CO129-545-1 Estimates 1934 4-10-1933 - 17-4-1934 — Page 185

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mittec as item 52 in Finance Ifinute No.7 of 29th July

last. Under Public Works Extraordinary it will be

bserved that a start is at last to be made on the long

delayed Upper Levels Police Station.

Head 21. Prisons Department.

Last year Hr. Hallifax expressed the hope that

three more European arders and ten temporary Indian

Guards would have been retrenched by the end of the

current year.

If allowance is made for the additional

temporary block at Lai Chi Kok Gaol requiring a staff

of one European Warder, four Assistant Indian Varders

and two temporary Indian Guards, which was approved by

Finance Committee on 3rd August last, this promised

reduction will have been made. The only other matter

calling for comment under this head is the change in

the transport arrangements with Lai Chi Kok. At present prisoners are conveyed between Lai Chi Kok and

the Island by a Prisons Department Launch.

Next year

it is proposed instead to transport the prisoners by

motor van using the vehicular ferry. It will be

necessary to purchase an additional van for $4,000,

and to provide for its running expenses which will

bo greater than those of the existing van as the dis-

tance to travel will be very much greater. The sub-

heads affected are 21 and 22 under Other Charges and

25 under Special Expenditure. The Prisons Department

Launch will be converted into an infectious cases

launch which will save building the new launch for

which $50,000 has been provided in the current year's

Estimates under Head 10, Harbour Department. Apart from

this considerable saving in capital cost the annually

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