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- 3-
In 1938 1 Indian fficer only retired after attain- ing pensionable age as against 6 Indian Officers invalided out.
These figures prove that through breakdowns in health
many of us have to retire after no great length of
service, with the consequence that pensions granted in
such cases will be proportionately small. Government
appointed a Salaries Commission in 1928 and thereafter
very kindly increased our salaries but as the rate of
exchange dropped about 40% the value of our increased pay
was lost. At the time the Salaries Commission sat the
rate of exchange was Rupees 130 to 140 per $100 and even
then we Indians requested the Commission to recommend
us for favourable exchange (Vide Commissions Report
Paragraphs 54 and 114). The financial hardship we were
then suffering which Government sought to ameliorate by
granting such increase in our pay as aforesaid has not
been relieved up to the present time, owing to the drop
in exchange as above mentioned. We had hoped that
Government would have granted us further relief from such
suffering, but have not been so favoured notwithstanding
the fact that since the transfer of the prison from the
heart of the city to Stanley our cost of living has gone
up through the high prices we have had to pay for fares
and transportation.
5. The Indian Guards who represent nearly half
of the Staff are on the temporary establishment. An
Indian Guard invalided after 10 years' service draws a
pension of about $3 a month which under the proposed
system will be Rupees 2 6 per month. This class of
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Civil Servants will suffer most seriously. We also beg
to point out that the new rate of pension (under Pensions