Estimates of ordinary expenditure of various municipal departments with reports thereon by the Treasurer Controller were considered by the Finance Committee on February 15.
Those for the tary, General's Office amounted to $60,520, a decrease of $1,940 as compared with the Budget figure for 1937. The decrease is due to economies in pay and allowances recommended by the Staff Economy Committee.
The amended estimates for the Secretary's Office amounted to $397,- 000, a decrease of $7,980 or approximately 197 per cent as compared with the corresponding figure for 1937. The Secretary pointed out to members that in 1936 the Secretariat estimates totalled approximately $428,000; in 1937 they were approximately $405,000 and this year they "were approximately $397,000. The apparent small saving, however, did not take into consideration the fact that the Secretariat had since January 1, 1937, been doing the whole work of the Press Information Office, on which the actual expenditure in 1936 was approximately: $68,000. If that figure were added to the Secre tarian cost in 1936, and a comparison made with the 1938 estimates, the saving was almost 20 per cent.
The amended estimates of the Industrial Section amounted io $64,- 440, an increase of $110 over the 1937 figure, The amended estimates for the Legal Department amounted to $147,- 790 as compared with $147,600 in 1937.
The amended estimates of the Chinese Studies & Translation Office amounted to $96,970 as compared with $106,600 in the 1937 Budget, a decrease of approximately 9,03 per cent, The total estimated requirements of the Finance Department amounted to $1,111,690, a. decrease of $3,000 compared with the relative figure for 1937. This figure included the estimate of $606,030 for the Revenue Office, The Treasurer & Controller informed members that the only additional remarks he wished to make were in connection with the Revenue Office. It was impracticable to effect any substantial reduction in the cost of this Section, owing to the numbers of the outdoor Chinese and foreign personnel required. He considered that it was of very vital importance in the present circumstances to keep a full establishment, and even to add to it in the Chinese grades in order to speed up operations. It was now more difficult to collect revenue than ly former years, and he felt that the services rendered by the Revenue Office had been really very remarkable. In January 1936, the collections were $1954000; in January 1937, they were $2,200,000; and in January óf this year they have been $2,019,000, which represented a very fine effort on the part of the Revenue Office. Members expressed gratification at the result stated.
The estimates of the Departments mentioned above were approved by the Finance Committee and endorsed by the Council on February 23.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.