The reference in section 67(2) to the Oil (Conservation and Control) Ordinance is actually a power given to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong to change Hong Kong Time for the purposes of conserving oil, i.e. to implement daylight saving time.
In January 1908, the time ball was relocated to the hill of Blackhead Point where it had even higher visibility.
[2] During the Second World War, the equatorial mount and transit circle were lost.
After the war, a pendulum clock was installed and regulated by radio time signals from other timekeeping centres.
In 1966, the pendulum clock in the Royal Observatory Hong Kong was replaced by a crystal oscillator timing system.
In 1980, the Royal Observatory adopted a timing system based on a Caesium beam atomic clock.