CONFIDENTIAL.
40401
p. 14 AUG 201
GOVERNMENT HOUSE.
HONGKONG. 14th June, 1920.
233
My Lord,
419
6174
20
I have the honour to refer to paragraph 23
of my confidential despatch of the 11th December, 1919, in
which I stated that I saw no reason for departing from the
present system under which the accounts of this Government are audited by the Colonial Audit Department and suggested
that the views of the Director of Colonial Audit should be
ascertained before the salaries of the Audit Staff were
definitely settled. The matter is not touched upon in Your Lordship's reply.
2.
With further experience of the circumstances
and on fuller consideration I have come to the conclusion
that my previous view was incorrect and that it would be to
the advantage of this Government to take over the auditing
of its own accounts.
3.
The present arrangement seems to me to involve this Goverment in umecessary expense, The superior
staff at present consists of the following officers, the salaries given being those of the unrevised scale:-
Auditor
£650 to 2800 by £20 annually and per-
sonal allowance of £100.
1st Assistant Auditor £420 to £540 by £15 annually and
£60 duty pay.
2nd Assistant Auditor £420 to £540 by £15 annually and
£60 duty pay.
European Clerk
RIGHT HONOURABLE
£264 to £360 by £12 biennially.
VISCOUNT MILNER, G.C.B.,
&C..
&c.,
80.