CO129-505-12 Estimates of expenditure 1928 1-9-1927 - 12-1-1928 — Page 77

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we have left our Administrative and Protective Services

at full strength, and have even increased them in some minor particulars e.g. in the Clerical and Accounting Staffs, in the Harbour, Police and Medical Departments and in the Defence Corps; and we have allowed a small

increase for education, a matter of great importance,

and in Public Works Recurrent Votes for maintenance. There

is a reduction of nearly $32,000 in Public Works Departmer' Personal Emoluments. After providing for the full

maintenance of all the essential services we were left

with a certain sum of money for Public Works Extraordinary

and the first items to be provided for were those works in progress which could not be abandoned or delayed without serious loss. The small sum of money left after provision

had been made for these works has been devoted to some

of the most urgent of the minor works which are awaiting

attention.

It would of course be possible to increase

taxation and so to raise sufficient money to pay for some of the works we have felt obliged to postpone. But it

would be unwise to lay additional burdens on the community

It must be our just when trade is beginning to pick up. first duty to foster that recovery by every means in our power. Consequently with two small exceptions to which I shall refer later it is not proposed to alter any of the existing sources of revenue. We have not however overlooked the possibility of proceeding with works of development by means of a loan and I shall at a later point in our proceed- ings this afternoon move the first reading of a Bill authorizing the provision for a loan of $5,000,000 to carry out the Shing Mun Water Scheme, the Harbour Dredging and

the

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