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pay; married officers and non-commissioned officers of Police are provided with commodious married quarters far in excess of the limited accommodation accorded to single officers and non- -commissioned officers; married non-commissioned officers of Police, Sanitary Inspectors, Overseers of the Public Works Department, and others with the privilege of the Free Passage Scheme, are provided with free passages for their wives and children when proceeding on leave; and married Inspectors of Police residing in Victoria receive special ration allowances.
In this Colony the emoluments obtaining
in the Government Service are speaking generally in the case of bachelors quite adequate, and there appears to be no valid reason for a general increase of them. The same cannot be said of the emoluments of those married officers to whom the propose in my Confidential Despatch of the 12th. of August refer, because of the very heavy expenditure to which married officers are subjected (a) for rent (b) for passages to and from England on leave, (c) for the education and maintenance in England of children, and especially of sons who cannot be kept here much after the age of 8 years.
The circumstances are quite exceptional
and I am convinced that the discrimination which I advocate would commend itself to the taxpayers of this Colony, who can well appreciate the special difficulties of the situation. and would not evoke any adverse criticism or objection from single officers.
I would therefore strongly urge upon you a reconsideration of the principle involved or a reference to the opinion of Un-official Members of the Executive and Legislative Councils. I have not as yet consulted either body in this matter.
3.
As regards the experience in Ceylon I was unaware that the question had arisen there, but I cannot con- -ceive that in this Colony where there are many Hotels, Lodging
i