TNAG-0199-FCO40-235-City-district-officer-scheme-1969 — Page 21

THE CITY DISTRICT OFFICER SCHEME

A Report to the Governor-24th January, 1969

INTRODUCTION

1. On 24th January, 1968 the Colonial Secretary said in an Adjournment Debate in the Legislative Council that proposals would that day be put to the Finance Committee of the Council for a start to be made towards the setting up of a City District Officer system. On 24th January, 1969 the tenth City District Officer was appointed.

2. This paper recapitulates the origin and purpose of the scheme, reports the progress made in setting it up and the work that has so far been done, and offers a preliminary assessment of its effectiveness and of the problems that have arisen.

THE ORIGIN AND PURPOSE OF THE SCHEME

‘Humani nihil alienum a me puto'

3. When the New Territories lease was signed in 1898 the Hong Kong Government assumed responsibility for the administration of a long-settled rural area. There was already in existence a closely knit society which provided a number of administrative and social services for itself and the first presence of the new Government took the form of the District Officer and the Police Officer. Both were all-rounders, with the District Officer concerned mainly with political, administrative and judicial matters while the Police kept law and order. Traditional methods of raising revenue from public property, through temple management, or by sales taxes levied as a charge for the use of public weighing scales, together with donations by men of substance, continued to be the sources of finance for village works and education.

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