}
83
1
Bricks Without Straw.
Well, Sir, I may say at once that the Government fully shares their disappointment, but even the Government cannot make bricks without straw and the hardest part of a Budget framer's task is the endeavour to make the quart of the demands go into the pint pot of the revenue. There is hardly a work mentioned by our critics which has not received the most careful consideration of the Government and been finally ruled out in favour of works which seemed to the Government to merit prior performance. The work of administration has to be provided for before money can be found for Public works, and in this connexion I would refer to the remarks of the Senior Chinese unofficial member on the rising cost of administration. The Government, Sir, admits that the cost of administration is rising and it must continue to rise so long as more and more is demand- ed of the Government. The largest increases in the present Budget are in answer to insistent ¿ public demand and have met with unofficial approval. So far as I can remember only one depart ment is charged with being over- staffed, and the Harbour Master has, I think, made an effective reply to the charge.
Personal Emoluments.
As a matter of curiosity I have caused the expenditure on Per- sonal Emoluments in Hongkong to be compared, so far as informa tion is available here, with the expenditure in neighbouring ad- ministrations, and we find the in- teresting_result that the percent-
age
of Personal Emoluments to Revenue in the present Budget. (and in this connexion it must not be forgotten that the same Personal Emoluments dealt with an expenditure of nearly $2,000,- 000 on loan works in addition to voted expenditure), is slightly less than the percentage shown by the 1927/1928 figures for Ceylon and the 1929 figures for the Straits Settlements, and much less than the 1929 figures for Shanghai. 1 therefore venture to doubt the justness of the charge that our Personal Emoluments absorb an unduly high proportion of our revenue, while the need for some improvement of salaries, especial ly in the lower grades of the ser- vices. has been shown by the re- port of the Salaries Commission.
I pass now, Sir, to some of the detailed criticisms and enquiries of my unofficial friends.
The Gaol.
Taking first the remarks of the Senior unofficial member, as re- gards the Gaol we all know that a new Gaol is required and that 'the work once commenced at Kai Tak was suspended owing to the financial difficulties of the year 1925. That site is no longer
"
available, being required to be re- served for the development of the Aerodrome, and I have no doubt the foundation prepared for the. Gaol will be found useful for fu- i ture buildings. The question of accommodation in the prisons is receiving attention. A proposal has been made to transfer the female prisoners to Lai Chi Kok, where there is space available, and if the transfer can be effected the situation in Victoria Gaol will be considerably relieved.
The pre-
sent Government, while recogniz-, ing the need for a new Gaol, differs from its predecessors in thinking that a new Civil Hospital should have priority over a new Gaol, and we doubt if the finances of the Colony justify the under- taking of both of these costly. works at once. It is for this rea- son that we thought it worth while to improve the printing shop in the Gaol as we believe it will prove an economical undertaking in the long run. We cannot vacate the present Gaol until the new Gaol is ready, and I venture to predict that 10 years is a modest estimate for the life of the present Gaol. I might remind Hon. Members that the printing shop proposal was laid before them in the Budget for 1929 and a sum of $41,000 was voted without demur. When
the plans came to be worked out it was found that the proposed scheme would not provide all the accommodation required and an amended scheme costing $100,000, has been prepared in its place. The Hon. Director of Public Works will be prepared to explain the details in Committee and I trust that Hon. Members will agree with the Government that the scheme will prove to be an economy in the long run and will approve the expenditure asked for.
Education.
The important subject of Education has not unnaturally. given rise to comment from more than one of my unofficial friends. The Government will take counsel with the Director of Education on the points raised by the Senior unofficial member, but I would remind him that a good deal is already being done in the way of instruction in sanitation and hygiene in all schools and in elementary agricultural instruc- tion in certain selected areas. The Hon. Member also asked whether school fees should not be reduced. The Government does not consider that the fees charged in Govern- ment schools are unduly high in ̧( view of the Educational facilities provided and cannot
see any
adequate reason for reducing these fees.
י
As regards the Central British School at Kowloon the sum pro-. vided is for site formation only. The Government is not in a posi- tion at present to provide funds. to commence the buildings. The. last of the Hon. Member's list of items is an appeal for a grant-in- aid on behalf of the Mun Sang College. The Director of Educa- tion has reported that this school has not yet reached the standard required for a Government grant, but it is hoped that if the manage- ment accepts the Director's advice it may in course of time reach grant standard. The Hon. the Senior Chinese unofficial member. refers to the reduction in three educational subsidies. I can- assure him that. no abatement of the Government's interest in or encouragement of Education is implied in these reductions. The amounts provided last year were greater than the amounts re- quired by more than the reduc- tions effected and it is believed that all legitimate demands are covered by the amounts now in- serted in the Estimates.
Importance of Markets. The Government
agrees with the Hon. the Senior Unofficial member as to the importance of the markets, and provision has been made for the continuance of the work on the Sai Ying Pun and Kowloon City markets. As regards the Kowloon Tong market which was referred to by the Hon. Mr. Braga as well as by the Senior- unofficial member, provision was made in the Estimates for 1929 for a temporary market there, at› a cost of $1,500 and the proposal. was accepted at the time without comment. The plans were ready; in February and the work might have been completed by now but: for the fact that demands have since been put forward out of all proportion to the sum provided. The revised plans and estimates were only received last month too late for inclusion in the draft estimates for 1930, and the justice or otherwise of these demands is at present under consideration, but as at present advised I am in- ! clined to think that Kowloon
Tong's demands in this matter are excessive. I do not understand the Hon. Mr. Braga's suggestion that the omission of the market from the Estimates for 1930 is a slight on the Sanitary Board. The suggestion appears to be entirely unjustified,
Recreation Grounds.
on
A good deal has been said by the Hon. Senior unofficial mem- ber and his colleagues the subject of Recreation Grounds, The item under Education De-open spaces and Children's Play- partment of $60,000 for building grounds. The Government readily grants is to meet the following acknowledges the needs of the demands.
Colony in these respects, and as Hon. Members know a Committee has been appointed to go into the whole question. This Committee, of which I have the honour to be
La Salle College. Kowloon, $50,000
St. Francis School, Victoria, $10,000
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.