had volunteered to join H.M. Forces during 1914-18 War. Under these the volunteer undertook to repay to Government £20 advanced to him in payment or part payment of his passage if he failed to join the Forces on his arrival in England. A press announcement was made to the effect that any volunteer who wanted to have his bond back as a souvenir could have it, and this resulted in four bonds being returned.
164. The Registrar General, Mr. W. K. THOMSON, gave a talk to the Kaifong Associations of Hong Kong and Kowloon at their Monthly Dinner on 25th April 1962 explaining the advantages of and procedure for incorporation of Kaifong Associations under the Companies Ordinance.
Revenue
165. The total normal ‘earned' revenue of the Department for the year amounted to $4,926,588, to which there falls to be added $185,228 in respect of various additional sums transferred to General Revenue, making a total of $5,111,816, which is by far the largest total ever recorded for the Department, exceeding the corresponding 1961-62 figure by over $2,400,000. The total exceeded the approved estimate by $1,470,000 and the revised estimate by $606,000. These large surpluses were mainly due to the boom in company registrations, the fees under the Companies Ordinance producing no less than $3,179,407 against an original estimate of $1,800,000 and the revised estimate of $2,600,000. On the other hand thanks mainly to savings in personal emoluments and rent and to rigid economy in small matters, the total expenditure of the Department was at $2,323,981 over $200,000 less than the approved estimate. The excess of revenue over expenditure was there- fore $2,787,835. It must, however, be borne in mind that the cost of running the Department was much higher than the total expenditure stated, for that does not take into account the cost of pensions, passages, etc., and of accommodation and air-conditioning in Government build- ings. Even so, it is clear that the Department as a whole brought in very much more than it cost, and this in spite of the fact that two of the branches, the Marriage and Births and Deaths Registries, are as a matter of policy not run on self-supporting lines.
Social and Welfare
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166. The annual Departmental dinner, which took place at the Luk Kwok Restaurant on 2nd April 1962, was attended by 144 persons, including a few wives, and was as usual the occasion of much jollifica- tion and no speech-making. The annual launch picnic took place on
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