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and
and from members of the Sonior Clerical Servico in rogard to the small number of higher posts to which they can aspiro. After considering theso representatios and obtaining evidence on the present organisation of clerical work within the public service and bearing in mind the policy contained in the Colonial Ofice White Paper we recommend the dis- continuance of the prosont system of three separate clorical services, one staffod mainly by Chinosc officers, ono by local non-Chinese officers one by European officers and the substitution therefor of a General Clerical Service open to candidates of all rocos, For this service we recommend that now candidates should be selected by competitive examination which should only bo open to persons in possession of the Hong Kong School Loving Certificate or somo higher qualification. Wo consider that this competitive examination should include an intelligence test and should not be oxclusively in prescribed subjects. We have proposed a two year period of probation during which timo probationcr clerks should be given the opportunity of training both in clerical and accounting Cuties. On the clorical sido probationer clerks would be required to have a reasonable knowledge of General Orders and of Governmental routine. On the accounting side they should be given the opportunity of learning the principles of bookkeeping and of the Government accounting systom. At the end of their probationary period, we recommend that they should be required to pass an oxamination in these subjects before boing admitted to the permanent establishment.
82.
Re recommend tho division of the General Clerical Service into four grados - grade III on a scale rising from $1800 per annum to $2580 grado II from $2760 to $4200, gredo I from $4500 to $6000, and a special grade from $6360 to $8160. Each grade should be separated by a promotion ber, but the ratio of posts as grades I and II
to those in grado III should be such as to ensure that a clerk of reasonable officiency could look forward to reaching the top of grade I before retirement oven if he did not receive further promotion. We recommend that promotion to the spocicl grade should be reserved for clerks of exceptional morit including those with long service and excellent records who may not be suitable for promotion to the cxccutive grade referred to below and those who have specialised in interproting, shorthand or accounting. anticipate that in the course of time the necessity for retaining this grade except for spccinlists will tend to disappear in view of the opport- unity for promotion from the General Clerical Service to the executive grado.
We
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