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SECTION 2. STAFF AND SPECIAL EVENTS.
7. Mr. C. G. Perdue, Deputy Commissioner, acted as Commissioner of Police during the absence on leave of the Hon. Mr. T. H. King, Commissioner of Police, from 17th March to 13th October. During the same period Mr. W. R. Scott, Divisional Superintendent of Police, acted as Deputy Commissioner of Police.
8. His Excellency Sir Geoffry Northcote, K.C.M.G., inspected the Hong Kong Police Force and presented medals at Police Headquarters on 11th April 1939. The number of officers presented to His Excellency for medals or Commendations were:
Hong Kong Police Silver Medal 1 Colonial Police Long Service Medal 22 1st Bar to Colonial Police Long Service Medal 2 Officers commended by His Excellency 199. The Police Sports Pavilion which was generously presented to the Police Force by Mr. Eu Tong Sen was formally opened on 9.9.39 by Mr. C. G. Perdue, Acting Commissioner of Police, and has since then been in constant use by all Contingents. I take this opportunity of expressing the gratitude of the Force to Mr. Eu for this splendid gift.
SECTION 3. REVENUE, LICENCES ISSUED, AND EXPENDITURE.
10. Tables I and II show comparative revenue and expenditure in detail for 1938 and 1939. Table III shows total revenue and expenditure for the years 1930 to 1939. Total expenditure for 1939 was $3,579,789 and revenue collected by the Department was $1,160,003.
11. Revenue in 1939 increased by $71,577 as compared with 1938. This is a reflection of the increase in business owing to the transfer to the Colony of industries formerly carried on in Chinese territory.
12. Expenditure in 1939 was $290,299 greater than in 1938. One main cause of the increase is the item "Emergency expenses arising from the Sino-Japanese conflict." This item alone accounts for an increase of $126,427. The second main increase is in personnel emoluments, with an increase of $127,189. This is due to an increase of personnel combined with a change in the salary scale of European sergeants.
13. Expenditure on the Police Department in 1939 represented 9.9% of total Government expenditure for the year (omitting Public Works Extraordinary), and this compares favourably with the corresponding figure of 10.69% in 1930.
14. The increase of business is also indicated in Table IV, which shows the various licences issued by the Department during the years 1938 and 1939. The total number of licences issued in 1939 was 9,646 as against 8,172 in 1938. The most striking increases are (a) the total number of motor vehicles licensed was 848 greater in 1939 than in 1938, and (b) printing presses increased by 113 during the same period.
15. During the year, 5,943 cinematograph reels and 273 trailers were censored at the Censor Studio, as compared with 5,005 reels and 261 trailers in 1938. Eighteen reels were submitted to the Appeal Board as against twenty-seven in 1938.
SECTION 4. BUILDINGS.
16. The gradual increase in the strength of the Police Force, which has accompanied the development of the city and of Kowloon, has now led to the position that several stations cannot accommodate the number of men required to police the district.