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permits the District Officer resident in the New Territori-
-es to receive $5.00 a day when called into Hongkong on
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duty and requested to be allowed to draw a sum of $5.00 a
day, while in Hongkong until the half-pay of the appoint-
-mont in which he was acting became available. Sir M.
Nathan approved this arrangement on the 15th. April, 190",
and it was not at the time questioned either by the
Treasury or the Audit Department.
2.
Similarly when in November, 1909,
Mr. E. R. Hallifax, District Officer, for the Northern
District of New Territories, was called into Hongkong to
act as First Police Magistrate, I approved of his being
granted an allowance of $5.00 por diem until the half-pay
of the appointment, in which he was acting, became avail-
-able, on the ground of expense incurred in renting a house
in Hongkong. The average rental of a house for a married
officer with family is $150 a month. Mr. Hallifax at the
time the allowance was made had to pay $175 a month. Again
from 1st. of May to 29th. of July when no acting pay was
available for the acting Police Magistrate Sir F. H. May
acting on the precedents referred to permitted Mr. Hallifax
to draw the allowance of $5 a day. He had not, however,
on this occasion been swmoned from Taipo to Hongkong, but
he