248
37302
38
No. 20.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE GOVERNOR.
(Sent 11.50 a.m., 30th July, 1920.)
TELEGRAM.
30TH JULY. Your telegram 27th July,* subordinate officers; proposal approved. Report by mail alterations made.—MILNER.
40395
(No, 199.)
MY LORD,
No. 21.
THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received 13th August, 1920.)
Government House, Hong Kong, 17th June, 1920. WITH reference to my telegram of the 6th May, and to yours of the 18th May, 1920,† I have the honour to forward, for Your Lordship's information, twelve copies of a circular relating to the Passage Scheme.
I have, &c.,
R. E. STUBBS,
Governor, &c.
39
7. If an officer to whom passages have been granted leaves the Service within a period of two years from the date of his return to the Colony he will, unless he is retired under a medical certificate, be required to refund to the Government half the sum expended by it upon his return passages.
8. Six months' notice of intention to apply for passages should be given in writing to the Colonial Secretary, and all passages will be booked by the Harbour Master. They will be by the shortest route to destination, and they will be taken in such steamers as the Governor may direct.
9. If an officer wishes to make private arrangements for his passages, such officer will, upon production of his passage tickets, receive a sum equivalent to the actual cost to the Government of such Government passages as he may be entitled to. 10. These rules take effect from 1st January, 1920. Half the cost of Govern- nent return passages will be granted to officers who were on leave on that date and to officers' wives and children who had left the Colony and had not returned by that date.
11. It must be clearly understood that the concession granted under this circular is limited to a period of five years, and that thereafter it may be modified or cancelled.
12. This circular does not apply to officers who are already entitled to free passages under existing free passage schemes; with the exception that officers so entitled will be granted passages in respect of all sons under the age of sixteen years and all unmarried daughters.
13. The following circulars are cancelled :—
No. 2 of 22nd January, 1919. No. 37 of 30th December, 1919. No. 6 of 9th February, 1920.
Enclosure in No. 21.
Colonial Secretary's Office,
Hong Kong, 25th May, 1920.
CIRCULAR No. 28.
Passages.
No. 17 of 14th April, 1920. No. 19 of 23rd April, 1920.
By Command,
A. G. M. FLETCHER,
Colonial Secretary.
Το
HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS.
1. AFTER & period of four and a half years' resident service an officer of the class which is ordinarily domiciled in the United Kingdom who proceeds on furlough will be granted return passages to port of destination and back for himself, his wife, his sons under the age of sixteen years, and his unmarried daughters.
2. An officer who retires from the service on pension will similarly be granted single passages to port of destination: provided that he sails within a period of six months from the date of retirement.
3. These passages will be first-class passages by mail steamer in the case of officers whose salary exceeds £800 per annum and first-class passages by inter- mediate steamer or second-class passages by mail steamer in the case of officers whose salary does not exceed £800 per annum: provided that if appropriate passages are not available this rule may be varied in the discretion of the Governor.
4. If an officer is permitted to go on long leave or to retire on pension before he has completed four and a half years' resident service since his last return from furlough, the Government will contribute towards the cost of his passages a sum which bears a like proportion to the total cost of such passages as the period of his resident service bears to four and a half years: provided that this rule may be relaxed in the case of an officer who is required to take leave or to retire on pension on the ground of ill health.
5. If an officer who has completed four and a half years' resident service is detained in the Colony owing to the exigencies of the Service, passages will be provided separately for his wife and children if he so desires.
6. If an officer's wife and children proceed home under medical certificate unaccompanied by such officer, and before he has completed four and a half years' resident service, half the cost of their return passages will be provided by the Government, subject to a guarantee for the repayment of the cost in the event of the officer leaving the service before he has completed four and a half years' resident
service.
* No. 19.
† Nos. 7 and 10.
40405
No. 22.
THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received 14th August, 1920.)
[Answered by No. 24.]
(Confidential.) MY LORD,
Government House, Hong Kong, 17th June, 1920. WITH reference to paragraphs 3 and 5 of Your Lordship's Confidential despatch of the 20th March, 1920, I have the honour to refer for your further consideration certain matters in connexion with leave of absence and rent allowances. 2. You have approved the principle that an officer should be entitled to a total period of ten months' leave on full pay; and, in view of the rights in respect of accumulated half-pay leave which officers now in the service possess, I think that this end can best be secured by permitting the accumulation of vacation leave up to a total of five months to be taken in conjunction with five months' leave on commuted pay, or on half pay, or partly on commuted pay and partly on half pay. The exist ing rule, that an officer who takes any commuted pay leave may not have more than ten months' leave in all, would stand. I do not think that this system can be regarded as more favourable than that in force in Malaya; but I take the oppor- tunity of calling Your Lordship's attention to the fact that, with the Siberian route closed, Hong Kong is a full week further removed from the United Kingdom than is Singapore, so that in order to place the officers of the two services in a position of equality in respect of the period of leave in England the Hong Kong officer requires from two to three weeks' longer leave than his colleague in Malaya
* No. 5.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :---
CO. 882/10
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH -NOT TO
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON|