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Non-European Wireless and Telegraph Staff. This staff has always been graded on salaries approximating very closely to those of corresponding grades of the Junior Clerical Staff, with which it has many affinities. In the Estimates for 1930, coin- cidently with its transfer to Post Office control, its alignment with the Junior Clerical Service was made complete. The Report, however, awards less favourable salaries grade for grade to the former. This in the opinion of the Government is not only undesirable as upsetting a recently established balance, but inequitable in that Wire- less and Telegraphic Staff require in addition to clerical knowledge considerable skill of a technical kind. It is, therefore, recommended that the scales for this staff shall be:-
Class II Telegraphists (formerly Traffic Supervisors) $2.700 to $3,300 by
$150 annually.
Class III Telegraphists $1,900 to $2,600 by $100 annually. Class IV Telegraphists $1,500 to $1,800 by $100 annually. Class A Telegraphists $1,100 to $1,400 by $100 annually.
Class VI Telegraphists $480 to $1,050 by one increment $60, one of $160, three of $50 and two of $100 as in paragraph 52 of the Report.
Paragraphs 155 and 159. Kowloon-Canton Railway.
Paragraph 156.-One Telephone Operator, an ex-ticket collector disabled on duty has already been promoted to Class V in the Junior Clerical Service and should receive revised salary accordingly.
Paragraph 157.-Owing to the imminent retirement of the holder, the Com- missioners were not informed of the existence of one post of Head Driver carrying with it the not inconsiderable responsibility of training and testing the other drivers. The present salary of the post is $800 to $950 by $25 annually and it is recom- mended that on revision it shall become $900 to $1,050 by $50 annually.
Paragraph 158.-The salary allotted to the Assistant Mechanical Engineer is considered to be too low for an officer who is fully competent to take charge during the absence of the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the whole locomotive fleet of the line and is besides a very competent and hard worked motor engineer. It is ac- cordingly recommended that his scale should be £550 to £700 by £25 annually.
Paragraph 163. Acting pay for Cadet Officers.
Although, as will be seen from paragraph 42, the Commissioners were aware that appointment to the First Class of the Cadet Service is not by posts, their recom- mendations in this paragraph only apply, if there are definite holders of all the posts named. For General Order 92 (1), which is quoted in the preceding paragraph of the Report and is recommended here for application, refers to the absence of the holder. It is, therefore, recommended that the rule in this matter shall be that any Cadet Officer below the First Class, who acts continuously for a period of over two months in any of the following posts.
Treasurer,
Principal Assistant Colonial Secretary,
First Magistrate.
Director of Education,
Postmaster General,
Superintendent of Imports and Exports,
shall receive acting pay in accordance with General Order 92 (1). The six posts named, together with the Secretaryship for Chinese Affairs (about which, being now a definite appointment, there is no difficulty), will then correspond to the seven First Class appointments recommended in paragraph 42.
At the same time it is recommended that the allowances referred to in the final clause of paragraph 163 shall be abolished; also the allowances (not mentioned in the Report) now drawn by the Principal and Second Assistant Colonial Secretary, for duty as Clerk and Deputy Clerk of Councils respectively.
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It will be observed that the proposed rule runs counter to Colonial Regulation No. 54 in that it allows acting pay to be drawn whether there is pay lapsing as the result of half-pay leave or not. But this departure, which already appears in General Order 92 (1) issued in connection with the Salaries Revision of 1920, is essential, if acting-pay is to be an appreciable element in the emoluments of the Service. For since the introduction of commuted half-pay leave it has been and will be very exceptional for officers actually to take leave on half-pay.
Paragraph 164. Charge and Duty Allowances.
It will be seen that in the case of the Public Works Department the Govern- ment considers that the Charge Allowances represent facts in the way of responsibility which should continue to receive recognition and has accordingly recommended equivalent increases of substantive salary for the posts concerned.
The same considerations are not in the opinion of the Government valid for the other Charge Allowances mentioned in this paragraph of the Report and the recommendation for their abolition is therefore accepted.
Paragraphs 165–173. Overtime Allowances.
Paragraph 173.-The allowance mentioned in clause (ii) to an Assistant Marine Surveyor in respect of the Government slipway at Yaumati was granted as રી temporary expedient pending increase of European staff. This increase has now been made and it is considered that the allowance should cease on the revised salaries coming into force.
The hard-lying allowance now paid to the Chinese crews of the cruising launches in the Police Department does not appear to have been brought to the notice of the Commissioners. It is recommended for continuance.
Paragraphs 174-182. Rent of Government Quarters, Rent and Lodging Allowances.
Paragraph 174.-It has been ascertained that the recommendation regarding officers occupying their own houses in outlying districts was based on the rule adopted by the Treasury for rating assessment in cases of this nature, where no guidance can be obtained from any general level of rents. But in a calculation of this nature for rating purposes it is the net income of the owner which is sought and allowance has to be made for his expenditure on repairs and insurance and for depreciation. In the case of the officers mentioned all these charges fall on the occupier and to award rent allowance on the basis of 6% only of capital outlay does not, therefore, give the officer a fair return for his enterprise in providing his own housing accommodation. It is, therefore, recommended that 8% be adopted as the basis. This proposal has been laid before the Chairman of the Commission and has received his concurrence. It should be observed that 6% net return on capital is by no means a high figure in this Colony.
B. Observations.
(i) In applying the new scales to existing staff it has, with a few exceptions, been assumed that the officer carries with him into the new scale the service in his post, class or grade which he actually has and indeed it is only reasonable that. if a certain time and salary-scale is found appropriate to a certain post, class grade, an existing officer should enter that scale at the point corresponding to his service.
or
There is, moreover, an insuperable difficulty in allotting to existing staff on sterling salaries the nearest figure in the new scales to their existing emoluments in that the effect of fluctuations of exchange on present and revised emoluments is widely divergent. Thus, when the sterling value of the dollar is 2/- £1,000 nominal salary on the present sliding scale with temporary allowance amounts to £1,344 actual salary. On the basis of the Report the equivalent salary of £1,150 with 15% High Cost of Living Allowance would amount to £1,322.10.0. But with the dollar
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