Estimates-1960 — Page 207

207

The opening of a branch office of the Women's and Girls' Section in Kowloon at the beginning of the year and the increasing number of cases handled in this Section necessitates five new posts viz. 1 Officer and 4 Assistant Officers; 1 Clerk is also needed for work in this section. 1 Officer, 5 Assistant Officers (3 transferred from the Relief Section) and 4 Social Workers are required for the Special Welfare Services Section, whose work in connexion with the Handicapped (including welfare of the blind, the deaf and cripples) is developing steadily. To provide for children in the New Territories who are in need of care and protection and to meet the increased case work arising particularly from legal adoption cases and adoptions abroad, and to ensure closer liaison with children's homes, the Child Welfare Section needs 1 more Officer and 4 Assistant Officer posts. 2 extra Clerks are required to assist with the Department's expanding administrative work. The above, together with normal increments account for the increase of $182,900 in the vote for personal emoluments.

Under Other Charges, Annually Recurrent, the net increase of $872,600 results largely from an additional $850,000 in subhead 6(5)--Relief and public assistance to provide relief in the form of dry rations or cooked meals for an increased number of destitutes or unemployed persons (including retrenched employees of the Armed Services); the provision of $12,000 in a new subhead 2(4)—Rent of office-to cover rent for the new branch office of the Women's and Girls' Section; an additional $8,000 in subhead 6(7)—Vocational training expenses to enable more inmates of the North Point Relief Camp to participate in the training classes, and an increase of $5,000 in subhead 6(2)—Educational publicity-for the purpose of arranging a social welfare exhibition during the year.

A new subhead "Training of social welfare workers" has been created to provide for the training of the department's staff as well as voluntary workers in social welfare work.

HEAD 40-STORES DEPARTMENT

Estimate 1959/60

$3,694,100

Revised estimate 1958/59

4,984,000

Approved estimate 1958/59

9,967,100

Actual expenditure 1957/58

27,310,320

1958/59

1959/60

Difference

Permanent staff

Supernumerary staff

Net increase

642

663

+ 21

2

3

+

1

22

New posts

1 Supervisor

1 Senior Machine Operator

2 Junior Machine Operators

3 Punch Operators

3 Verifiers

2 Screening Clerks

9 Storekeepers

3 Motor Drivers

1 Plantman Class I

I Packer

Existing posts deleted

3 Stores Officers

2 Coolies

3 Storekeepers*

29

**

Supernumerary Staff

1 Stores Officer

1 Telephone Operator

7

Approved by Special Warrant during the year.