HONGKONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
The ambulance is to take the place of the present one which has proved unsuitable. The other motor vehicles are required to keep pace with the times.
Sums are also included for furnishing married quarters, the Government having, with the consent of Hon. Members, decided to provide a certain amount of furniture to all Government quarters; and for modern iron bunks for the Chinese Police in place of the wooden boards on which they have hitherto slept.
Fire Brigade
The increase in the Fire Brigade vote, at page 49, from $53,590 to $77,243 is partly due to the establishment of a separate Station at Kowloon. On page 52 provision is made for a small Fire Float for Cheung Chau island, costing $1,500, for a motor pump to replace a pump moved to Kowloon, and for a new extension
ladder.
Prison Department
The vote under Prison, at page 51, is $284,936, compared with $147,270 voted in respect of the current year. The increase is largely due to the expense of the separate establishment required for the prison re- cently opened at Laichikok, particulars of which are given on page 106. This Coun- cil has already voted considerable gums for the Laichikok Prison during the pre- sent year, and it has also voted additional money for such items as clothing for staff, clothing and food for prisoners, and fuel, the expenditure on which was much under- estimated when the estimates for 1920 were prepared. The experiment of transfer- ring short sentence prisoners to Laichikok has been fully justified by results. The congestion in Victoria Gaol has been put an end to and the health of the prisoners generally is very much improved. Juvenile offenders will in future be imprisoned at Laichikok. I propose to separate the Pri- son Department from the Police Depart- ment, and the title of its head has accord- ingly been changed from Assistant Super- intendent, Victoria Gaol, to Superintendent of Prisons.
Medical Department
The only change of importance under the Medical Department is the transfer of the Office of Health Officer of the Port, shown at page 59, from a private practi- tioner to a Government Medical Officer.
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Dr. Jordan who has held the post since the year 1888 to the entire satisfaction of the Government, has resigned with effect from the end of this year. It is thought advisable that in future the post should be held by a whole-time officer directly under the control of the Principal Civil Medical
Officer.
At page 61 a European Sampler is pro- vided for the Government Laboratory, as the outcome of correspondence with the Chamber of Commerce. There was in a recent case a suggestion that samples had been tampered with, and this Government is determined to take every step possible to ensure that no preventable cause shall militate against the accuracy of Analysts' certificates.
its
Motor Vehicles for Dumping Refuse
Under Sanitary Department, at page 67, provision is made for two motor tractors and five trucks, for the purpose or dump- ing the kowloon refuse on the foreshore at Laichikok in connection with the re-
clamation there. It is proposed to use prison labour at the dump.
Education
Under Education, at page 70, provision is made for a full European staff, but there are at present a number of vacancies which so far it has not been possible to fili. fill. The interruption in training caused by the war has checked the supply, but it
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hoped that suitable candidates will shortly be forthcoming. The salaries of Chinese teachers have been considerably improved, and arrangements have been made for giving candidates for Master- ships a full course of training at the Hongkong University, as explained on page 106. I regard it as of primary im- portance that we should have an efficient teaching staff, without which it is of little use to make plans for the creation of new Government schools. It is proposed, how- ever to give considerable assistance towards the expansion of private schools, in the shape of building grants and, on page 73. a sum of $180,000 is inserted in place of the sum of $10,000 voted for the current year. The institutions which it is proposed to assist are the Canton College, which it is hoped will prove a useful feeder to the University, St. Joseph's College, St. Mary's School, the Man Mo School, and a school to be erected by the Church Mission- ary Society in West End Park. If the
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