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CHAPTER IX.
INTERCHANGEABILITY WITH MALATA,
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Liaison with Malayan Salarios Commission.
176. We kept in touch with the lalayan Salarios Commission not only by correspondence but also by viuits to Singapore paid by the Chairman and by Mr.T.Mogarry. Mr.D.J.Sloss flow to Malaya on 22nd April, returning on 4th May. He had two days of consultations with Sir Harry Trusted, Chairman of the Malayan Salarics Commission and discussed with him various problems likely to face both Commissions. As Sir Harry Trusted had at this time only recently arrived in Malaya it was decided that the Hong Kong Commission should send a representative to Malaya at the beginning of July, by which time the Malayan Commission expected to have comploted the hearing of evidence in the Malayan Union and to bo receiving representations in Singapore. Mr.Megarry accordingly loft by air for Singapore on 6th July. Ho had conferences on 9th and 10th with the Chairman and the two official members of the Malayan Commission and attended sessions of the Commission from 8th to 11th July while it was taking evidence. On 10th July ho addressed the Commission at length at Sir Harry Trusted's invitation on the work of the Hong Kong Commission up to date and answered onbers' questions. A full interchange of views was thus achieved. Mr.Mogarry also had discussions with the Colonial Secretary, Singapore, before returning to Hong Kong on 13th July. An invitation was sent to Sir Harry Trusted for a member of the M.layan Commission to visit Hong Kong during the early part of August when the Hong Kong Commission's Report and proposed salary scales were in preliminary draft but the dato suggested unfortunately did not fit in with the Malayan Commission's programo.
Interchangeability between Malaya and Hong Kong.
177.
It is our opinion that there are definite limits to the extent to which it would be practicable ur, in view of the policy or providing access into the services for local officers, even desirable to arrange for the interchange of officers between Malaya and Hong Kong. It is clear that the only officers who could be compulsorily transferred from one Colony to the other arc those who are members of the Unifio Colonial Servicos who are liable to be transferred anywhere within the Colonial Service. Other officers could only be trans- ferred voluntarily and would presumably only agree to a transfer if it meant promotion. It might even be necessary to grant expatriation pay to local officers if they were transferred. It does not appear to us on balance that any great benefits would be derived by either Colony from the interchango of officers who are not members of the Unified Colonial Servicos. There should be sufficient similarity of scales of pay and conditions of service as the result of our consultations in Malaya to make any voluntary transfers a matter of no great difficulty. Closer liaison could be achieved between the two territorios by more frequent visits of senior officials to discuss problems of mutual interest and in certain cases short term secondments might prove of value in the training of specialist officers.
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