File No.2/1545/48.
SAVINGRAM
To the Secretary of State for the Colonies.
Answit (5)
4
From the Governor, Hong Kong.
16
Date 10th June, 1949.
234.
No.
STAFF.
(271) on '48
Reintroduction of former salary scale for Assistant
Agricultural Officer, $450, 450, 480 x 40 to $760 p.m.
1.
J
.
In paragraph 2 of your Confidential Telegram No.679 of 15th June, 1948, you approved the introduction of the present salary scale for these Officers ($400- 680 p.m.) in consequence of the lowering of the initial point of the Agricultural Officers scale from $800 to $720 p.m. The modification of the Assistant Agricultural Officers scale met with some criticism from the officers concerned on the grounds that they had been downgraded unduly in relation to Assistant Masters, Education Department, who hold, in addition to the graduate qualification required also of Assistant Agricultural Officers, a Teachers Training Certificate, which it requires one year to obtain.
2.
I have been considering whether the "promotion step"
(4)_53723/14/4principle suggested in your Savingram No.931 of 17th September,
-
1948, should be applied to the Assistant and full grade of Agricultural Officer, as in the case of the Assistant and full grades of Masters, Engineers, and Medical Officers. It appears to me that unless this principle is applied to Assistant Agricultural Officers there are good grounds for their contention that the modified scale of $400 680 places them in an indivious position. I have referred this matter to the Conditions of Service Committee for advice and the Committee has recommended that it would be injudicious to apply the principle in this case, owing to the limited scope of agricultural activity in the Colony which permits only a very small establishment of Agricultural Officers. If the principle were applied, promotions would necessarily still be very few and far between. The Committee advised that in the circumstances it would be more equitable to reintroduce the original scale recommended in paragraph 149 of the Salaries Commission Report, disregarding the additional qualification of a Teachers Training Certificate required of Assistant Masters, because their promotion prospects are better than those of Assistant Agricultural Officers, and accepting the overlap between the Assistant and full Agricultural Officer scales. Naturally this would not imply that there should be no promotion prospects for Assistant Agricultural Officers. A promising man would still be recommended for promotion to the full grade if his capabilities justified the creation of an additional post on the establishment.
3.
I am in agreement with the recommendation of the Committee and should be glad to have your approval for the reintroduction of the former scale, $450 - 760 p.m., with effect from 1/4/49. The approval of Finance Committee has already been obtained.
KSK:1ws.
M.