Now the ordinance should therefore remain unchanged, and but in order to reduce the excessive number of persons with small claims on the fund (owing to officers retiring after short periods of service), who are referred to in paragraph 2 of Mr. Lyttelton's despatch of 28 January, Mr. Lyttelton proposes to suggest to the Governor that such subordinate officers should in the first instance be appointed on probation for 3 years, during which period they would not be contributors to the Fund, since by the definition of Public Officer in section 2, only permanent officers contribute.
DRAFT.
MINUTE.
Mr. Antrobus.
Mr. Cox.
Mr. Lucas.
Mr. Graham.
Sir M. Ommanney.
The Duke of Marlborough.
Mr. Lyttelton.
With regard to paragraph 3 of the despatch, Mr. Lyttelton proposes to repeat the warning given by his predecessor in 1902 as to the necessity of a careful medical examination before any person is appointed permanently to the Hongkong Service, as the appointment of unhealthy persons unduly increases the pension charges, as well as the charges on the Widows & Orphans Pension Fund. It appears from the bad health of...