51
No.
8
1930
HONG KONG.
CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO THE SALARIES COMMISSION, 1928.
*Enclosure
No. 1.
(Not repro-
duced).
*Enclosure No. 2.
+ Enclosure No. 3.
(Not repro- duced).
1.
Despatch of 22nd January, 1930 from the Governor to the Secretary of State.
No. 37.
My Lord,
GOVERNMENT HOUSE, HONG KONG.
22nd January, 1930.
With reference to paragraph 5 of my despatch No. 395 of the 6th of Septem- ber, 1929, I have the honour to report the further action taken in connection with the Report of the Salaries Commission, additional copies of which are enclosed* for convenience of reference.
2. I desire first to express my great indebtedness to the members of the Com- mission and in particular to the Chairman, Sir Henry Gollan, K.C., C.B.E for the meticulous care with which they approached this intricate problem and for the very able report which they have presented as the result of their long and elaborate enquiries. Their recommendations cannot but prove of the utmost value in arrang- ing for the just and equitable treatment of all officers of this Government in regard to their remuneration and other conditions of service.
3. As a first step copies of the Report were issued to the heads of all depart- ments with an invitation to submit to the Colonial Secretary any representations they might wish to make regarding the awards to their respective staffs. This invitation produced a very large body of detailed criticism, in which nearly every branch of the Service participated. Every item in these representations was fully and carefully considered and a decision for or against modification of the Commission's awards was taken. The final recommendations of Government are embodied in the enclosed* schedule of recommendations and observations. Apart from these, I would propose to adhere strictly to the Report.
4. At the same time copies of the Report were sent to the Labour Advisory Board with the request that it would furnish the Government with its views on the findings so far as they concerned those categories of employment which are embrac- ed by the term "Labour". On the request of the Unofficial Members of the Execu- tive Council copies were also sent for general criticism and observation, to the Com- mittees of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and the Hong Kong Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
5. Replies were received from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce on the 27th of November, 1929, and the Labour Advisory Board on the 6th of December. 1929, the former offering no observations or representations on the Report, while the lat- ter conveyed in general terms an opinion on the part of its commercial members that the Government was already paying its labour adequately. The Committee of the General Chamber of Commerce has not yet replied but has reported progress in an interim letter of which a copy is enclosed. It seems fairly clear from this letter that so far as labour is concerned the awards of the Commissioners will not find favour with the European business community of this Colony and the opposition may extend to the recommendations for Chinese Staff generally or even to the whole Re- port. But I may say at once that I cannot do otherwise than accept the view em- bodied in paragraphs 21-23 of the Report that the wages now paid by Government to its lowest regular servants are inadequate and that amelioration must begin from this level and spread upwards.