increases in Dockyard wages and (b) that this
relationship will not be altered by Hong Kong
Government without full prior consultation with
Dockyard authorities, I shall be prepared to approve
them. This means that, if the continuance of the
practice of paying rehabilitation allowance to
Government coolies at artisan rate instead of coolie
rate would result in Government coolies receiving
greater total emoluments than Dockyard coolies,
further justification will be needed for this than
the fact that it has hitherto been the practice to
grant this rate, and the present opportunity should
be taken to correct this anomaly. If your new
proposals are agreed to, I consider, subject to any
comments you may have, that effective date should be
same as effective date of increases granted to others
after August strike, Commission's recommendations
being accepted for period between 1 January 1947 and
that date.
-
It
3. Your paragraph 6. Other points regarding
cost of living allowance. I shall be telegraphing
separately about high cost of living allowance.
will suffice here to say that for your immediate
purposes Commission's proposals for high cost of
living allowance, subject to modifications referred
to in paragraph 2 above, have been accepted as they
stand for revised basic salaries up to $1499 per
mensem (approximately £1125 per annum). Above that
point you should not commit yourself until you have
seen my separate telegram referred to above.
4. Your paragraph 8.
Time-scales.
See my
312
confidential savingrám in next air mail which indicates
points regarding basic salaries, in addition to
administrative scale, on which I still have doubts.
I shall be communicating with you shortly in more
detail
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