PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
TEC.O. 882
6
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
152
Government Service of this Colony, and I forward herewith the enclosed copies of the Sterling Scheme,* which has been revised in accordance with the instructions contained in your despatch.
2. This Scheme is now being promulgated in the Colony under cover of a circular, copy of which is enclosed.
3. Copies of the Circular and of the Schedule* of Sterling Salaries and instruc- tions enclosed are being sent to Officers who are on leave of absence, with a request that if they desire to join the Scheme they will send their acceptances to the Crown Agents for the Colonies, who will be communicated with at the same time, and asked to pay such Officers at the new rates.
4. With regard to the Scheme itself I have to make the following remarks:- In the Scheme of Sterling Salaries forwarded in Sir Henry Blake's despatch of the 11th of December last,† the remark "No quarters" was set against the Principal Civil Medical Officer and all the Assistant Surgeons in the Medical Department, although the Principal Civil Medical Officer and Dr. Bell have quarters at the Government Civil Hospital, and Dr. Thomson draws a House Allowance of $720 per annum.
It appears that the reason was that it was intended that these Officers, when they came on the Sterling basis, should pay rent for the quarters they enjoy. This principle has not, however, been adopted in this Colony.
5. In addition to the quarters occupied by Drs. Atkinson and Bell, there will be, when the Victoria Ilospital for Women and Children is completed, a third set of quarters available attached to that Hospital.
It will depend in the future, as it has in the past, on the nature of the duties- whether in immediate connection with one or other of these two Hospitals or other- wise that a Medical Officer is engaged on, whether he will have free quarters allocated to him or not.
6. I suggest, therefore, that the salaries, as fixed by you, be left as they stand, and that the quarters be regarded as available for such Officers as may be assigned to purely Hospital work.
Dr. Thomson, who is in charge of the Gaol, and has, therefore, to live close to that institution, and his successors in office, should continue to draw the House Allowance of $720 until such time as quarters near the Gaol are provided.
7. You have queried the sufficiency of the salaries of the Superintendent of the Botanical and Afforestation Department, of the Headmaster of Queen's College, and of the Inspectora of Nuisances. In view of the fact that the first-named Officer enjoys an excellent house adjoining the Botanical Gardens in one of the finest situations in Victoria, I regard the salary allocated to his office as quite sufficient. I am also of opinion that the salary set down for the Headmaster of Queen's College is ample.
In the case of the Inspectors of Nuisances, I have caused their salaries to be set down in the Scheme at approximately the equivalents of their salaries in dollars, with double Exchange Compensation, with their House Allowances of $360 per annum thrown into salary at approximately 1s. 9d. to the dollar. I consider these salaries large enough. The rates of increment have been altered from £10 to £5 a year in the case of the members of the Sanitary Staff below the rank of Senior Inspector, as the increments they at present enjoy are annual ones.
A note has been added that Officers who occupy free quarters (as some of these men do, and as more of them hereafter may) will draw £3£ à year less.
8. In the case of the Principal Warder, Victoria Gaol, I have made the £6 increments annual instead of triennial. With triennial increments it would take 18 years to reach the maximum.
9. I shall inform you in due course of acceptances of the Scheme, but I do not anticipate that there will be many.
I have, &c.,
W. J. GASCOIGNE,
Major-General, Administering the Government.
(Circular No. 43.)
183
Enclosure 2 in No. 98.
STERLING SALARIES SCHEME.
Colonial Secretary's Office, Hong Kong, September 4, 1902. The accompanying Scheme* approved by the Secretary of State for the Colonies is promulgated for the information of Heads of Departments and for communication by them to such officers of their Departments as are concerned. Attention is particu- larly called to the explanatory notes which are attached.
Officers are given a limit of 6 months within which to decide whether they will come under the Sterling Scheme or not, but any officer may accept it at once, and those whose acceptances are received in time for the preparation of the pay sheets in any one month will begin to draw Sterling Salaries from the 1st of the current month.
By Command,
F. H. MAY, Colonial Secretary.
To the Heads of Departments.
NOTES TO ACCOMPANY STErling Salary SCHEME.
1.-Officers on dollar salaries in Hong Kong will be allowed to join the Sterling Scheme on transfer to Straits or Malay States.
2. Continued service on Maximum of a class to count practically towards incre- ment in case of promotion to higher class.
3-Dollar officers acting in a Sterling post will draw half their own pay and half pay of that post in dollars at present rates.
4.-Sterling Officers will draw half their own pay and half the Sterling pay of the acting appointment.
5.-Acting officers draw half the initial pay of posts but not so as to suffer loss on that account.
6.—Officers are allowed 6 months after publication, to join the scheme. If they elect to stay on a dollar salary they must abide by such at present rates during the rest of their service in Hong Kong, and so far as they are concerned the salaries of all appointments to which they are promoted will continue to be fixed in dollars.
7.-Officers can join the Sterling Scheme at the stage they would have reached if increments had been fixed at the dates of their respective appointments to their present posts.
8.-An example of the effect on contribution to the Widows and Orphans' Fund is as follows:-
Officers on $1,200 per annum would pay to Widows and Orphans' Fund $48
At 1s. 8d. thiз-£4 per annum. per annum. Officers on £180 (equivalent of above at 3s.) would have to pay £7 4s. Od. per annum-a difference of £3 4s. Others would be affected proportionately. The 4 per cent. on Sterling Salary would be 4 per cent. of the exact amount of dollars paid as full salary. 9.-Officers on dollar salaries who entered the service before 1st July, 1897, get leave pay at 4s. and pension at 3s. 8d. Officers who entered thereafter get 3s. for
both.
10.-The system of rate of exchange for payment of Sterling Salaries is not yet fixed by the Secretary of State. At present it is the average from 1st July, two years before, to 30th June of the year before. It is suggested that the monthly rate be taken as in the case of Exchange Compensation.
11.-Officers who are allowed the privilege of occupying Government quarters have no personal claim to such quarters nor will they be allowed after their next promotion or on acceptance of Sterling Salary to count the value of such quarters for pension purposes. No officer appointed on an original Sterling Salary will be allowed to count the value of free quarters for pension purposes.
12.-Officers at present serving under agreements have the option of coming under the Sterling Scheme and will be required to accept Sterling Salaries on re-engage-
ment.
• Not printed.
↑ No. 46.
• Not printed.