7
Dr. Blake.
Can you say what is about the average age at which these men were enlisted?
Capt. Deane says "Service as a Constable in this Climate can be expected to prove effective for Europeans" in 2605 that 15 years is as much as; but I do not think it follows from this that you should give pensions at age of 35-40 irrespective of age or ill health. I should have thought on completion of 20 years service or on attaining the age of 50, or of course for ill health after 10 years service would have been sufficiently liberal. It partly depends on the age at which they come out.
I am sorry I cannot find any former record of the ages of the men sent out, but those we are now sending are firm... Marse 21 626- And my impression is that the average age of those sent out before would be about 25. But I can give you a definite date if the decision is to depend on this memorial.
Police work in the tropics no doubt falls with a lot of other Europeans and might fail because of the pound and tone allowance in fixing the maximum pension age.
From what I have seen I think 20 years service and 45 years of age decidedly are liberal terms the circumstances warrant.
There will doubtless, in spite of free coming, be much discontent among the men both those failing and those approved for transfer from Hong Kong, as finding their conditions are severe under conditions so much more favourable than those in Hong Kong. But Dr. Back does not know how this will come to...