14
No. 5 in 53723/36 flagged 'A'.
I have a feeling that this is rather an ill-
judged despatch from the 0.A.G., and that he would
have done better if he had waited until he could have
attempted to persuade the new Governor to take up the
cudgels on behalf of the Cadet Service in Hong Kong.
There is no stauncher "Eastern Cadet" than Sir Andrew
Caldecott, who was responsible for the revised salary
scheme, and it is clear from paragraph 7 of his
despatch of 19th August, 1936, that he did not neglect the interests of the Cadet Servicein Hong Kong,
The Report of the 1929 Salaries Commission
showed that in Class I of the Cadet Service there were
five posts, and this number had remained unaltered
since 1913. Having regard to the substantial increase
in the strength of the Cadet Service since 1913, the
Commission recommended that the Class I establishment
should be increased to 7, and this was approved. The
Commission maintained the traditional system of
regarding the Class I officers as a grade, and not as
the holders of certain specific posts. When, in or
about 1930, the Cadet Service lost the Treasurership
(by the transfer of Mr. E. Taylor from another Colony),
it was recommended by the Governor, and approved here,
that nevertheless the strength of Class I should
remain at 7 Cadet officers, nor was this system varied
on the retirement of the Cadet officer who had for
many years been Head of the Police and his succession
by a professional Police officer.
Sir A. Caldecott, on the occasion of the
present revised salary scheme, has shown himself
prepared to depart from the system and accept, as in
accord with the Colonial Administrative Service system generally, a scheduling of specific posts as Class I
posts