"The first two years," said he, "shall be declared qualified by a Board of competent Examiners." He is to be employed at a salary of $1,800 per annum, "but without other allowances."
The interpretation of those conditions seems to me to be that if a cadet is diligent in studying and can pass before the Board of Examiners in two years, he will receive the increased rate of pay at once, but that if he fails to pass, he must continue his two years' studies at the lower rate of pay.
Mr. Lockhart passed his final examination in two years, and Mr. Mitchell-Innes is expected to pass his final examination in two years. But I am told that Messrs. Kray and AVS de Comb Smith will scarcely have any chance of passing their final examination in two years, as they have to study Pekinese for a year or 18 months, and afterwards Cantonese, a totally different dialect, which will probably take two years more.
The probation of these latter will therefore probably be prolonged to three and a half years or nearly four years only.
Under these circumstances, I submit for His Excellency's consideration the question of what pay should be drawn by Messrs. Kray and Smith; for it seems to me that it would be unfair to them to keep them longer than two years on reduced pay because they are required to learn what are practically two different languages instead of one.
20th March, 1884
W. H. March
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