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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
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anticipated that the work will be much more efficiently done. Provi- sion has been made for the extra staff required, which will cost $3,856 next year.
Drivers of bullock carts have again been considerably reduced with the progress of the scheme of replacing bullock refuse carts by motor lorries. Subhead 24-" Purchase and Maintenance of Bullocks" has for similar reasons been cut down to $1,000. Motor Lorries are proving most successful, and more economical than bullock- carts.
The number of subheads under other charges has been reduced by amalgamating those which provided for similar services. This has enabled reductions to be made on many of the votes, and is also more convenient in working.
Provision is made for the purchase of one more motor refuse lorry, and for the fitting of solid tires to all Sanitary Department lorries. Owing to the nature of their work, the use of pneumatic tires has been found uneconomical.
Head 27-Botanical and Forestry Department.
There is an increase of nine gardeners, six pf whom will be required to look after the extensive lawns surrounding the Kowloon Hospital, two for the nursery and propagating department and one for the General Civil Hospital.
Head 28-Education Department.
At present we are without King's College which is being used as a military hospital. It is, however, necessary that provision should be made for staffing it and running it in the event of the number of troops in the Colony being so reduced next year that they will not require King's College. Six British mistresses on the temporary staff who were formerly paid from savings on personal emoluments are now included in the estimates. The teaching staffs of the Vernacular Middle School and the Normal School for Women have been increased by one English teacher at the former, and by three lecturers at the latter. Both these schools are proving very popular and are expand- ing.
Subhead 7-" Incidental Expenses " has been increased so as to provide uniforms for office attendants, messengers, and coolies in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee which investi- gated the matter. The same scale applies for all office staff through- out the service. Subheads 10 and 11-" Students-in-training have been reduced with the decrease in number of these students.
2)
Coming now to grants and subsidies, Government may under the Grant Code make various grants to non-Government schools which fulfil certain conditions as regards buildings, the number of pupils entered for various examinations, etc. It has been the policy in the past for schools to regard these grants as almost automatic. It is, however, necessary to fix a limit to these increasing demands on the
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