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Wherever they show an increase this has been unavoidable. show that this policy has met with a certain degree of success, I may mention that in actual fact 21 out of 46 Heads of expendi- ture show a reduction as compared with last year.
Personal Emoluments, which cover basic salaries and expatriation pay only, are estimated at $48,702,412 to which must be added a figure of $31 million provided under the Mis- cellaneous Services Head in respect of cost of living allowances. Railway cost of living allowances also amount to a further $720,000. This makes a total of $80,422,412 in respect of personal emoluments of the Government staff. There are, however, two other items of $4,692,000 and $2,300,000 respectively under the Subventions Head which relate to grants to Grant-aided and Vernacular Schools and cover teachers' salaries and cost of living allowance.
It is obviously quite unrealistic that cost of living allow- ances should amount to practically two thirds of the total paid out in respect of basic salaries and expatriation pay. Any fall in the cost of living which may take place will certainly not be on anything like that scale, so it is proposed during the course of the year to take up with the Secretary of State the possibility of consolidating in basic salary a proportion of the present allowance.
Total personal emoluments for the Government service show an increase of some $6 million as compared with last year. This is made up of just over $3 million in respect of cost of living allowances which have been increased during the year consequent on the rise in the retail price index; $11 million in respect of the increase in the establishment of the Police Force which has become necessary; $4 million under Medical Department; $1 million under Education Depart- ment; $1 million in respect of staff for the Essential Services Corps and Registration of Persons Scheme, and $1 million under the Public Works Department Head. The latter is more apparent than real, as it is largely due to the transfer of daily paid staff to a monthly paid basis and so should be offset next year, when the reorganization is complete, by a reduction in certain sub-heads under Public Works Recurrent,
Besides these increases which total something over $5! million, there has been an increase of nearly $3 million under the Sanitary Department Head; $1 million of which is due to an increase in the number of Sanitary Coolies and in the pro- vision of overtime. It will be recollected that last year a cut of 200 was made in the Sanitary Department staff, but experience showed that this had been somewhat overdone, having regard to the steady increase in built-up areas for which street cleaning services had to be provided. The influx of population during the year threw a further strain on the clean- ing staff, and it became necessary to restore 86 posts of Sanitary Coolie. There has been an increase in the personal emoluments
of the Hong Kong Naval Force of $130,000, and minor increases in certain other departments, such as the Fire Brigade and Social Welfare Departments. Increments are another factor which tends to swell the total of Personal Emoluments. Normally they are cancelled out to a great extent by retirements, resignations, etc., when new entrants start at the bottom of the scale. But one result of the recommendations of the Salaries Commission has been to start off an abnormally high number of Government employees at the beginning of their scales. It will be some years therefore before a position of equilibrium is reached.
Other Charges for 1950/51, excluding Public Works Extra- ordinary and Special Expenditure, and also Cost of Living Allowances, total $81,655,470 as compared with the figure of $72,357,096 for the year which is just closing. Special Expen- diture, excluding Public Works Extraordinary and works financed from Colonial Development and Welfare Fund grants, total $9,772,155 as compared with $11,468,520 for 1949/50.
The temporary departments such as the Custodian of Property and the Department of Supplies and Distribution will still be necessary during the coming year. A further small reduction has been effected in the cost of the Custodian's Department, but nothing much further can be achieved in this direction until it proves possible to close down the department altogether. The cost of the Department of Supplies and Dis- tribution shows a small increase, due to increments and staff changes, but the possibility of effecting some reduction in the staff of the department during the coming year is being explored, and it is hoped that it will then be possible for the Director of the Department of Commerce and Industry to administer it as well as his own department.
Some progress has been made in fixing suitable post-war establishments for departments whose work has greatly increased since the war. In consequence, less personnel is now paid from the temporary staff votes, but there is still quite a long way to go before these can be eliminated altogether.
Honourable Members will no doubt recollect that in the course of my Budget speech last year, I announced that Govern- ment had decided to set up a committee to consider the whole question of Government transport. For various reasons there was some delay in the setting up of the committee, but it was finally appointed at the end of June under the chairmanship of Mr. C. Blaker, who was at that time a member of this Honourable Council. The committee's task was a formidable one, as they had to examine in detail the transport requirements of all Government departments. They have submitted several interim reports and their final report was received only three weeks ago, so there has not yet been time to consider it fully, as this will involve reference to departments on a number of points. It is however abundantly clear that the committee have