2.
no
3. It is therefore obvious that circumstances have changed
considerably since the time of Sir William Peel's despatch which
I have quoted above. The peculiarly favourable conditions as
regards promotion which obtained prior to 1932 - mainly due to
frequent transfers of Class I Inspectors to other departments
longer exist and what might be described as a period of stagnation
has set in. Whereas some of the officers now in Class I were
undoubtedly fortunate in securing early promotion it would appear
that the pendulum has now swung to the other extreme and has left
many of the officers at present in Class II in a very unfortunate
position.
It is not surprising that these officers view their
future prospects with a misgiving which is further enhanced by
such an anomaly as two officers with only a few months' difference
in length of service, but otherwise of equal qualifications, being
so situated that one of them is in Class I and drawing an annually
increasing salary on a higher scale while the other continues
for several years to draw the maximum of Class II.
4.
In order to remove these causes of dissatisfaction,
I propose, subject to your approval, to abolish the division into
Classes I and II and to substitute therefor a through time-scale with annual increments. The through-scale suggested is £260 to
£430 by nine increments of £10, one of £20 and four of £15. Although at first sight it might appear that the nine increments
of £10 in the lower ranges of this through-scale compare
unfavourably with only four increments of £10 in the case of
Overseers in the Public Works Department (310 to £430 by four
increments of £10, one of £20 and four of £15) and five
increments of £10 in the case of European Revenue Officers (£260 to £430 by five increments of £10, three of £20 and four
of £15), there are certain bonus increments available to Sanitary
Inspectors which act as a compensating factor. These bonus increments, which are laid down in General Order 138 (a copy of
which is appended to this despatch), are desirable in that they
stimulate