HONGKONG.
531
No. 96
07
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE APPOINTED TO INQUIRE INTO AND REPORT ON CERTAIN
APPLICATIONS FOR INCREASE OF SALARIES FROM OFFICERS IN THE PUBLIC
SERVICE OF THE COLONY,
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of
His Excellency the Governor.
REPORT.
We, the members of the Committee appointed by His Excellency the Governor "to inquire into and report on certain applications for increase of salary from officers in the public service of this Colony," have the honour to submit the following report upon the matters referred to us.
We understood from the terms of the letter of appointment under which we are acting that our principal duty was to consider and deal with the applications individually and on their own merits, and not as affected by any general considerations of policy relating to the pay of officers in the public service. Accordingly, we have read the papers having reference to each case and have carefully con- sidered the reasons put forward by the applicant in support of his application, the report made upon the application by the applicant's superior officers, and any general or special circumstances bearing on the case.
The schedule annexed hereto gives the necessary particulars with regard to the offices and salaries of the applicants, and also shows the recommendations which we make in the respective cases.
It does not appear to be necessary to state in detail and in each individual case the reasons which have weighed with us in adopting the conclusions at which we have arrived. It will perhaps be sufficient for us to indicate these reasons in a general way, some of them being more strictly applicable to one case or class of cases and some to another.
A considerable number of the applicants have urged as a reason, and in some cases a principal reason, for their appeal that the cost of living in the Colony has greatly increased within the last few years and in particular that house rents have become much higher. Another reason put forward in some cases is that the recent fall in the rate of exchange has seriously affected the pecuniary position of the applicants. We have felt some difficulty in dealing with reasons of this kind. If it were recognized that they were in themselves, without regard to other circumstances, valid and sufficient to justify a recommendation that the salary of the applicant putting them forward should be increased so as to restore his impaired financial position, it is obvious that the same considerations would apply in the case of every officer in the public service. If the salary of a single officer were raised for these reasons, and these reasons alone, it would follow as a matter of justice that the salaries of all other officers should be raised in like manner. But we think these considerations may properly be allowed some weight in certain special circumstances. Take, for instance, the case of a junior officer whose salary was fixed some years ago, when the value of the silver dollar was higher, and the cost of living, including house rent, was less, than they are now. His salary at that time was supposed to be adequate to enable him to maintain a standard of respectability suitable to his position. But his salary was small and probably was no more than sufficient for his needs. If this view is correct, it seems to follow that such an officer may be, and probably is, affected by the financial changes to which we are referring to such a degree that his salary no longer suffices to keep him in comfort and respectability. We are of opinion that an officer so situated may fairly ask the Government to reconsider the question of his salary, and we have accordingly recommended moderate increases of salary in cases which appear to us to fall within this category.
There is another class of cases in which these considerations may also be held to have some force. We refer to the cases of gentlemen with professional qualifications whose services are engaged from the mother country for a limited term of years and who find that, by the operation of the causes to which we have been referring, their appointments are a good deal less valuable than they were when they accepted them. It is perhaps reasonable that such a loss should be made good, at any rate to some extent, and it must also be borne in mind that if such an officer, becoming dissatisfied with the position in which he finds himself, resigns his appointment, the trouble and expense of replacing him are not inconsiderable. We have given effect to these views by recommending increases in the salaries of certain applicants holding offices in the Public Works Department.