136
31 -
down that such an allowance, at the rate of
£150 per annum, will be paid in the case of
appointment on the new scale.
b) Public Works Service. Engineers at present rise
to a maximum salary of £1150 giving pensionable emoluments by virtue of Section 2 (c) (i) of the
Pensions Ordinance, 1932, of £1342. The approved
new scale for Executive Engineers is £1000 to
£1150 by increments of £50 plus £150 residential
allowance. Having regard to the difference in
conditions as to quarters this means that an
officer on or near the maximum of the present
Engineer's scale would lose in cash on promotion
to Executive Engineer and in every case he would
lose in pensionable prospects since the new scale
for Executive Engineers provides maximum pensionable
emoluments of £1150. Even if our recommendation for
the extension of the maximum of the scale to £1250
(without residential allowance) is approved, there
would still be a loss in pensionable emoluments and
only a negligible increase in net pay while in the
Colony. In his despatch already quoted the Secretary
of State suggested that the new scale should not be
applied to any engineers on a salary of £1000 or over
at the time of its introduction. In view of the facts
stated above, however, we feel that there is no real
distinction between those officers and more junior
engineers. We therefore recommend that instead of
the concession already proposed, confined to officers
on £1000 or over at the time of the introduction of
the new scales, all engineers serving on the old terms
should be allowed to continue to pay rent for quarters
at 6% only and therefore to retain their pension