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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 5TH OCTOBER, 1889.
STRAITS SETTLEMENTS CADETSHIPS.
WITH the view of supplying the Civil Service in the Straits Settlements, Cadetships have been established, the holders of which are required to devote themselves for a certain time after their arrival in the Colony to learning one or more of the native languages, viz., Malay, Chinese, and Tamil, as the local Government may direct.
1. The Cadets, who must be natural-born British subjects, are selected by open competitive examination* held by the Civil Service Commissioners, to whom all inquiries on the subject should be addressed.
The Examinations for these Appointments will, as a rule, be held in the month of August.
2. The selected Candidates will be expected to leave for the Colony during the month of October following the examination.
3. Each Cadet will receive salary at the rate of $1,200 per annum, half-salary to commence from the day of leaving England, and full salary from the date of his arrival in the Settlements. The cost of his passage to the Colony will be paid, subject to the repayment hereafter mentioned (Secs. 7, 8).
4. While studying the native languages he will be under the control and supervision of the Governor of the Colony, who will frame regulations for his hours of study and general government. Quarters, books, and teachers will be provided for him at the public expense, and he will be required to attend at the Public Offices a certain time each day as may be directed by the Governor, in order to give him an opportunity of learning the details of public business, without interfering with his reading. He may also, if thought advisable, be sent for a certain time to China in order to acquire more intimate knowledge of the language.
5. As soon as he is declared by a Board of Examiners to have acquired a competent knowledge of one or more of the languages, he will be temporarily employed in such of the Departments as may require his services, at a salary of at least $1,800 per annum, and will be considered eligible by the Secretary of State for appointment, as vacancies may occur, to offices in the Civil Service of the Straits Settlements, the salaries of which range from about $2,400 per annum to about $6,480 per annum.
6. The progress of the Cadet will be tested by half-yearly examinations, and he will be liable to be dismissed without further pay, if he does not pass a final examination in one or more of the lan- guages within such time as may be fixed, or if at any time his progress or conduct shall be considered by the Governor and Executive Council to be so unsatisfactory as to render such a course desirable. The Governor and Council will decide, having regard to the ground of dismissal, whether the Cadet shall be sent home at the public expense, or shall be left to find his own way home, or shall be, in addition, called upon to repay the cost of his passage out.
7. A Bond must be entered into by the Cadet and two approved sureties with the Crown Agents for the Colonies to secure the repayment of the cost of the passage out in the event of his dismissal, and of its being decided by the Governor and Executive Council that such repayment shall be enforced -and also in the event of the Cadet within four years from the date of his arrival in the Straits Settle- ments either quitting the Colony without leave or relinquishing his appointment (except on account of ill health), together with a further sum of £50 for each year, to repay the Colony the cost of his teaching, up to his leaving.
8. Subject to the necessities of the service, leave of absence on half salary may be granted to members of the permanent Government service after a period of six years' resident service in the Colony without any special grounds. It may be given before the expiration of that period in cases of serious indisposition, or of urgent private affairs. In the absence of special grounds, the leave in such case must not exceed one sixth of the officer's resident service; on special grounds it may exceed that period by six months. In addition to the above, vacation leave on full pay may be granted, if no in- convenience or expense is caused thereby, not exceeding three months in any two years.
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9. The present rule as to superannuation is that in the case of ill health an officer may be allowed to retire on a pension after ten full years' resident service; otherwise he must have attained the age of For ten full years' resident service fifteen-sixtieths of the average annual salary of the retiring officer's fixed appointments for the three years prior to retirement may be awarded, to which one- sixtieth may be added for each additional year's service; but no addition will be made in respect of any service beyond thirty-five years.
10. A deduction of four per cent. is made from the salaries of all those who enter the Straits Settlements Civil Service, as a contribution to the Widows and Orphans' Pension Fund.
11. The dollar is at present reckoned by the Straits Settlements Government at 4s. for the pur- pose of the payment in England of half-salary or pension.
Colonial Office,
31st October 1888.
* A separate payer is issued by the Civil Service Commission, containing information in regard to the Eramination.