the ground that immediately previous to his retirement from the service he had enjoyed seven months leave of absence on half pay.
Such leave is granted not in consideration of past services but in order to enable officers to recruit their health and be better able to discharge their duties in the future, and I should not have granted it to Mr Costa had I known that he intended to resign, or that there was any probability of his doing so.
The circumstance of an officer applying for increased salary after he has left the service is anomalous, and exceptionally so when as in the present case the officer was for the great part of the period doing no work.
I am of opinion that in any case Mr Costa should not be allowed to draw the increment during the time that he was on half pay leave.
I may perhaps add that this Government was never informed by Mr. Costa that his salary had been...