Enc D
objectionable provided that the basic money wage was such as to make a reimbursement for these items fair and reasonable. The supposition that Articles 4 and 8 of Convention No 95 cannot be said to be applied in law is borne out by the modifications already entered in respect of Article 15 of Convention No 82, which is also concerned with the protection of wages.
Paragraph
7 of Article 15 of Convention No 82 provides that "where food, housing, clothing and other essential supplies and services form part of remuneration, all practicable steps shall be taken by the competent authority to ensure that they are adequate and that their cash value properly assessed". It should be noted, however, that the Hong Kong Government has said that the modification in respect of Article 15 of Convention No 82 could be removed (see above). Article 7, paragraph 2, of Convention No 95, which requires that appropriate measures be taken to ensure that goods are not sold or services provided by the employer at other than fair and reasonable prices in cases where access to other stores or services is not possible, does not appear to be covered by the law, but in the circumstances prevailing in Hong Kong it is unlikely that the situation which this Article envisages would arise.
It has also been stated that the modification in respect of Article 16 of Convention 82 must remain. If there is no legal control on the amount of advances of wages and subsequent repayment, it is open to doubt whether Article 10 of Convention is fully applied.
A suitable way of resolving the doubts in regard to Convention No 95 might be for a trial report to be prepared as has already been suggested in the case of Convention No 14? The report form is attached in case it is possible for a "mock-up" report to be prepared during Mr Foggon's visit.
/Convention No 124