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"The Cost of hotel accommodation for a single person varies from $145 to $250 a month, not inclusive of drinks, electric fans and fires. The rates of a married couple would probably be from $240 to $500 a month.
Boarding House accommodation for a single person may be put at $125 to $200 a month; for married couples, perhaps $200 to $400 a month.
If a private servant be not kept, tips to the house servants would have to be added to the above.
Wages of Native servants vary from $12 to $30 a month.
Other expenses would include clothing, laundry (say $10 a month) transport (say $15 a month), amusements, books, periodicals, clubs, insurance, holidays spent outside the Colony etc.
The combined entrance fees to the best social club in Hong Kong, a good golf club and the best cricket club amount to about $150, Club subscrip- tions to about $20 a month. But it must be borne in mind that attendant expenses, especially in the case of golf, are likely to involve a considerable addition to this sum. Other clubs such as the yacht club and the polo club, are cheap of their kind, but must be regarded as expensive luxuries.
There is at present no Income Tax in the Colony and there are no rates or taxes in the usual English sense.
On the whole it may be said that an unmarried master on a three years' agreement can save money if he wishes to do so, and still live on a scale which would probably content him at home. On the other hand he can, without getting into debt, indulge in more expensive amusements.
School holidays in Hong Kong give special facilities for visiting neighbouring countries. Japan, North and South China, Indo-China, Malaya, the Dutch East Indies and the Philippine Islands are all within reach at a cost which should be within the officer's means.
A married Master, on the other hand (especially if he had a family) would have to exercise very strict economy to enable him to live on his salary, during the first few years of his appointment.
Another reason why it is considered necessary that a Master should be unmarried on first appoint- ment is that he is expected to devote a certain amount of time and energy to the study of Chinese language and culture, so that he may have a larger interest in his work and a better understanding of the problems which it presents.
Colonial Office.
March 1927.
5.