PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
PELLIC.O. 882
ستينيا
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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
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4. From the comparative Statement (4) Your Honour will at once see how faulty our present classification is, and how it fails to offer " an encouragement and a solatium to men who, during those periods of stagnation in promotion must live and work with hopes deferred and in straitened means."*
5. Under the recently approved Scheme (5), 61.84 per cent. of the officers are in Class V., with salaries of $2,400 to $3,000; 18.42 per cent. in Class IV., $3,600 to $4,200; only 3.98 per cent. in Class I., $6,000 to $10,800, and the principle of periodical increments to salaries, suggested for consideration in regard to the Federated Malay States' Service by the Secretary of State so far back as 1895, and renewed in the Secretary of State's telegram of the 20th August, 1900, has not been adopted.
6, The two Schemes now submitted are commented upon in Mr. Venning's "Notes."
Scheme I. contemplates charging reasonable rates of rent to Government Officers in occupation of Government Quarters, with a few exceptions, as suggested in para- graph 12 of the Memorial presented to the Secretary of State by the Members of the Straits Civil Service. At present officers in the Federated Malay States enjoy quarters free of rent. This Scheme is "in line with the present and proposed prospects in the Public Service of the Colony," with the exception that a sixth Class has been added for reasons assigned in the "Notes," to which I may add that the Scheme recently approved (5) also includes a sixth Class. If the services of the Colony and the Federated Malay States are to be put on the same or a similar footing, Scheme No. I., it appears to me, must be the one to be taken as a basis for discussion.
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We suggest that the post of Resident-General be made a 'Staff Appoint- ment," but have not attempted to revise the rate of pay now assigned to it, $12,000, but consider that rate-$100 a month more than the maximum salary of the Resident, Perak is insufficient. The present holder draws a Personal pensionable allowance of $3,000, bringing the total emoluments up to $15,000 per annum.
8. The revision of salaries made in 1899 added a sum of $40,000 to the total salaries, of which $16,500 went to appointments open to Cadets. I enclose copy of R.G.O., Circular No. 21, of 1899 (6), which refers to that revision and is, at the same time, evidence that even with the addition then made there still remains dissatisfaction in the ranks of the Service.
9. The present financial condition of all the States, with the exception of Pahang, is extremely favourable, as Your Honour is aware. For the half year ended 30th June, the total revenue of the Federated States amounted to $7,593,830.00 or some $1,613,010,00 in excess of the Estimated Revenue. We are remitting money from available balances to repay the whole of the advances made through the Crown Agents for cost of Railway Extension and shall, in all probability, be able to complete the sanctioned Extensions without having recourse to a loan. Our financial prosperity is ensured for some years to come, but it is still based almost entirely on tin, and it is due to the exceptionally high price of tin that the revenue now is far in excess of that of previous years. The price of tin is subject to great fluctuations; in 1899 it reached $88 a pikul and on the 19th of the present month it was quoted at $68.50 a pikul.
Planting by Europeans cannot yet be reckoned upon as a stable and fruitful source of revenue, and paid cultivation by Natives makes slow progress when tin is at a high price. On the other hand cur forests should provide an annually increasing income. 10. I may remind Your Honour that a scheme for the Public Works Department is under consideration, and also proposals for the improvement of the position of Surveyors, Postal Employés, Dressers, and others, all of which mean some increase to cost of emoluments, while it is possible that the creation of additional Federal Appoint- ments may, ere long, be necessary, such, for example, as that of Chief Railway Engineer, of Inspector of Posts and Telegraphs, of Forest Officer, and of Recruiter of Indian Immigrants.
11. Returning to Your Honour's letter, I am strongly of opinion that the proposal of the Secretary of State to improve the position of the Cadets selected at the present examination by the adoption of the principle of increments must, if carried out, be applied to Cadets and Junior Officers already in the Service whether appointed after competitive examination or not, and I enclose copy of R.G.O., Circular 16, of 1899 (7)† which bears on this point.
12. As to Your Honour's reference to Subordinate Officers appointed to the
• Secretary of State's Despatch of 27th December, 1895, paragraph 5, printed in "Correspondence respecting the Federation of the Protected Malay States, Taiping, 1896."
↑ Not reprinted.
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$2,400 class as final promotion after long service, I am advised that there are none such at present. There exist $1,800 posts to which they can aspire, and special cases can be rewarded by the grant of Personal Allowances.
13. As regards the age limit for retiring, Your Honour is aware of the strong opinion expressed at the first Conference of the Medical Officers of the Federated Malay States in favour of reducing the age for optional retirement to fifty. This opinion has since been again advocated by the Medical Officers, and the adoption of the proposed alteration would be highly appreciated, and would be an inducement to future candidates, who are aware that ordinarily an Indian Official can, I believe, retire on pension after 23 years' service. The Federated Malay States have adopted the age
of fifty-five for compulsory retirement.
14. I do not consider that the case of the Clerical Branch of the Public Service is one that calls for immediate or permanent relief. The position of the Clerks has recently been improved, the posts have been graded, the 10 per cent. has been added to salaries, and become pensionable, and many of the Clerks enjoy quarters free of rent. This latter privilege might be made the rule in renting suitable quarters at reasonable rates of rent in the Native States.
The Clerks in Selangor have recently petitioned for further relief, but their position is somewhat exceptional, owing to the high price of provisions and necessaries of life in Kuala Lumpor, said to be due to the operation of a "Ring," and the Acting Resident is trying to devise means to overcome this state of affairs. From Perak and the other States no complaints have, so far, reached me.
15. I do not know what has been written or decided upon the suggestion of the Secretary of State for "amalgamating completely" the Service of the Native States with those of the Straits and Hong Kong. There can be little doubt that the com- plete amalgamation of the Federated States and the Straits Services would prove an attraction to future Cadets, and make a strong Civil Service.
From these papers it would appear that there are 92 posts in the Federated Malay States Civil Service and 42 on the Straits list, as proposed.
16. The suggestion referred to in paragraph II. of the "Notes"-the estab lishment of a lower or Asiatic division of the Civil Service is one that should be kept in view. At present we have on the Fixed Establishment Raja Mansur, 2nd Assistant Secretary to Government, and Raja Chulan, Assistant District Magistrate, Selama, both of whom are good English Scholars, but there are few others who possess a knowledge of that language.
I have, &c.,
W. H. TREACHER, Acting Resident-General,
Federated Malay States.
His Honour
The Acting High Commissioner,
Federated Malay States.
Sub-Enclosure 1.
No. I. SCHEME.
Suggested Classification of the Federated Malay States Civil Service on the lines of Table III. of the Memorial by Members of the Straits Settlements Civil Service.
Appointment.
STAFF APPOINTMENT.
Resident-General
CLASS I., 9 Appointments, (9.8 per cent.
of the whole.)
Resident, Perak
Present Salary.
Dollars.
12,000*
10.800
Proposed Salary.
9,600 dollars to 10,800 dollars by annual increments of 300 dol- lars and house free of rent counting for pension.
* The present holder enjoys in addition a personal pensionable allowance of 3,000 d klare, and house free of rent.