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CIRCULAR—No. 26.
Treasury 5153/13.
COLONIAL SECRETARY'S OFFICE,
SINGAPORE, 31st December, 1913.
HIS EXCELLENCY the Governor has noticed with regret the numerous cases in which members of the subordinate service run into debt and have recourse to money-lenders, the reason usually given by the officer being that the debt has been incurred owing to misfortune, such as sickness of those dependent on him. His Excellency is desirous of assisting the members of the service to keep free from debt, and with this object has sanctioned the granting of advances to subordinate officers to meet cases of bona fide misfortune.
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2. Such advances will bear interest at the rate of 6 per cent per annum. a general rule an officer who has served less than five years will not be granted an advance of more than three months' salary, an officer who has served not less than five but less than ten years may be granted an advance not exceeding six months' salary, while an officer who has served not less than ten years may be granted an advance not exceeding one year's salary.
3. An advance will, ordinarily, be repayable monthly by instalments of one-quarter of the officer's monthly salary.
4. An advance not exceeding one-quarter of an officer's annual salary may be authorized by the administrative head of the Settlement in which the officer serves. The authority of the Colonial Secretary is required for any greater advance.
5. Every application for an advance must be made in the form set out in the schedule.
6. The Head of the applicant's office is expected to make full inquiry as to the bona fides of the application, before forwarding it with his recommendation.
7. Should the Head of the office consider any application so deserving and so urgent that immediate assistance is required he may, on his own responsibility, authorize an advance. Such provisional advance should, however, only be made when assistance is urgently required and when delay in obtaining approval might defeat the object in view, and the officer making the advance must report his action as soon as possible and obtain covering approval.
8. When an advance is granted under this Circular to enable an officer to meet the liabilities reported by him. in his application, the officer recommending the advance is required to see that it is actually so applied.
9. Any officer who in applying for an advance fails to disclose all his liabilities or who signs a promissory note either as principal or surety is liable to be charged under the Colonial Regulations and may be dismissed.
10.
The Treasurer will file applications, received and approved, in consecutive order and will keep a foil and counterfoil book in the following form, showing