Dr. Sidebotham
18
S
I have spoken & M. Bancroft (Ph. Serpell
orked him give (14)
fain wind
delay
leave) and
me there
well be forme
may
f
The Treamy.
As (13) is the second reminder from
Htmy Komp
we thred sand
Ꮧ-
the just is at (12)..
interim telegram
Depp oppended.
منتکست
Tel. # Governor
trọng trong
16. J. P. Bancroft (Jay)
L.F.272/187/04B
I men
2374
no 484
24/4/45
7-5-48
Mr. Sidebotham.
1. (16) is the Treasury reply to (14). It declines to adcept the Governor's proposals.
2. Mr. Sloss told us the other day that there is very real anxiety among serving expatriate officers about their pension prospects if they accept the revised Salaries Commission terms with their concomitant of conversion to salaries on a dollar basis instead of a sterling basis, that officers feel (as is explained by the Governor in paragraph 3 of (11)) that the option before them is not a fair one, that they are in fact withholding their replies to the option for this reason and that the Governor has felt it necessary to extend the last day for opting (originally fixed, I think Mr. Sloss said, as the 31st April).
3. There is little that I can add to my minute of 31/3. Paragraph 5 of it has relevance to the Treasury objection that acceptance of the Governor's proposal would set a precedent which other colonies might wish to follow. I invite reference to paragraph 5 of my draft of 2/2 (behind 5) and to (3) and (4) which show that certain officers in
Malaya were at one time entitled to draw sterling pensions calculated on dollar salaries at a stated rate of exchange, whereas others were entitled to an Exchange Compensation allowance (which presumably had a similar effect).
I have managed to catch Mr. King in the lunch hour (he is, and will be for some time, fully
engaged