359
Your Petitioners humbly and respectfully submit that : these rates of pay are under existing circumstances
wholly inadequate.
4.
The rate of Exchange on $100, formerly 235 rupees, or
2 rupees and 4 annas to the dollar, is now only 144 ru-
pees for $100 or 1 rupee and 6 annas to the dollar.
5.
J
Your Petitioners have wives, children of other relatives
depending on them in India. There is a great famine
now raging in that country, and owing to the current
rate of exchange being so low, your Petitioners are
unable to send their wives, children or other relatives
-money sufficient for their support. If your Petition-
ers did remit sufficient money home, they will not have enough money left to purchase here in Hongkong
the necessaries of life for themselves.
6.Your Petitioners are not allowed any exchange compensation
by the Government, although this privilege is granted
to members of other Departments of the Civil Service.
For instance the members of the Indien Police force men
of the same class, and performing similar duties to your
Petitioners, are allowed 2 rupeesand 4 annas in exchange on 1 dollar, although the current rate of exchange is
only 1 rupee and 6 armas to the dollar.
7.
8.
The price of provisions and the necessaries of life
were formerly very low, now the price of food has in-
creased at least 50% on the former price:
No quarters areallowed for the married members of the
Indian Assistant Warders and Guards of the Geol, and
owing to the great increase in house rents of recent
years, and which are still increasing, they are unable to bring their wives and families to the Colony.
9. Although
3 it .42 -