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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
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able to cope efficiently with the very considerable difficulties of the past year. (Applause).
The Government is glad to find that its efforts to introduce a larger element of local personnel into some of the higher ranks of the Government service meet with general approval in spite of a temporary increase in the personal emoluments votes during the transitional period. While on this subject I might correct erroneous impression left by the Senior Chinese Unofficial Member's speech that promotion is made solely on the grounds of seniority. I can assure the honourable member that this is not the case.
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The Honourable Mr. Shenton has referred to the proposed country residence for His Excellency the Governor in the New Territories. I am sure the support given by the Council to this proposal will be very gratifying to His Excellency Sir William Peel who has authorized me to say that when a new Government House, on a cooler site, is ready for occupation, as we hope it soon may be, for the present Government House, which was built in 1852, is seldom free from workmen, His Excellency is prepared to relinquish Mountain Lodge as a Governor's residence.
Honourable members will no doubt have noticed the omission from this year's estimates of the provision for the Chinese School at the University. This is due to the recommendations of the committee appointed to consider the teaching of Chinese at the University and not to any lack of sympathy on the part of the Government with the study of Chinese.
study of Chinese. It is hoped that the Iniversity will in future be able to provide the funds necessary to carry out the recommendations of the Committee and so relieve the Government of this recurrent charge.
Another item to which I wish to refer is the request, supported by all the unofficial members, for a larger subsidy for the Society for the Protection of Children. I rejoice to find the work of this Society so fully recognized and the Government's high appreciation of its work is acknowledged in the increase of the grant for next year from $3,000 to $5,000. It has been suggested that this grant be increased to $10,000, but as at present advised I am unable to accede to that request.
With a Society of this kind which has a very definite claim to charitable support from the general public, it is necessary to preserve some balance between private subscription and Government grants, and while I am prepared to ask this Council to vote a subsidy on a dollar for dollar basis, or even higher, up to some definite limit, I do not feel able to support the Society to the extent of making it practically an unofficial Government Department. I would therefore ask honourable members to study the list of
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