5.
set against each item should be looked upon as the
40
maximum likely to be spent thereon. A supplementary vote
will be taken later in the year when the total expenditure
under this sub-head can be more closely estimated.
No doubt it will also be appreciated that the
total estimates for protecting public buildings, for
assistance to public utilities and for general expenses are
conventional figures only..
9.
The point upon which I chiefly desire your
advice, though I shall be glad also to have your general
concurrence with the programme of expenditure set out above, is whether greater provision should be made at once for anti-gas equipment. In that case it would be necessary to make a further appropriation of revenue as the amounts provided for other measures cannot be materially reduced.
In this connection it should be borne in mind that there
will be no store accommodation for such equipment until
the latter half of the year.
Respirator requirements for the essential
services are calculated as follows:-
Air Raid Staff
$50,264
Police and Fire Services
46,312
Other Services (Medical,
Road Repair, Water, Prisons,
Postal, Sanitary,
Communications etc.)
62,822
$169,398
so that less than half the total amount required for this purpose has been provided; it is my present intention to
find the remainder in 1940.
10.
The crux of the question is the urgency of
provision and the dangers which may threaten Hong Kong
during 1939. There is only one Power which could threaten the security of the Colony, and from the information at
my disposal I have formed the opinion that this Government
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