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69
Wednesday, March 29, 1972
"This, however, is misleading, for we count as public servants
scores of thousands of people who in other administrations are differently
labelled.
For instance, railwaymen would be the Judiciary.
"No, Sir, I am worried about the size of the Civil Service, but I
am not worried that it is too large. I am worried it is too small," he stressed.
Relative to the size of the Service the professional, administrative
and executive groups formed a tiny proportion, almost at three per cent.
To man the complex and sophisticated services now required by the
public of Hong Kong, this seemed to him inadequate, he added.
"The Government's objectives are not achieved as fast and effectively
as we would like because the resources that we do have are overstrained,"
he said.
He stressed that the recruitment of good material and the retention
of experience was of paramount importance.
"The price may be high but this must be given increasing priority
if all that we aim to do and all that the Senior Unofficial Members indicated
that we should do,is to be achieved," he said.
"While much public attention has been focussed on the salary changes
resulting from the activities of the Salaries Commission, these are merely a by-product of the principal recommendations ce Commission which in fact
amounted to a fundamental reform of the Government salary structure and which
I may say have gone largely unremarked," he said.
The Salaries ....