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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
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over 2,000 men. In this connection the Honourable Member will bear in mind that times of depression are not necessarily times in which the work of Government decreases. On the contrary such times frequently throw considerable additional work on certain Government Departments, of which the Police is one, and the Treasury another.
The Honourable Member also quoted figures to show that the Government has not implemented its promise to retrench, particularly in the matter of European staff. He quoted the number of European Civil Servants in 1935 as 975, the number given by the Government in answer to his recent question. That figure includes, however, fifty-two European Civil Servants on dollar salaries. The total number of European Civil Servants has increased from 647 in 1923 to 975 in 1935, but the proportion of Europeans on sterling salaries to the total Civil Service in 1923 was only 9.65 and it has decreased to 9.52 in 1935. The increase in the Civil Service has been consonant with the increase in the growth of the Colony and the amount of work, municipal and otherwise which has to be performed by the Government.
The Government regrets that it has again as in the case of sterling paid officers in 1931, found it necessary to impose a levy on the emoluments of its servants, with a view to decreasing the deficit in the Budget. As Honourable Members are aware a bill has been read a first time this afternoon in which legislative sanction is sought for the levy on salaries and in introducing the Bill the Attorney General has set out the financial position which compelled the Government to impose the levy. The Government is taxing its own servants to meet what it hopes is a temporary emergency, and it is exploring every possible means of economy; it is at the same time considering every possible method of increasing the Colony's revenue. In addition it is considering the granting of facilities to cfficers to retire before the normal age limit, and except where it is absolutely necessary, it is not appointing new officers for whom provision is made in the estimates or filling vacancies as they occur or renewing the contracts of officers on a temporary basis. The Honourable Member asks that Govern- ment should not engage any more persons on a sterling basis without consulting this Council, and that no vacancies should be filled without similar consultation. That to a large extent represents the present practice. The annual estimates, by which the expenditure of the year is definitely limited and arranged, are submitted to this Council and in respect of any application for supplementary expenditure the approval of the Finance Committee, on which there is an unofficial majority, is almost invariably scught in the first instance.
The Honourable Member who seconded the motion suggests that an Unofficial Member should be appointed to the Appointments Board of the Senior Clerical and Accounting Service.
It is assumed that the Honourable Member refers to the Appoint- ments Committee which deals chiefly with promotions and with the filling of vacancies as they occur. These are matters for which the
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