ENG-1956 — Page 353

CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION

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audit and inspection by the Audit Department, under a Director. The Rating and Valuation Department assesses rates, and the Inland Revenue Department assesses estate duty and various direct taxes levied under the Inland Revenue Ordinance. Each Department is headed by a Com- missioner. The Department of Commerce and Industry, under a Director, is responsible for industrial and trade development, the collection of revenue from import and excise duties and from business registration, the activities of the Preventive Service, certificates of origin, trade licensing, Government bulk purchases of firewood and certain food- stuffs, control over stocks of reserve commodities, and the production of trade statistics and any other statistics required by other departments of Government. (See Chapter 4, Public Finance and Taxation.)

The Public Works Department, under a Director, consists of eight sub-departments, dealing with waterworks, Crown lands and surveys, the administration of the Buildings Ordinance, electrical and mechanical works (including government motor transport), architecture (government buildings), port works, drainage and roads. The Director of Public Works is also responsible for town planning. (See the Chapters on Housing, and Public Utilities and Public Works).

The Urban Council, constituted under the Urban Council Ordinance, consists of five ex-officio members, namely the Chairman (who is at the same time the Director of the Urban Services Department described in the Chapter on Public Health), the Assistant Director of Health Services (Vice- Chairman), the Director of Public Works, the Secretary for Chinese Affairs, and the Social Welfare Officer; and sixteen ordinary members, of whom eight are elected and eight appointed by the Governor. The Commissioner for Resettle- ment sits as an additional ex-officio member. The term of office of ordinary members will ultimately be four years but certain transitional provisions are now in force as to the