587
Commercial firms and corporations, whose assistants are not even professional men, are paid generously and have moreover in many instances received compensation.
We therefore earnestly pray that the Government will give immediate consideration to this petition and afford the relief to which we are sure they will see we are entitled on due consideration of our statements.
H. TOOKER. C. H. GALE.
DAVID WOOD.
A. HOLLINGSWORTH.
H. G. FISHER.
H. T. JACKMAN.
T. L. PERKINS.
D. JAFFE. ISIDORE XAVIER. A. E. WRIGHT. W. S. BISSELL.
J. C. LITTLE, F. ALAN BIDEN, A. T. WALKER.
H. E. HAGGARD.
A. J. DARBY,
E. B. REED.
L. BOSTON.
J. LONGSTAFF.
F. H. DILLON.
P. JULYAN,
H. A. MORRIS,
We have, &c.,
G. E. THOMAS. W. DOBBS. J. HUTCHINGS.
A. V. PARKER. W. T. EDWARDS. JAS. EDWARDS. R. A. MUGFORD. ALBERT H. NIMMO, A. R. BONE. T. OLSEN.
J. Ross. G. M. GIBBS. G. W. KYNOCH. SYDNEY LEWIS.
J. A. HIRST.
H. J. HUDSON.
J. H. BARRINGTON.
1. A. WHEAL.
S. R. BOYD.
A. W. SIMMONS.
H. W. WOLFE.
The Honourable
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY,
Enclosure 5.
QUEEN'S COLLEGE,
Hongkong, 27th November, 1906.
The Honourable
THE COLONIAL SECRETARY.
SIR,We the undersigned respectfully present this urgent petition for the favourable consideration of His Excellency the Governor and beg him to cable it to the Secretary of State for the Colonies.
The almost daily increase in the exchange rate of the dollar makes it incumbent on us to bring before you the decrease in our salaries.
When the dollar was at 1/7 a Civil Servant at £270 a year received about $273 a month. When the dollar was at 1/10 he received about $236 a month. Now that the dollar is at 2/3 he receives about $188 a month (after 4% Widows and Orphans. This is a loss of nearly $100 a month.
We submit that this loss is not due to the mere business fluctuations of Exchange but is a growing increase in the value of silver and therefore that the loss due to contracts made by the Government in gold should not be borne by the Civil Servants but should be borne as a tax on the Colony,