(Copy).
Enclosure I.
Sir,
0.0.
23712
Beat 21 OUT 96
Hongkong, 14th. June, 1898.
215
Hon'ble T. Sercombe Smith, L.L.B.,
Actg. Colonial Secretary,
We, the undersigned subordinate members of the Civil
Service of Hongkong, have the honour to address you upon
the subject of the increased cost of living in the Colony,
and the general relative inadequacy of our salaries.
2.
In making this united application for some
re-adjustment of our emoluments, we do not propose to make
any lengthy statement in support thereof. It will suffice
for us to state that the cost of living in Hongkong has
increased all round to such an extent that we feel confident
His Excellency the Acting Governor will sanction a propor-
tionate increase to our salaries as was granted to public
officers in 1891 mainly upon like grounds.
3.
To detail some of the items on which the
principal increases have taken place, we beg to invite your
attention to a comparison of the returns for the years
1895 and 1897 published in the Blue Book for those two
years respectively. The increase in the latter year under
the several items is as follows:-
Wages for domestic servants.
Articles of food:-
25 per cent
Bread.
about 20
Beef.
33
#
Mutton.
1!
10
Butter.
"
20
#
Pork....
TE
ΙΟ
11
Sugar.
I2
H
Tobacco..
5
In