CO129-553-10 Urban Council- re-organisation of the medical and sanitary services 8-3-1935 - 31-7-1935 — Page 20

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had to be rejected as imposing additional burdens on an

already heavily burdened officer.

8. While these difficulties on the material side were

discussed in many conferences, it was found that the method

of approach by an ad hoc Committee as reported to the

Secretary of State for the Colonies in His Excellency's

82752 telegram of 19th August, 1932, itself broke down through want

of a common basis on the above and other problems which fell

to its lot to settle. It should nevertheless be stated that

the Committee had done good work in the preparation of draft bills which formed the basis of subsequent discussion. Having

therefore indicated the lines on which His Excellency desired

the reorganisation to proceed, His Excellency directed that the

Director of Medical & Sanitary Services should draft the

requisite legislation in direct consultation with the Attorney

General. Drafts were ready by 16th November, 1933, and on that

day Executive Council approved appointment of a Committee under

a past head of the Sanitary Department and comprising Chinese

and European members of the present Board to consider and report

on the scheme exemplified in the bills.

9.

The Committee failed to present a unanimous report

being almost equally divided and Chinese members were to be

found on both sides. Of five members, three reported in favour

of a modification of the scheme in approximation to the status

quo, and, while recognising the difficulty in which the

Director of Medical & Sanitary Services found himself, being

responsible for the health of the Colony while a number of the

essential services were outside his control, it considered the

compromise represented in the draft bills to be unworkable.

minority held on this point the contrary view and urged that it

was essential that the Director of Medical & Sanitary Services

The

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