COPY)
Enclosure 5.
c. o.
12193. 530
Queen's College,
BEGE 6 APR 071.
Hongkong, 27th November, 1906.
The Honourable
The Colonial Secretary.
Sir,
We the undersigned respectfully present this urgent petition for the favourable consideration of His Excellency the Governor and beg him to cable it to the Secretary of State for the Colonies.
The almost daily increase in the exchange rate of the dollar makes it incumbent on us to bring before you the decrease in our salaries.
When the dollar was at 1/7 a Civil Servant at £270 a year received about $273 a month. When the dollar was at 1/10 he received about $236 a month. Now that the dollar is at 2/3 he receives about $188 a month (after 4% Widows and Orphans). This is a loss of nearly $100 a month.
We submit that this loss is not due to the mere business fluctuations of exchange but is a growing increase in the value of silver and therefore that the loss due to contracts made by the Government in gold should not be borne by the Civil Servants but should be borne as a tax on the Colony.
The Hotels, Boarding-houses, &c. in the Colony have given up the sterling basis and thus the prices of living have increased. The Government, too, draws Crown rents, taxes, hospital fees, and postal charges in dollars. Thus every month our salaries are being steadily decreased while other charges are being increased even down to a 10 cent ricksha ride which little more than three years ago was less than two pence but is now more than two pence-half penny.
We