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Botanical and Forestry Department.

Head Gardener

Forester

Herbarium Assistant

Forester

4th Grade.

5th Grade.

6th Grade.

6th Grade.

Two Foremen

$300 to $480 by $60 annually.

Office Coolies and Attendants,

Office Coolies and Attendants and all others not already specified should have the following increases :---

Office Coolies and Attendants now receiving up to $12, increase of $2 per

month.

Office Coolies and Attendants now receiving over $12 and not exceeding $20, increase of $3 per month.

Good Conduct and Quarters Allowances to continue.

SCHEDULE III.

Passages for Government Servants proceeding on leave.

Free passages to be granted to all Government servants of European domicile when proceeding on long leave whether to Great Britain, Australia, Canada, or South Africa, and to Indians born in India.

Europeans of Higher Grades to be granted 1st class passages and junior staff 2nd class passages up to a maximum of 4 passages,

Europeans eligible for 1st class passages:-

All Cadet Officers and those graded with them. Medical Officers, Veterinary Surgeon, and Analysts.

The Director, Assistant Directors of Public Works, Executive and

Assistant Engineers, and Land Surveyors.

The Manager, Kowloon-Canton Railway, and the Engineer-in-charge. School Masters and Mistresses not below the rank of Assistant School

Mistress.

Clerical Staff of the 1st Grade, Matrons and Nursing Sisters in the Medical

Department.

Indians.-Those officers drawing salaries of $480 per annum or over and Senior Warders in Victoria Gaol to be granted 2nd class passages to Calcutta with- out food.

The Indian Gaol Staff other than Senior Warders and officers drawing less than $480 per annum to be granted deck passages to Calcutta without food.

38089

No. 2.

THE ACTING GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received 27th June, 1919.)

(Confidential.)

MY LORD,

[Answered by No. 3.]

Government House, Hong Kong, 1st May, 1919.

In continuation of my Confidential despatch of the 15th April,* Í have the honour to submit my observations on Schedules II. and III. appended to the report of the Commission on the emoluments of the public service of the Colony.

2. I will deal with the posts which I proposed in paragraph 15 of my despatch of the 15th April to transfer from Schedule I. to Schedule II. in their proper places. These posts are:--

* No. 1.

Crown Solicitor.

Auditor.

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Assistant Superintendent of Police. Assistant Superintendent, Victoria Gaol.

Deputy Superintendent of Police. Chief Clerk, Colonial Secretary's Office. Harbour Master.

First Assistant Auditor,

ssistant Harbour Master. Government Marine Surveyor. Director of Royal Observatory. Superintendent, Botanical and Forestry Department. Assistant Crown Solicitor.

Second Assistant Auditor.

Assistant Director of the Observatory.

First Assistant Government Marine

Surveyor.

Second Assistant Superintendent of Police. Assistant Superintendent, Botanical

and Forestry Department. Junior Assistant Marine Surveyor.

I find that I omitted from the fourth class of Schedule I. the post of Second Assistant to the Secretary for Chinese Affairs. I propose that the post of Third Assistant should be abolished as it will always be possible to attach a passed cadet to the office if required.

3. The Medical Department.-One of the things that struck me when I came to this Colony was that Government officers could not command the services of Government Medical Officers free of charge as in the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States. It is possible for them to go to the Government civil hospital and consult a Medical Officer free of charge, but in practice this is not done, and an officer's expenses in Hong Kong are higher than those of an officer elsewhere by the amount of the fees he has to pay to private medical practitioners. I consider that the system here should be the same as that in the other Eastern Colonies and Dependencies, and my recommendations as regards the emoluments of Government Medical Officers, and the number of posts, are based on the supposi- tion that their services will be available, free of charge, to Government Officers. As regards attendance on the families of Government officers I am of opinion that the Medical Officers should be permitted to make private arrangements as regards fees as was, and I presume still is, the case in the Federated Malay States. I should put the salary of the Principal Civil Medical Officer at £1,000 rising to £1,300 by annual increments of £50, and would provide him with Government quarters at the same rent as other officers of similar rank. Hitherto the Principal Civil Medical Officer has been required to occupy the quarters attached to the Victoria Hospital for Women, for which he pays rent, and to look after that hospital. I do not consider this plan a satisfactory one, as the Principal Civil Medical Officer has to be absent for several hours a day at the Government rivil hospital and elsewhere. If the addition of a maternity ward to that hospital is carried into effect it will be desirable that the Medical Officer in charge should be available at all times. For the other Medical Officers, whose number and duties would be fixed from time to time, I recommend salaries of £600, rising by annual increments of £25 to £1,000, and that the same salary should be paid to the Bacteriologist,

The Principal Civil Medical Officer should continue to have the supervision of the Department of Public Health, including the Port.

These proposals would involve the termination of the present system whereby a private firm of medical practitioners performs the duties of Port Health Officer. As regards the nursing staff. I consider that the privileges already enjoyed should be supplemented by free board in the same manner Hospital, and that the salaries should be as recommended by the Commissioners.

as in the Matilda

I agree with the salary proposed for the Veterinary Surgeon with the excep- tion of the increments, which should, in my opinion, be annual of £25.

The Government Analyst should, I consider, have a salary of £600, rising by annual increments of £25 to £800. This post is now of great importance to the mercantile community, and the revenue derived by the Government tends to increase. His Assistants should have salaries of £400, rising by biennial increments of £25 to £600. The Commissioners have recommended free quarters for the Analyst, no doubt because the present holder of the post has such, but these quarters are now being merged in the nurses' quarters, and I see no reason for granting free quarters to any of the Analysts.

4. The Education Department.-I consider that some increase in the emolut- ments of officers in this department is required, and I agree with the recommenda- tion of the Commissioners that the salaries of the Inspector of English Schools and the Headmaster of Queen's College should be the same. I would, however, put the

salary at £800, rising to £1,000 by annual increments of £25. As regards other

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