PROOF.
C. 30240/27 [No. 1]
SIR,
(No. 407.)
No.
HONG KONG.
THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE.
(Received 31st October, 1927.)
[Answered by No. .]
Government House, Hong Kong, 28th September, 1927. WITH reference to previous correspondence, terminating with my despatch No. 340 of 29th July, 1927,* on the subject of the recruitment of Medical and Health Officers for this Colony, I have the honour to inform you that I have had under consideration the question of the reorganization of the Medical Department and the revision of the salaries of the senior staff.
2. You are aware of the difficulty which this Colony has experienced in recruiting suitable Medical Officers, particularly for posts where specialist qualifica- tions are required, and I am of opinion that a revision of the salary-scales is necessary, if this Colony is to be able to recruit competent men for its service and offer adequate encouragement in the way of improved prospects to its present officers.
3. In the first place I propose that the title of the Principal Civil Medical Officer shall be changed to the now widely-recognized title, Director of Medical and Sanitary Services, and that the salary of the post shall be raised to the scale £1,200-£50-£1,450 which approaches the scale of the Director of Public Works, the Treasurer, and other heads of large departments; and that Dr. Addison be advanced to £1,250 on his next incremental date (in 1928).
4. Under the Director it is proposed to create a new post of Deputy Director with a salary-scale £1,125-£25-£1,200 and to appoint Dr. Moore thereto on the initial salary as from 1st January, 1928. Dr. Moore has over 22 years' service in the Colony and has been on the maximum (£1,000), of his present scale since 1921.
This
5. Över and above these two special posts it is proposed to institute a new grade of Senior Medical Officer with a salary-scale of £1,025-£25-£1,100. grade will be open to all Medical Officers who by length and efficiency of service may be considered eligible for some promotion beyond the maximum of the ordinary salary-scale. I had intended to recommend for this grade in 1923, Dr. C. W. McKenny, the next senior Medical Officer to Dr. Moore. Unfortunately, however, Dr. McKenny's health has recently become so indifferent that I have no option but to place him on pension and no actual appointment to the new grade will be necessary for 1928. A separate report on Dr. McKenny's retirement has been forwarded to you.'
6. A slight increase in the maximum (£1,020 instead of £1,000) combined with the raising of increments from £25 to £30 per annum is considered adequate for ordinary Medical Officers, who will of course always have the prospect of rising to the grade of Senior Medical Officer if not to one of the special posts.
7. For the specialists, where our inability to compete with other services in recruitment has been most felt, considerable improvements are suggested. The initial salary of the Bacteriologist is raised to £800 per annum and his maximum to £1,100. For the Assistant Bacteriologist £740-£30-£1.040 is proposed. Similar salaries are provided for the Medical Officer of Health and Assistant Medical Officers of Health, and for the Health Officer of the Port and Second Health Officer of the Port. It is, however, to be understood that these scales are only intended. to apply to fully qualified officers and in the case of Medical Officers of Health and Health Officers of the Port the possession of the Diploma of Public Health should be a condition precedent to the grant of these scales.
The higher scale for the senior officers in these branches, reaching, it will be noted, the same maximum as the grade of Senior Medical Officer, is designed to offer opportunities for transfer from other Colonies; but it is hoped that the scale for Assistants, coupled perhaps with a contribution towards the cost of specialist
* No. C, 30832/27 [No. 8],
Med, and San.-9870, 24.
་
23