I
194
The high level of salaries paid to employees outside the Civil Service is now a thing of the past and on every industrial and commercial concern in the Colony considerable retrenchments in the rates of pay have been given effect to.
In Sir Hesketh Bell's despatch to the Secretary of State it was argued that Personal Emoluments did not represent a reasonable proportion of revenue received from taxation or of the value of the Colony's trade."
The following figures, for purposes of comparison, are interest- ing:-
L
195
The expenditure of Mauritius is very large compared with the number of inhabitants and the resources of the Colony and it is remarkable on account of the excessive proportion which the charges on account of Personal Emoluments and Pension bear to total expenditure. As Sir Graham Bower points out the expenditure on these two items together with debt charges, amount to half the total expenditure.'
The increase in the posts of the chief sugar-producing Colonies have been the following ones, according to the Colonial Office Lists between 1918 and 1931.
168
Revenue Rs.
Trade of Colony Imports and Exports.
Personal Percentage Percentage
Colonial Secretary
Emolu- ments.
of Emolu
of Emolu
present salary....
Rs. 22,500
Assistant Colonial
66%
ments to Revenue.
ments to Trade.
British Mauritius. Barbados. Guiana. Jamaica. Trinidad. Fiji.
50%
33%
10% 25% 13% £1,000 £1,635 £1,200 £1,600 £1,200
40%
20%
40%
20%
33%
Secretary.
3
Average for 7 years
1895-1902
present salary... Rs. 12,000 Inspector of Police
present salary Post Office Director
£900
£1,000
£900
£800
33%
0%
15%
12%
33%
Re. 13,500 86%
£500
£1,000
£900
£800
20%
50%
50%
60%
8,589,000 62,204,000 3,068,000
35-7
4.93
...
Average for 7 years
1902-1909
9,608,000 71,234,000 3,302,000
34-7
4-63
Average for 7 years
1909-1916
present salary... Public Works
present salary Chief Judge
Rs. 10,000 50%
£825
£900
£900
£900
0%
50%
16%
5% 0%
Rs. 15,000 33%
£500
£1,200
£1,400
£1,250 £1,000
12%
11,376,000 89,021,000 | 3,121,000
27-2
3-50
present salary
1929
***
1930
1930-1931
11,552,000
97,000,000 5,750,000 65,000,000 5,700,000
5,214,000 45-13
5-9
8-8
(Railways)
(Railways)
(Exclusive)
(Exclusive)
Attorney-General present salary Director of Health present salary Director of Agri-
culture. present salary...
Rs. 24,000 50%
Rs. 20,000 66%
Rs. 20,250
33% £1,200
0% £1,200 £1,800 £2,000 £1,800 £1,200 0% 7% 50% 15% 220/ £1,000 £1,600 £1,500 £1,500 £1,100
20%
25%
12% 20%
240
£1,200 £1,200 £1,100
12% 36%
25%
25%
12%
20%
20% 100%
Re. 15,000
£1,000
£1,200
£1,000 £1,200 £1,000
Sir Hesketh Bell in his despatch of 1919 stated:-
"I venture to suggest that a ratio of 33 per cent. of the total average value of the trade of Mauritius might reasonably be considered as a fair minimum charge on the Colony for the remuneration of its Civil Servants."
If such a view be correct we must point out that the proportion which was 4 per cent. to 5 per cent. before the war has now reached nearly 9 per cent.
Again, compared to the revenue of the Colony, which no doubt is a better comparison, the percentage of the revenue paid as Personal Emoluments before the war was about 35 per cent. It is now more than 45 per cent.
Personal Emoluments, Pensions, and Public Debt, on the Esti- mates for 1931-1932 represented more than 60 per cent. of the estimated expenditure of the Colony.
In this connexion reference may perhaps be made to Mr. Secre- tary Lytellton's despatch of the 10th of September, 1904, on the Estimates for 1904-1905:-
It will be apparent from such comparison that the increases in salaries have been on the whole much higher in Mauritius than in such Colonies.
The Commissioners remark that the Civil Servants of Mauritius having been invited to raise his standard of living by a permanent addition to his pay cannot be restored to his original economic posi- tion by depriving him of that addition.
We cannot help thinking that such remark could apply, not only to the Civil Servants but also to every other employee in Mauritius and to all persons connected with Mauritius and who have benefited from the periods of wealth, through which the Colony has passed after the war.
We cannot find in such statement any argument that could justify a restriction in the cut of the salaries to 10 per cent. rather than to any other figure in case the principle of a reduction be adopted.
We are not prepared to give our support and consider we must take exception to any recommendations which would result in whole- sale dismissal of public servants.
MMALIZ
PECORD OFFICE
سال
TLET
Reference -
C.O.882/12
RE | COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TỌ
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE
REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON