2A
useful and must not grumble if he has to
do some overtime.
As regards 2, Mr. Williams and Mr. Smith
are also Cadet Officers, the former discharging
the functions of Asst. Secretary for Chinese
Affairs while the latter is in charge of the
Sanitary Department. Mr.Williams was called
on to act as a District Officer, and Mr. Smith
to take charge of the Post Office, in addition
to their ordinary duties. The Governor
recommends the grant of extra pay to both
these officers on the ground that in each case
the duties involve full responsibility for
a separate Department.
The practice of commuting half pay leave
rarely allows any salary to lapse which could be drawn by an acting officer, conse-
quently the Hong Kong rules differ from the
Colonial Regulations dealing with acting pay.
The differential treatment recommended
by the Governor in (1) and (2) is based on
rather a fine distinction, viz:- the relative
importance of the additional work undertaken
by Messrs. Smith and Williams and that under-
taken by Mr. Kennedy-Skipton.
It is no doubt true that the work of
the Asst. Assessor is lower in status than
the work of a D.O. or the head of a Department,
but it seems to me that there are other factors
to be considered.
Mr.