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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
of so many as seven additional European Doctors in the Hospital Division of the Medical Department.
In the course of his Budget speech of the 12th September last, the Acting Colonial Secretary said (see Hansard 1935, page 165):— "No provision, apart from one sew amah, has been made for the extra staff that will be required for the new Queen Mary Hospital, as the Hospital will not be ready until 1937."
In this connection it is suggested, firstly, that a good deal of the time of the present Government Medical Officers could be saved, if people, who now go to Government Hospitals (which are paid for by the Public and should be open to private practitioners) for treatment or operations but can afford to pay a private practitioner for treatment or operations, be alowed to be attended there by private practitioners, and secondly, that, if any increase of the Government Hospital Staff is found to be necessary in order to staff the Queen Mary Hospital, considerable economy could be effected by the Government engaging medical graduates of the Hong Kong University on dollar salaries instead of engaging Medical Officers from Britain on expensive sterling salaries.
Yet another point which we would urge is that economies might possibly be effected if an Unofficial Member of this Council were appointed in an advisory capacity, a Member of the Appointments Board to the Senior Clerical and Accounting Service.
In the course of his speech Mr. Lo has referred to the difficulty of getting rid of Civil Servants for bribery or other irregular practices, and there can be no doubt that this difficulty in getting rid of Subordinate Officers for bribery constitutes a serious blot upon the wholesome administration of the laws and regulations of this Colony. In Hong Kong, unfortunately, conditions are far more conducive than in other Colonies to the offer and acceptance of bribes, and accordingly many of our Ordinances and regulations are potential vehicles for bribery.
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In these circumstances the Unofficial Members feel compelled, in the interests of the public, to suggest a radical change, namely, that no Subordinate Officials in the service, should, in future be taken on to the permanent Staff of the Colony, but that, instead, they be taken on, on agreements for terms of years, which would be renewable, at the option of the Government. Some sort of scheme for a contributory provident fund for such Officers would have to be created, in lieu of a pension.
In conclusion I must deal with a point, which has been briefly referred to by the mover of this motion, and which is a very sore point with the Unofficial Members of this Council. In my letter to the Colonial Secretary of the 18th September last I, as the mouthpiece of every one of the Unofficial Members, urged the
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