CO129-561-10 Estimates 1938 2-9-1937 - 23-9-1938 — Page 154

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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

MERCHANT SHIPPING AMENDMENT ORDINANCE, 1937.

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL moved the second reading of a Bill intituled "An Ordinance to amend the Merchant Shipping (No. 2) Amendment Ordinance, 1934, and the Merchant Shipping Ordinance, 1899, as amended by the Merchant Shipping Amendment Ordinance, 1935."

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the Bill was read a second time.

Council then went into Committee to consider the Bill clause by

clause.

Upon Council resuming,

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL reported that the Bill had passed through Committee without amendment and moved the third reading.

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY seconded, and the Bill was read a third time and passed.

BUDGET DEBATE.

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY moved the second reading of a Bill intituled "An Ordinance to apply a sum not exceeding Twenty-six million three hundred and twenty-seven thousand three hundred and forty-three Dollars to the Public Service of the year 1938."

THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY seconded.

HON. SIR HENRY POLLOCK.-Your Excellency, As the Senior Unofficial Member I desire to make the following remarks upon the Budget for 1938, on behalf of my Unofficial colleagues as well as myself.

For convenience I will, so far as possible, deal with various items in the Estimates in the same order as they were dealt with by the Honourable Colonial Secretary in his Budget speech. We thank him for his lucid explanations of Government policy, and for his memorandum on the Estimates. We also thank the Financial Secretary, of whose appointment we heartily approve, for his memorandum on the Colony's financial position for the years 1936, 1937 and 1938, and we thank the Director of Public Works for his notes on Public Works Extraordinary for 1938.

We regret that there is no Auditor's report.

It is reassuring to learn that estimates of revenue for 1938 have been taken upon a conservative basis.

We applaud the Government's decision not to impose additional taxation at a time like the present, when the costs of living are rising.

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