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ROYAL OBSERVATORY
138. The only major change which we propose in connexion with the staff of the Royal Observatory is that professional assistants should enter the profes- sional scale at the same point as P.W.D. engineers and wireless engineers and continue to the same maximum. We have graded the recently created post of Marine Liaison Officer with marine officers in the Harbour Department. We recommend that computors should receive the same salary as grades III to I and the special grade of the Clerical Service and that the Lithographer should be on the same scale as computers in the Public Works Department.
HONG KONG VOLUNTEER DEFENCE CORPS
139. When Army officers or non-commissioned officers are seconded from regular duties to the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps, we recommend that they should receive the pay and allowances of their rank in the Corps at the rates applicable to regular soldiers serving in Hong Kong and that in addition they should receive inducement pay at the standard rate for Hong Kong. We have therefore not made any specific recommendations regarding the pay of the Commandant or the Adjutant. We have, however, recommended salaries for the Corps Quartermaster, Regimental Sergeant Major and Armourer Staff Sergeant which should be applied only if these officers continue to be engaged on a civilian basis.
DISTRICT OFFICE, NEW TERRITORIES
140. The only change in grading which we propose for this Department is in the case of demarcators and forestry demarcators, whose responsibilities appear to us to justify higher remuneration than these officers have received in the past. We have, therefore, recommended for them the same scale as for grade III foremen.
JUDICIARY AND LEGAL DEPARTMENTS
141. We recommend that solicitors should be given the same treatment as barristers in regard to credit for previous experience on entry to the legal time scale. We also propose that the post of Senior Magistrate should be a superscale appointment and have fixed the salary for this post accordingly.
SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT
142. The Social Welfare Department is as yet only in its beginnings. For social welfare officers in other departments we have proposed salaries equivalent to those of different grades of teachers and these generally might be applied as posts are filled in the new Department. But we would emphasise our belief in the importance of training for the work and our conviction that the salaries we propose should be paid only to officers who have had the requisite professional training and experience.
SECRETARIAT FOR CHINESE AFFAIRS
143. For the post of Chinese Assistant the present salary of which is $4,500 per annum to $7,500 per annum, we propose a scale equivalent to that of an executive grade I, General Clerical Service. We understand that the second post of Chinese Assistant the salary of which is $3,500 per annum to $5,600 per annum will shortly lapse. We recommend for the holder of the latter post a revised salary of $9,600 per annum on the understanding that he is about to retire. We recommend that women inspectors for mui tsai work and women inspectors should, in future, be placed on the some scale as uncertifi- cated women teachers until they obtain a diploma in social science. On obtaining the necessary qualifications they should proceed on the scale for certificated women teachers.
144. We recommend that members of the District Watch Force should be placed on the same rates of pay as corresponding ranks in the Police Force.
LABOUR OFFICE
145. We recommend that the title of the Labour Officer should be changed to Commissioner of Labour and that the officers now known as Assistant Labour Officers should be called Labour Officers. For the latter we propose a scale commencing at the same point as that of administrative officers, but rising to a maximum of $20,160 per annum only. We consider that labour officers should in future be required to learn Cantonese and have accordingly proposed a three years' probation period. We recommend that Chinese assistant labour officers should in future be known as assistant labour officers. We consider that future entrants to this grade should be required to have a University degree together with a diploma in social science. We propose the same scale for labour inspectors grade II as for Police sub-inspectors grade II. Promotion to labour