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2. A reduction of nine in the number of European Lance Sergeants is offset by an increase of ten Cantonese Sub-Inspectors in accordance with the policy of gradual Asiaticization. One additional Cantonese Lance Sergeant has been provided for Kowloon City and sixteen Cantonese constables for duty as follows :—
(u) Six for Shamshuipo, a growing district where crime is very prevalent.
(b) Two for Shing Mun, formerly paid from Loan Funds; it is considered
advisable to maintain the Police Station here in view of local conditions. (c) One for Kowloon Magistracy, necessitated by additional Court work. (d) One detective for Gough Hill Station.
(e) Two for Upper Levels Station, now without a detective staff.
(f) One for Pokfulami Station now manned only by Indians. This district has assumed greater importance with residential development and the comple- tion of the Queen Mary Hospital.
(g) One for Mong Kok Tsui Station.
(b) One for Stanley Station, also in a rapidly developing district.
(i) One for the Central Magistracy, in view of the proposed third Court.
3. In the Indian Contingent one post of Probationary Sub-Inspector has been abolished. Two additional sergeants have been provided for Shing Mun and for Kowloon Magistracy respectively and four additional constables for Shing Mun. These Shing Mun posts which now appear in the Estimates for the first time were formerly provided for under Loan Funds.
4. An increase of two Telegraphists is necessitated by the fitting of No. 2 Pelice Launch with wireless.
5. The increase in the establishment of Anti-Piracy Guards has been made at the request of the shipping companies and the expense will not fall on Government. The Northern Chinese division of Anti-Piracy Guards has been divided into 1st and 2nd Class Constables to correspond with the regular Police.
6. One additional driver is provided for the small van mentioned in para- graph 10.
7. The two Female Probation Officers under Remand Home, Juvenile Offenders, have been placed on the same scale of salary.
8. Under "Other Charges" increases are mainly due to increased prices and to expansion. The increase in the amount provided for ammunition is however due to the fact that owing to the fall in exchange at the end of 1935 it was necessary to cancel the indent for the whole of the ammunition required in 1936, with the result that the reserve supply is seriously depleted. A public telephone is being provided for the Headquarters Traffic Office for the convenience of the public.
9. Under Special Expenditure, some small items designed to secure greater efficiency are explained in the footnotes. More replacements of arms are necessary, and provision for Anti-Gas Equipment is again made, this year's vote not having been spent pending improvements in apparatus.
10. Two new Motor Vehicles are provided for under Sub-Head 40; one small patrol van is required for the Shamshuipo Division and one car is required to replace the present Police Car 804 which has been unfavourably reported on by a Board of Survey.
11. Provision for the annual Safety First Campaign has again been inserted under Special Expenditure.
Head 21 Prisons Department.
"Other Charges have been 1. Some increases under various Sub-heads of necessitated by the increase in the number of prisoners and by the continued main- tenance of Victoria Gaol in addition to the Hong Kong Prison. Should Victoria Gaol
7
be closed, it is expected there will be considerable savings. One post of Chief Warder has been abolished with the closing of Laichikok Prison. Five additional Wardresses have been provided as the average daily number of female prisoners at Laichikok is now over 200, whereas the existing staff was based on an average of 100.
2. The Principal Printing Officer has been granted a slightly higher scale of salary commensurate with his increased responsibilities consequent on the greater amount of Government printing now carried out at Stanley.
3. Some reshuffling of the Indian Staff involving no increase in the establish- ment will result in greater efficiency and a small saving.
Head 22-Medical Department.
1. Another increase has to be shown in the total of Personal Emoluments under this Head, mainly due to an increase of staff for the Queen Mary Hospital. Some months' experience of the running of this institution has shown that the present staff is inadequate. The Queen Mary Hospital contains 500 beds as compared with a total of 318 beds for the Victoria and Government Civil Hospitals combined.
2. Under I. Administrative Staff, there is a net increase of one Senior Clerical and Accounting Staff (Local Section) clerk and one Junior Clerical Staff Class VIB clerk. Both these clerks are required to cope with the increasing work; the former in the Births and Deaths Registration Office and the latter part time in Central Medical Store and part time in Head Office.
3. Under III. Hospital Division, General, provision has been made for one additional House Officer for the Queen Mary Hospital. It is considered that one of the House Officers at the Queen Mary Hospital should have a salary commen- surate with his responsibilities somewhat higher than the others, and provision has been made for this.
4. Provision for a temporary Storekeeper for nine months under
Drugs and Dispensing ", and for a temporary Steward for ten months under "Stewards" has had to be made as the substantive holders of these posts are due for leave in 1938.
5. Under Nursing Staff (General) twenty additional Probationer Nurses are provided for the Queen Mary Hospital. As against this it has been possible to abolish five posts for Probationer Dressers. The appellations "Matrons (Grade 1)
" and Matrons (Grade II)" are new, having been substituted for "Senior Sisters" respectively
and
C
CC
Matrons
J
"
6. Three Class VIB clerks have been added under Junior Clerical Staff (Hospitals). Two of these clerks, who were formerly employed by the Fire Brigade in Kowloon, replace two Telephone Boys under "Queen Mary Hospital
on page 68. The third, who has already been employed during the cholera epidemic, will be required to cope with the increasing work at the same Hospital.
7. Under "School Hygiene" appears a Class VIB clerk formerly paid by the Education Department who will, with the transfer of the office of the Health Officer for Schools to the Violet Peel Health Centre, appear in future under this Head.
8. An Infant Welfare Nurse has been substituted for an Interpreter and Assistant under "Maternity and Child Welfare". The latter has been transferred to Chinese Hospitals under which division there is also provided an additional
on page
Midwife who has been transferred from the division "New Territories 63, and a new post of Tutor Sister. This post has been included with a view to securing a higher standard of training for nurses in the Chinese Hospitals, as it is felt that the present methods leave something to be desired.
9. Three additional Inspectors are provided for in the Malaria Bureau to deal with a much extended programme of work.
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