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estimates for the year just ended, as for example the contribution in respect of the present emergency and the expenditure on civil measures for defence.
14.
In the estimates as originally presented, personal emoluments which cover basic salaries and expatriation pay only, were estimated at $48,602,778, to which must be added a figure of $32 million provided under the Miscellaneous Services Head in respect of cost of living allowances. Railway cost of living allowances also amounted to a further $787,680. This makes a total of $81,390,458 in respect of personal emoluments of the Government staff. Basic salaries showed a drop of approximately $100,000 as compared with 1950/51, in spite of increments on which a position of equilibrium has not yet quite been reached, an increase in Police personnel and the necessity to increase staff in certain other departments in connection with control measures of various kinds introduced during the year. This shows that the efforts to cut down staff wherever this can be done without loss of efficiency are at last beginning to show some results. In this connection a thorough comb out has been undertaken of the posts which have remained unfilled for a number of months. As a result of the consolidation proposals which you have now approved in principle, though with certain reservations, a portion of the provision for cost of living allowances will in the course of the year be re-allocated to augment departmental personal emoluments in order to meet the increased basic salaries.
15.
Other Charges for 1951/52, excluding Public Works Non-Recurrent and Special Expenditure, and also cost of living allowances, totalled $87,574,145, representing an increase of $6 million over the figure of $81,655,470 for 1950/51. This increase under Other Charges mainly occurs under seven Heads, and is partly offset by reductions under other Heads. $21 million of the increase is in respect of additional charges for the conveyance of mails due to the greater quantities of transit mail passing througn Hong Kong. This is offset by receipts on the revenue side. Then there are increases of nearly $12 million under the Subventions Head in respect of grants to vernacular schools, $1 million under Police Other Charges, and $1 million under Medical Other Charges.
16.
Under the Public Works Department Head, Other Charges are up by over $13 million, owing to casual labour now being charged to a separate sub-head instead of as formerly being included in the provision for a particular work. There is of course a corresponding reduction of the Public Works Recurrent Head. There are also increases under the Marine and Railway Other Charges of $1 million and $2 million respectively, largely due to increased maintenance costs, but in the case of the Railway $1 million has been allocated for the inauguration of a Renewals Fund.
17.
Special Expenditure, excluding Public Works Non- Recurrent and works financed from Colonial Development and Welfare Grants, totals $31,021,647 as compared with $9,772,155 for 1950/51. Of this increase of $214 million over last year's figure, nearly $12 million is in respect of provisions not included in the 1950/51 estimates, namely the contributi on to His Majesty's Government in respect of the present emergency, and re-votes in respect of civil measures for defence. Then there is an increase of $5 million under the Special Expenditure