CO129-424 - Governor Sir May - 1915 [9-10] — Page 465

(.

Miscellaneous .

Brought forward.

46.712

$39,712

Passages for Recruits to England.

Pay of Police and others,.

Miscellaneous expenses

13,584

3,649

3,842

$60,787

A sum of $750,000 is estimated to cover the

loss on subsidiary coins. This sum falls short of the revised estimate for the current year by $414,000, but I hope that it may nevertheless be sufficient. The reason why such a large sum as 81,164,000 is required for this year is given in my Budget state-

-ment.

12.

The establishment of European Police Con- -stables has been reduced by ten for the duration of the war. This reduction has been rendered possible by the excellent service rendered by members of the Special Police Reserve, to whose

public spirit and good work, as well as to those of the Volunteers I again bore testimony when introducing the Budget in

Council.

13.

The Defence Contribution, the calculation of which is given in Appendix II to the Estimates, is $205,630 less than that provided for 1915. This decrease is mainly due to the fact that the estimated arrears on account of the contribution for 1915 are 879,600, as against arrears of 298,154 in respect of the contribution for 1914. On page 122 of the Estimates are given, in detail, the expenses to be deducted from the Opium Monopoly receipts for the purpose of calculating the Defence

Contribution.

14.

Under the head "Public Works, Recurrent" is

an increase of $2,000 in the cost of Gas Lighting (item 10) due to extensions of lighting; of $2,500 for Meters (item 23) due to a previous under-estimate; of $1,000 for Maintenance of Water- -works in Kowloon (item 35) due to increase of filtration; of

$1,000 for Meters in Kowloon (item 36) also due to a previous

under-