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dressings, $125,000 for the maintenance of the radiology sub-department, $61,200 for additional house officers, $35,000 for stores and equipment and $39,000 for scholarships for dental students. Included among new subheads are maintenance and operating expenses of the occupational therapy and physiotherapy units, $20,000 and $10,000 respectively, casual labour $38,420 and cleaning of offices $3,000. The salaries and wages of pupil midwives and of the daily-rated staff other than purely casual labour, previously paid from Other Charges subheads, are now provided under Personal Emoluments. The net increase in the Other Charges Annual Recurrent vote is $238,800. Under Special Expenditure, provision of $130,000 is made to replace the lift in the north wing of Queen Mary Hospital; $125,000 will provide an additional mobile X-ray unit; and $26,000 special refrigerators for blood banks. The provision for radiological equipment, $341,470, allows, inter alia, for the purchase of radiotherapy equipment for Queen Mary Hospital consisting of one Maxitron X-ray therapy unit costing $170,000 and for the replacement of several unservice- able X-ray machines. Among new items provided under special hospital equipment, $83,600, are four incubators for premature infants and special high pressure sterilizers for physiological solu- tions. Other provisions include $25,600 for operating theatre equipment, $18,000 for physiotherapy equipment, $53,000 for motor transport (4 additional vehicles and one replacement), and $16,000 for equipment for resettlement clinics to be opened this year. A token provision of $60,000 is included to allow for the reimbursement to Government servants of 50% of fees incurred in connexion with dental treatment received from approved private practitioners. The revotes include $180,000 for equipment for the new poly clinic to be erected on the Resettlement Estate at Shek Kip Mei.

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HEAD 19. - MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES

Estimate 1957-58

$ 7,064,800

Revised estimate 1956/57

Approved estimate 1956/57

17,868,000

10,930,350

Actual expenditure 1955/56

22,167,343

During the year a Local Loans Fund was set up by resolution of the Legislature to facilitate accounting arrangements, in the main for the now considerable number of interest-free loans to educational bodies. An initial appropriation to the Fund of $10 million was made from general revenue and a token contribution of $100,000 is included under next year's Special Expenditure. Part of the initial $10 million was offset by savings ($3,735,250) under expenditure subheads no longer required under the new arrangement, the difference accounting for the increase in the revised estimate.

The net increase in recurrent votes for 1957/58 is $775,000. Individual increases include $95,000 to meet additional expenditure on consultations, conferences, committees etc. largely as a result of the decision to hold the eighth meeting of the World Health Organization Regional Committee in the Colony: $200,000 for courses of instruction, particularly to provide for the training of staff required for the new Kowloon General Hospital; $150,000 for refunds of revenue, a vote that has previously been regularly under-estimated; and $380,000 for transport of Government officers occasioned by increases in fares and establishment.

Under Special Expenditure an additional $500,000 is provided to cover the cost of additional coins.

HEAD 20 - NEW TERRITORIES, DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION

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Estimate 1957/58

Revised estimate 1956/57

Approved estimate 1956/57

Actual expenditure 1955/56

Permanent staff

Supernumerary staff

Net increase

$1,747,820

1,136,000

792,870

695,952

1956/57 1957/58

Difference

86

4

307

+ 221

4

221

The total increase of 221 posts in the establishment of this department includes 206 posts (of which 113 were transferred from the Medical Department) for scavenging services in the New Territories.