CO129-545-1 Estimates 1934 4-10-1933 - 17-4-1934 — Page 193

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Pensions.

There have recently been a number of retirements

among the more senior members of the Service and more

are marked to occur in the near future. The Pensions

Ordinance, 1932, moreover has introduced for this Colony

the system, in force in many other Colonies, by which an

officer can commute a portion of his pension for a cash

gratuity. For the time being therefore an increase in

the vote is necessary.

Head 32, Public Works Department.

Under Personal Emoluments the only two items that

stand out are the increase in the number of Architects

by two and a similar increase in the number of Overseers.

This matter has already been before and approved by the

Finance Committee. As explained at the time, the posts

are of a temporary nature and designed to cope with the large programme of Public Works Extraordinary. I might

remind you that it was one of the recommendations of the

Retrenchment Commission, that for Public Works more than

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ordinary magnitude special temporary staff should be engaged; this it is now proposed to do and has been done on a much larger scale in the case of the Shing Mun Gorge

Dam. To cope with the greater number of meters and motor

accounts it has been found necessary to create 3 more

posts of meter readers and to increase the clerical

staff of the Water Works Office by five posts. The pro-

posed new Crown Leases Ordinance has been abandoned and

the staff which would have been required for its working

is deleted. As a result of the decision that the Colon:

is to retain and operate its commercial wireless services,