total for these two Sub-heads is $66,000 as compared with $60,000 last year, the increase being due to rising prices.
3. Under Special Expenditure $11,500 has been provided for the purchase of tools which will enable necessary plant to be manufactured locally; it is probable that resulting economies will amount to at least a similar total annually.
4. With the transfer of wireless to the Post Office, the post of Wireless Engineer, included in the 1936 Estimates but omitted last year has been revived, and a new scale of salary, commensurate with the responsibility of the position, has been allotted. Two additional Class II and two Class V Technicians have also been added to cope with the additional work which will result from the establish- ment of the Kai Tak Station. A number of workers formerly paid daily have been shown separately for the sake of greater accuracy,
Head 9-Imports and Exports Department,
1. The growth of the local heroin traffic made it necessary to provide an Assistant to the Monopoly Analyst this year, provision being made by Supple- mentary Vote, and this post now appears in the Estimates for the first time. The
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long service of the present holder of the post of Monopoly Analyst and his lack of promotion prospects have been recognized by the grant to him of a personal pension- able allowance, already approved by the Finance Committee and by the Secretary of State. An increase in the establishment of one Junior Clerical Service clerk has been necessitated by the increase of work caused by the requirements of Imperial Preference legislation, and a temporary European Revenue Officer has heen placed on the permanent establishment
2. It will not be necessary to purchase any raw opium in 1938 and no provision is accordingly made for "Purchase of Raw Opium, including Rewards for illicit opium". Provision of $25,000 has been made under Sub-head 21 for "Rewards for illicit opium seizures
3. It is hoped to replace some of the present Chinese Revenue Officers by a In order to attract better class of officer with special aptitude for detective work. suitable candidates it will be necessary to offer a higher scale of pay and provision for this has been made for the time being in the form of increased Detective Allow- ances. If the experiment should meet with success it is proposed to introduce a special scale of pay for Chinese Revenue Officers Grade I and to abolish the former system of Detective Allowances.
4. Small reductions have been made under a number of Sub-heads.
Head 10 Harbour Department and Air Services.
A-Harbour Department.
1. Increased prices are responsible for an increase in a number of Sub-heads under Other Charges, and the opening of the Hong Kong Prison has necessitated an increase in the amount provided for Coal for Offices, the vote from which coal for all Government buildings is supplied.
2. In the interests of shipping provision is made under Special Expenditure for a new Diaphone for Waglan, the old apparatus being inefficient and liable to break down at any moment. The old S.D.2 launch has been condemned by a New Board of Survey and must be replaced at an estimated cost of $115,000. electric batteries for Waglan and a new Flasher for Cape Collinson are necessary to replace old installations. Two Government Marine Surveyors will be trained in accordance with Board of Trade requirements next year and provision for their In view of the increasing difficulty expenses has had to be made accordingly. experienced in obtaining steel at short notice, it has been considered advisable to make provision for the purchase of a small quantity of Dalzo rust-resisting steel which will be kept in stock for emergencies.
3. A revised scheme of allowances to Police Boatmen and Seamen which has been brought into force has necessitated a small increase in these items of Personal Emoluments. One Stoker and one Engineer have been added for the manning of the new fumigation launch, formerly No. 1 Police Launch. The Sub-Inspector of Lighthouses has been granted an accelerated increment in return for his forfeiture of certain privileges granted to him on appointment which are considered inappropriate.
B-Air Services.
1. The increasing importance of the Colony as an Airport has caused a large increase in the total under this Head. Under Special Expenditure provision has been made for the purchase of three rubber buoys for mooring flying boats and for an auxiliary control launch. The duties of this launch will be to clear the landing area for flying boats, roughen the water sufficiently for taking off and act generally as tender to flying boats.
2. The provision of this launch and the increase in the wireless services have necessitated the addition of a crew and of Wireless Telegraphists and Technicians as shown under Airport Ground Staff and Wireless Telegraphy Staff on page 36.
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