Social_Welfare_Annual_Report_1957-1958 — Page 31

ship of the Sea continued to visit ships, and sailors left ashore in hospital. There was a notable increase in the number of sailors using the facilities of the St. Nicholas Catholic Club. The pastors of the Norwegian Seamen's Mission visited more than 800 ships of which 480 were Nor- wegian, 211 Danish, 102 Swedish and two Finnish. The Mission arranged numerous sightseeing and swimming excursions for the crews of Scandinavian ships and also helped merchant sailors with their shopping, correspondence or the sending of money home. The Merchant Navy Club in Kowloon was visited by more than 11,000 seamen. The football pitch, tennis courts and indoor games were in full use throughout the year. The surface of the tennis courts was relaid during the year and a number of minor improvements made to the Club itself.

CHAPTER XIV

OFFICIAL AND VOLUNTARY CO-ORDINATION

77. The Social Welfare Advisory Committee, which is appointed by the Governor, is the principal organ for the co-ordination of work in this field between Government and voluntary organizations; this Com- mittee is also charged by its terms of reference with the task of advising Government on social welfare policy. All the members, except the Director of Social Welfare who is the Chairman, are unofficials appoint- ed for their personal knowledge and experience of welfare work and many of them are leading figures in voluntary welfare organizations. The Committee appoints sub-committees from time to time to advise on particular problems; at the end of the year under review two such sub-committees were in existence, one on moral welfare and the other on the welfare of the deaf. Another function of the Committee is to advise Government annually on the financial aid which should be granted by way of subvention to voluntary organizations; it also recom- mends which organizations should be allowed to hold flag days during the year. The terms of reference and membership of the Committee are set out in Appendix 22.

78. The Hong Kong Council of Social Service, a body in the nature of a federation of voluntary agencies on the model of the corresponding body in the United Kingdom, includes among its members more than forty of the more important bodies operating in Hong Kong. Official observers from the Education, Labour, Medical and Social Welfare Departments attend meetings of the Council but do not vote. The main task of the Council is to co-ordinate the work of voluntary bodies; it

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