ENG-1952 — Page 71

PUBLIC FINANCE AND TAXATION

(f) Medical Department

(g) Pensions

(h) Police Force

(i) Prisons Department

(i) Post Office

(k) Public Debt

(1) Public Works Department, Recurrent and

Non-Recurrent

(m) Sanitary Department and Urban Council

(n) Social Welfare Office

(0) Stores Department (p) Subventions

***

$15,761,891 $ 8,637,761 $20,076,745 $ 7,102,415 $ 4,551,697 $ 9,010,839

$44,480,629

$ 9,049,076

$ 2,642,469 $ 9,784,221 $16,713,748

The total expenditure

for the

year was

$275,855,951, a net increase on the estimate of $41,186,901. The gross increase, however, was $60,688,094 which figure was partially offset by savings of $19,501,192.

The $88,576,028 shown against Miscellaneous Services was in excess of the estimate to the extent of $38,496,172. The main items responsible for this excess were:-$25,793,925 being expenditure previous- ly charged to Advances, Pending Raising of Loans: $6,500,000 paid to H.M. Government, which was additional to the sum provided in the estimates, as the Colony's contribution towards the cost of re-inforcing the garrison, and $5,000,000 advanced to the University of Hong Kong to be recovered from the proceeds of the sale of Japanese assets.

Other excesses over the estimates figures were: Public Debt $5,147,283, Sanitary Department and Urban Council $2,195,260 and Medical Department $1,754,637. The increase in respect of the Public Debt was due to an additional contribution of $5,000,000 to the Sinking Fund. The excess on the Stores Department vote was largely due to the fact that, although purchases were kept within the

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