9.
additional office space will have to be found among that at present available. It is suggested that this should be on the first floor of the Fire Brigade Building. This would consolidate the present I. & E. Department, which operates at present in two parts, one on the ground floor and the other on the 2nd floor of the Fire Brigade Building,
VII.
CONCLUSION.
It is believed that the scheme formulated above will supply a very real need for the commercial community in the Colony. It will bring Government administration up-to-date and provide machinery which will be capable of dealing with the economic affairs of the Colony for many years to come.
In the proposals set out above, there is little that is new. Most of the functions proposed are at present being carried out in a minor degree by the I. & E. and the S.T.I. Deportmonts, but they need co-ordinating and extending in scope.
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The suggested re-organisation scheme should supply a very necessary form of Government activity, which will be appreciated, not only by local commercial community but by traders the world over. It will disseminate information concerning that side of the Colony's activities which is most important, namely its commerce and trade. and put the Colony "on the map" in the commercial sense. At a time when there is some doubt whether, with the decline of Shanghai, the great Commercial entreport of the Far East will be in Melaya, Hong Kong or Japan, it is essential that Hong Kong should not be left at the starting post for lack of a suitable Government agonoy to handle the problems which will inevitably arise in this race for predominance - a race which Hong Kong must win it its future is to be secured.