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CHAPTER II
PERMANENT EMOLUMENTS
HISTORICAL SUMMARY
10. The last general revision of salaries was made as a result of the report of the Salaries Commission appointed under the chairmanship of Sir Henry Gollan, K.C., C.B.E., in October, 1928, but sterling salaries applicable in the main to officers in the Unified Colonial Services were revised between 1937 and 1939. Officers in these grades appointed before 1st April, 1937, were given the option of continuing to draw the salaries fixed as a result of the 1928 Salaries Commis- sion or of transferring to the new scales which came to be known in Hong Kong as the African scales. On promotion such officers came on to these new scales which were in general less favourable to them than the scales recommended by the 1928 Commission. All sterling paid officers of the grades affected who were appointed after 1st April, 1937, were placed on those new scales.
SALARIES AND ALLOWANCES SINCE THE RE-OCCUPATION
11. Since the reoccupation of the Colony in September, 1945, the salary scales existing in December, 1941, have, in general, been retained throughout the public service with the exception of those for non-gazetted officers in the Police and certain officers in the Fire Brigade whose salaries were revised during 1946. A certain number of new posts and additional grades have been created since the reoccupation. To meet the greatly increased cost of living, officers on the lower scales of pay have been granted the high cost of living allowances which they were drawing in December, 1941, together with a rehabilitation allowance which has varied monthly with the cost of certain staple commodities included in the Food and Fuel Index issued by the Labour Officer. On the resumption of civil government in May, 1946, a cost of living allowance was introduced for the whole service, varying from 50% of salary for married officers on salaries of £420 and under to approximately 20% at £1,000 and tapering off to £50 at £1,700, beyond which point no allowance was payable. Officers who would benefit by drawing 1941 high cost of living allowance and rehabilitation allowance instead of the new cost of living allowance were allowed to continue to draw those two allowances.
12. As the result of numerous resignations, particularly of members of the Junior Clerical Service and lower paid technical officers, and general dissatis- faction with Government emoluments, a Committee was set up in August, 1946, under the chairmanship of Mr. T. Megarry to review departmental establishments and to make recommendations for readjustments in the rates of the temporary high cost of living and rehabilitation allowances then payable to any class or grade of Government employees whose current salaries and allowances might be found to be inadequate to meet the cost of living appropriate to their class or grade. As the result of this Committee's recommendations certain grades of officers were granted temporary additional allowances to assist them to balance their budgets. In addition rent allowances which had remained unchanged since the 1928 Salaries Commission's report were increased slightly to bring the maximum rentals prescribed for the various classes of officers nearer to the rents in force in 1941. While the Commission was sitting, these revised maximum rentals were increased by a further 30%, following the passing into law of the Landlord and Tenant Ordinance, 1947, which raised the controlled rent of domestic premises to the 1941 rate plus 30%.
EMERGENCY RELIEF
13. Apart from these modifications the general system of emoluments for the public service was the same in March, 1947, when we began our deliberations as it was at the fall of the Colony in December, 1941. In view of urgent representations by the Director of Medical Services on behalf of certain grades of the Service who had not been granted temporary additional allowances and by the European Civil Servants' Council, the Commission on 5th April recommended to Government as an immediate measure an increase in the cost of living allowance from 50% to 75% for married officers in the middle and lower ranges of salaries, the extension of temporary additional allowances to certain grades and a proportionate increase in the cost of living allowances of officers on higher salaries. It was not until the end of June that an increase was approved by the Secretary of State.