508
THE HONG KONG WEEKLY PRESS &
64
March 27, 1936
Over Fourteen Million Dollars For Salaries
able omission on the part of the Government to adopt the obviously business-like course of fixing suf- ficient sterling exchange forward to cover its sterling commitments which would have materially helped the Government to balance its 1936 Budget.
Such omission on the part of the Government is all the more in- explicable, inasmuch as the Acting Colonial Secretary, in his Budget speech of the 12th September, 1935, clearly foresaw the possibility of an unbalanced Budget. (See Han- sard 1935, at page 158).
We hope that the Government is not going to shelter itself behind the plea that it could not fix ster- ling exchange forward because it had some foreknowledge of the possibility of measures being taken by it to establish a managed cur- rency. In considering such a plea, it is necessary to remember that the Government are trustees for th taxpayers of this Colony, whose interests it is the Government's duty to protect by every means iL its power.
SHOULD DEAL WITH A BANK It is also necessary to remem- ber that the other party to any such Exchange transaction by the Government would be a Bank, which would at once protect itself against loss by entering into covering contract.
a
When the Unofficials ask for protection for the tax-payers money, their wishes should be met and the onus for the action laid on them.
DR. WELLINGTON REPLIES
Replying on the medical situation the Hon Dr. A.R. Wellington said :
1. When making comparisons be- tween the present medical staff and
that of say 1930 or 1929 it is only fair
that certain facts should be borne in mind.
(a) that the Medical Department when I arrived in 1929 was admittedly inadequate for the work it had to per- form, and the first task set me was that of reorganisation of the Medical and Sanitary Services.
(b) that a twenty percent leave re- serve must be allowed if officers are to get their proper quota of leave.
(c) that in a small service, although for clearness of administration the staff is divided into branches, it is not economical to provide a 20% leave reserve for each branch but that the largest section should carry a sufficient reserve to allow of such replacements as the Malariologist, the Bacteriologist, the Radiologist and so on.
(d) that in 1929 there was no ade- quate leave reserve.
In addition, 97,575 rats were
examined.
(d) In the New Territories work has greatly increased there being six dispensaries instead of two, also a travelling dispensary.
Mun) there is a small hospital and an (e) At Jubilee Reservoir (Shing outpatient clinic for 2000 labourers.
DOMICILIARY TREATMENT
servants
treatment of Government
5. With regard to the domiciliary there has been no outstanding increase and there is now for this duty the there was in 1929 viz. one for Victoria same number of Medical Officers as
-who also does the Goal and In- Police Surgeon-and one for Kowloon fectious Diseases Hospital and acts as
tuary, the New Territory and in who also does the prisons, the Mor- addition is Railway Medical Officer.
6. It will be seen that the small ion from eight to ten is in no way due increase of staff of the Hospital Divis-
Orders to the change of the Government officers being attended in their houses which allowed of senior
when such was necessary.
7. It is not therefore correct to say 2. The fact that the individual present medical officers could be that a good deal of the time of the officers were appointed since 1930 does saved if people who now go to Govt. not seem to be relevant. The date of Hospitals were compelled to consult appointment does not necessary imply the creation of
private practitioners. new post but ordinarily implies only that an exist-ber's suggestion ing vacancy was filled on that date.
a
The 1929 staff list shows that there were then 8 Medical Officers all but one of whom belonged to what is now the Hospital Division, and that one exce- ption helped in hospital work when occasion demanded. The number quot- ed by the Hon. Member is 10 an increase of only two.
HOSPITAL DIVISION
3. The work of the hospital division includes duties in connection with.
(a) Govt, Civil Hospital-both in-
In the present instance the Gov- ernment were in the extraordin-patients and outpatients. arily fortunate position of the Un- official Members of this Council unanimously volunteering to take upon their own shoulders the res- ponsibility for the Government fixing sterling Exchange forward.
(b) Govt. Mental Hospital. (c) Victoria Hospital inpatients and outpatients.
(d) Kowloon Hospital inpatients and outpatients.
(e) Infectious Diseases Hospital. (f) Victoria Gaol Hospital.
Lai Chi Kok Prison Hospital. Kowloon Mortuary. Families of Govt. servants, Vic-
(g)
(h)
(i)
toria.
(j) Families of Govt. servants, Kowloon.
We regret being obliged to em- phasize this point of fixing Ex- change forward. Our reason for doing so is that it has been sug- gested by persons outside of this Council (in ignorance of the true facts) that the Unofficial Mem- bers were to blame for omitting to advise the Government to adopt the business-like precaution of fix-siderable increase in the various ac- 4. Since 1929 there has been a con- ing sterling Exchange forward.
our
And, lastly, the Unofficial Mem- vers destre me to express sympathy with Your Excellency in naving so soon after your arrival here, to deal with an unbalanced Budget, and also in being the chief sufferer from those cuts in Civil Servants' salaries which you Inave, so promptly, brought into
force.
(k) New Territories Dispensaries— six in number.
(1) Hospital at Jubilee Reservoir (Shing Mun).
tivities connected with the hospital division.
(a) At the three general hospitals only the inpatients have increased from 6,845 in 1929 tọ 8,614 in 1935, the outpatients from 79,450 to 150,629.
(b) Work at the gaol and prison hospitals has so increased that the Supt. of Prisons has asked for a whole time Medical Officer.
(c) The number of bodies dealt with at the Kowloon Mortuary was 2,626 in 1929 and 3,107 in 1935.
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8. With regard to the Hon. Mem- that Government private firms of doctors for medical should arrange for contracts with attendance, the Government does not consider that the arrangement would be economical. The amount of time
spent over domiciliary visits is far less than the Hon. Member seems to think. This is obvious from the large amount of other work the Medical Officers for Families have to do.
9. There is no restriction on any officer's choice of doctor but Govern- ment servants are not compelled to ignore the qualifications of Govern- ment Medical Officers and seek the attention of Private Practitioners.
10. The Hon. Member has been misinformed-It is not the policy of the Director of Medical and Sanitary Services for the Government to take over (at the expense of the taxpayer) all the Medical Services of the Colony and to drive eventually the private practitioners out of business.
There are already adequate nursing homes where the private practitioners can attend their own patients.
NO DIFFERENCE
11. The custom of restricting treat- ment in Government hospitals to mem- bers of the Hospital Staff does not differ materially from that in vogue elsewhere.
12.
In the so called voluntary hospitals in London, if a patient choo- ses to resort there for treatment he the staff, the same applies to the must put up with treatment by one of
Glasgow: the same applies to Hospitals Municipal Hospitals of London or in America, in Germany, in France and Italy: the same applies to Malaya.
13. With regard to the staffing of the Queen Mary Hospital, it is intend- ed that the same system as prevails at the Government Civil Hospital shall
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