CO129-582-3 Proposed reorganisation of government printing arrangements 12-5-1939 - 8-11-1939 — Page 31

- 2

-

41

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

HONG KONG.

main sections and the carrying on or printing in the Gaol

have caused inconvenience from time to time, and the possible

concentration of all printing in a single Government printery

has been discussed on several occasions.

4. The matter has now become urgent as a result of

changes which are taking place in the Prison affecting the

treatment of long term prisoners, who have previously been

the backbone of the printing staff, but whose availability can

no longer be guaranteed. There is also no doubt that the

machinery installed in the Prison at considerable expense is

not being used to anything like its full capacity, while the

Commissioner of Prisons would prefer to see prisoners engaged

on some other kind of labour. It is, therefore, agreed in principle that the printing work should be removed from the

Prison and in that event it is clearly desirable that it should

be amalgamated in some way with the work now undertaken by

Messrs. Noronha.

5.

Such amalgamation could take place in any of three

ways; by discontinuing our contract with Noronha and

concentrating everything at the Government Printery; by

entering into a contract with Noronha to do the whole of our

2

217