HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
161
It is satisfactory that the Colony's 1933 programme can be carried through without imposing any additional taxation, and we desire to express our thanks to the Hon. Colonial Treasurer for having once again presented us with an illuminating and interesting Memorandum upon the financial position of the Colony.
We should like, however, to enquire of that Official whether it will not be possible to effect a considerable saving of revenue by paying off our 6% Public Works Loan of $5,000,000 and re-borrowing locally at from four to four and a half per cent.
We much appreciate the Memorandum of the Hon. Director of Public Works on Public Works Extraordinary.
The Hon. Colonial Secretary, early in his speech, refers to the Government having made a selection of Works to be included in the Estimates for 1933 "from a preliminary list several times as long."
We may add that it would be of assistance to Unofficial members if the Government would let us have a peep behind the Official curtain at those Innocents which have been massacred in the process of whittling down the Estimates, and we hope that this suggestion may be borne in mind before Estimates for future years are presented.
We are glad to find that, so far as possible, the Estimates for next year show the cost of the Staff of each Department under the heading of that Department, though we quite appreciate the point which has been made by the Colonial Secretary as to such classification not being absolutely up to date, owing to the circumstances which he mentions.
forthcoming
We are surprised that, even allowing for retirements from the Civil Service, it is necessary to send out more Cadets, having regard to the fact that so many have been sent out during the last 5 or 6 years, and I would refer on this point to what was said by the Hon. Sir Shouson Chow, on behalf of all the Unofficials, during last year's Budget debate (see 1931 Hansard, at top of page 155). The necessity for any such increase is still harder to appreciate, seeing that the Hon. Colonial Secretary pointed out, in his Budget speech this year, that 6 clerical officers were now being substituted for Cadets, namely, two in the Secretariat, two in the Treasury and two at the Magistracies respectively.
Generally we approve of the proposed changes in the Senior Clerical and Accounting Staff and of the scheme of promotions from the Junior Service.
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