16
comparable. I am of the opinion, however, that Police
Sub-Inspector and Prison Officer posts are not strictly
comparable with Health Inspectors Grade I and that a
more useful and logical comparison is between Health
Inspectors and other Grades in the Medical and Health
Department. On this basis I consider that Health
Inspectors, Radiographers and Laboratory Technicians
should be on the same rates of salary and that all
three should be on a scale slightly lower, say by one
increment, than Pharmacists, owing to the longer period
which the Pharmacist spends in training. This is in fact the salary strecte adopted by Colonial Governments
generally.
3. For purposes of comparison, you will be interested
to learn that salaries for Health Inspectors/Senior
Health Inspectors in East Africa areát present on the
scale £570x20-£690x25-£840x30-£1,000; salaries in Central
Africa are almost identical and similar scales have
been recommended for West Africa. These compare with
salaries (including expatriation pay) in Hong Kong of
£425-£725 for Health Inspectors and £755-£900 for Senior
Health Inspectors.
4. East African scales are particularly mentioned above
because last year they were the subject of discussion
with representatives of the Sanitary Inspectors Association.
The scale formerly had a maximum of £840. The Association
refused to accept the Crown Agents' advertisement for that
scale and as a result it was extended to £1,000. Even
so the Crown Agents are unable to recruit on the minimum
pr the scale and can only obtain candidates who are given
the benefit of several increments in the scale under the
War Service Credit Scheme. In this connection it is
significant that only one candidate has so far come forward
for the four posts of Health Inspectors which you asked
me to fill in your Savingram No. 395 Staff, of the 25th
October, 1949.
5. In all the circumstances, I consider that an appropriate
salary scale for European Health Inspectors in Hong Kong,
WILO
(3)/ 54197/21/49