Estimates-1960 — Page 208

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The establishment shows an increase of 9 Storekeepers to meet continued expansion and 12 posts to staff the new Mechanized accounts section. These and other minor increases are offset by a reduction of 3 Stores Officer posts transferred to the Treasury stock verification establishment. The net increase in personal emoluments amounts to $18,000.

Under Other Charges Annually Recurrent there is one new subhead: Crown Agents, etc., charges on Allocated Stores. To reduce unproductive effort all miscellaneous import expenses will be charged to the new subhead and recovered from departments in the form of a fixed on-cost, instead of being itemized and charged to departments at actual cost. Increased provisions for the collection of sand (off-set by a greater increase in sand revenue), the maintenance programme for furniture which is scheduled to commence in 1959/60 and the expected rise in electricity consumption on account of the air-conditioning and other electrical plants in the new Stores building are also included.

The decrease in Special Expenditure is due to furniture and equipment for new buildings being

provided under Public Works Non-recurrent.

The overall decrease in net expenditure results from the over stock-piling of steel during the Suez Crisis. To allow Government steel stocks to return to their normal level issues of unallocated stores are estimated to exceed purchases by $6 millions. A credit of this amount is therefore set-off against expenditure under the other subheads.

Estimate 1959/60

Revised estimate 1958/59

Approved estimate 1958/59

Actual expenditure 1957/58

Estimate 1959/60

Revised estimate 1958/59

Approved estimate 1958/59

HEAD 41 — SUBVENTIONS

$80,144,800

63,903,000

62,082,900

51,082,664

A

-

- Social Welfare

$3,012,700

2,399,000

2,395,800

3,741,099

Actual expenditure 1957/58

Recurrent subventions to welfare organizations have, on the advice of the Social Welfare Advisory Committee been increased by $631,200. The grant to the Boys & Girls' Clubs Association shows the largest increase, by $154,000, to meet the cost of the third stage of its three-year expansion programme. This is followed by the Christian Children's Fund Inc. with an increase of $153,000 to cover the cost of maintaining orphans in the Children's Garden at Wu Kwai Sha. Other increases include: $57,500 to the Hong Kong Family Welfare Society to meet heavier calls on the Society; $45,000 to the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, mainly to cover the cost of the Central Relief Records Office; $29,000 to the Maryknoll Sisters for their enlarged children's Nursery at Ho Man Tin; $16,000 to the Little Sisters of the Poor for the existing Home and for the new Home now being built at Aberdeen; $15,000 to St. James' Settlement; $14,000 to the Hong Kong Juvenile Care Centre for re-equipment and $14,000 to the Good Shepherd Sisters for the running of the enlarged Pelletier Hall.

Recurrent subventions totalling $183,500 are also proposed in seven cases which did not feature in the Estimates last year; three of these are for refund of rates only.

Items under Special Expenditure include: $100,000 to St. James' Settlement towards the cost of constructing a new Settlement building; $36,800 to the Boys' & Girls' Clubs Association for the expenses of enclosing the covered sections of, and equipping seven new roof-tops: $30,000 to the Good Shepherd Sisters, $20,000 for the water supply and a token $10,000 for expansion of the Home's premises; $20,000 to the Hong Kong Society for the Blind towards certain expenses (other than salary) of an expert to be seconded by the Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind, and $9,900 to the Canossian Sisters for equipment of their Home for the Blind and Orphanage.