CO129-582-7 Taxation 6-6-1939 - 5-2-1940 — Page 65

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HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

It is, however, necessary to provide at once for extra expenditure on, for instance, the Volunteers, Maintenance of Internees, the Censorship Department, and so on, which would have been included in the special war budget. It is very difficult to estimate these expenses precisely and a single sum of $1,000,000 has therefore been included to cover them, under a new Head called Special War Expenditure. This will in due course be transferred for accounting purposes to the war budget if that plan is ultimately. carried out.

Certain other additions have been made to the original draft estimates of expenditure: the sum for the Auxiliary Fire Service has been increased to $9,500 and it has been decided to proceed with the building of the New Fire Station in Hennessy Road at a cost of $110,000. On the other hand the additional duties recently imposed on liquor and petrol have necessitated a revision of the estimate of revenue: revenue from Duties will, it is now estimated, amount to $13,526,000 instead of $12,526,000.

The estimated deficit of $326,708 shown in the draft estimates as presented on 12th October will be increased to $440,708.

The following are the items which have been added:-

Head 6 E, Special War Expenditure

Head 10, Fire Brigade.

Sub-head 2, Auxiliary Fire Service

$1,000,000

8,500

(Increased from $1,000 to $9,500)

Head 11 B, Air Services.

Additional Guard for Airport Ground Staff

465

Head 29, Treasury, etc.

Additional Messenger for Assessor's Office

255

Head 30, Public Works Extraordinary.

Sub-head 10, New Fire Station in Hennessy Road

105,000

(Increased from $5,000 to $110,000)

$1,114,220

The following item has been reduced :-

Head 19, Police Force.

Sub-head 41, Filing Cabinets

$220

(Reduced from $1,510 to $1,290).

A few misprints, notably an obvious one in Head 18, Pensions, have been corrected.

I beg to move.

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