52.4
the matter is being taken up with the Home Office, but that the issue is doubtful and that, as regards pay and seniority, the Secretary of State is not prepared to vary the decisions already taken. It adds, as regards the two new points arising out of the Salaries Commission, that reference is being made to the Governor-( draft Savingram
draft D).
14. Drafts A and B herewith are the proposed replies to (a) and (b) above respectively. They are, mutatis mutandis, identical and they differ materially from draft C only in that they point out that, as regards pension rights, the M. P. 's correspondents already enjoy the pension rights they want.
5. All four officers attach to their letters to the M. P. s copies of a letter from the Colonial Secretary of the 4th March 1948, which was apparently issued to each of them (and no doubt to others). This letter conveys the reply of the Secretary of State communicated to the Governor in (42) on the 1947 file. It is unfortunate that in its paragraph 4, which deals with pension rights, it does not make it clear that this paragraph relates only to ex-County and ex-Borough Police. Ex-Metropolitan Police, who each received early in 1947 a letter quite clearly stating that their Metropolitan Police rights were secure (see 20 to 28 on 20138/1/46) may very well have been confused on receiving the Colonial Secretary's letter of the 4th March (though I cannot understand why they did not take the normal course of at once pointing out the discrepancy to their superior officer - it could have been cleared up straight away). I think we should draw Hong Kong's attention to this obvious misunderstanding and have added a third paragraph to the draft savingram. I think also we must refer to the point in the reply to the M.P.s. and have amended drafts A and B accordingly. (I do not like suggesting in a reply to an M.P. teat the Colonial Secretariat has made an error, but I don't quite see how we can avoid doing so and at the same time give a lucid reply).
6. In view of these amendments I pass again through Mr. Nicholls and Mr. Fairclough.
11. 6.48.
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