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relies do not apply to Cadetships but that they cannot apply. For at the time when he was appointed to Hongkong the salary
A Cadet of a Cadet was not on an incremental scale. remained on his initial salary of £225 until he passed his It examinations, when he was paid £300 as a Passed Cadet. was therefore quite impossible to allow him incrementa in consideration of his age. The scale of salaries has been altered since but even now an Unpassed Cadet does not receive an increment until he has passed his second
examination in Chinese.
6.
Mr. Forrest asks that his case may be dealt with in the same manner as that adopted by the Government of the Federated Malay States. I would observe that the conditions of the two services are entirely different. In the Federated Malay States the service. is divided into classes and promotion depends on the occurrence of vacancies so that it is very importent to an officer that he should not be junior to men younger than himself. In Hongkong, increments are continuous subject to efficient service up to £1200 a year and the question of seniority is of no importance whatever. His argument that if he does not receive what he demands he will in effect be suffering because he served in the war is perhaps specious but it is not sound. If he had not served in the war, he would not have been nominated for appointment to Hongkong.
7. In my opinion Mr. Forrest has been extremely fortunate. He accepted appointment on a salary of £225 a year plus 10% temporary allowance and under conditions which made promotion depend on the occurrence of vacancies. He was actually paid at the rate of £350 a year from the date of appointment until he passed his second examination in Chinese when he was at once advanced to £400, as was suggested in my Confidentiel despatch of 23rd May, 1921,
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