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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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། ༄། ཟ། :། ?།

C.O. 882

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ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

August 16, 1900,

Affixed to Report.

12453

52

No. 14.

STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.

ACTING GOVERNOR SIR F. A. SWETTENHAM to MR. CHAMBERLAIN.

(Confidential.)

(Received April 9, 1901.)

[Answered by No. 18.]

SIR,

Government House, Singapore, March 16, 1901. I HAVE the honour to enclose six copies of a paper laid on the table of the Legislative Council at a meeting held on the 5th instant. The paper is a "Report by a Select Committee of the Legislative Council appointed to consider the Salaries of the Civil Service."

2. A few days after my arrivel here this report was placed in my hands, but in view of what I wrote when in England, and of the verbal instructions I received in the Colonial Office, I-hardly think there is anything to be gained by going into it

now.

3. I find that various sections of the public service, having sent in petitions for increases of salary, several committees prepared schemes which were revised by the Executive Council. These proposals, with the memorial and other documents, were then referred to a Committee of the Legislative Council, and this reference resulted in the report now forwarded. I also enclose the shorthand report of a discussion* which took place in the Council when these papers were laid on the table.

4. I understand the desire of unofficial members to see their recommendations adopted and, if I may with propriety express an opinion in regard to the action already taken, I think it is a pity that the Legislative Council was consulted in the preliminary stage of these proceedings. There have already been two somewhat general increases in the salaries of civil servants here, in 1883, and in 1889, and on neither of those occa- sions was the Legislative Council consulted, in regard to the nature and detail of any increases until the Governor's proposals had been submitted to, and approved by, the Secretary of State. In the present instance the unofficial (and indeed official members as well) members of the Council may naturally prefer the scheme they have already prepared, and to which they are publicly committed, to any different or modified scheme, which I may put forward under your instructions. Should, however, the system of sterling payments meet with your sanction, I do not despair of being able to convince the members of the Legislative Council that it is an improvement on their proposals, and one which they would have recommended had they thought it likely to be accepted.

5. I also enclose copy of a Minute by the Acting Colonial Secretary (Mr. Egerton), pointing out how far the proposals of the Select Committee agree with the recommendations of the Executive Council, together with a quantity of corres- pondence dealing exclusively with the clerical service. If the clerical service can be kept on a dollar basis, entirely separate from all other appointments, I am prepared to recommend, for your sanction, the proposals contained in pages 7 to 10 of the Report. I see no difficulty about this, because all, or practically all, these clerical posts will be held by Eurasians or natives of the East, who ought to be paid in dollars and receive their pensions and gratuities in dollars. Having once defined the clerical service as comprising only the posts named (and any others to be hereafter added by due notification), I see no difficulty in laying it down, that the holders of these posts, whatever their nationality, will receive only the dollar salaries provided in the Estimates, and, in cases of leave and pension, no question of exchange will be con- sidered. No exchange compensation should be paid to the holder of any post in the clerical service.

6. It may be possible to deal with most of the Committee's proposals in regard to the subordinate services (pages 11-30), with the exception of those at the foot of page 19 (police), and some others on pages 13 (teachers), 18 (warders), 23 (nurses), &c., but I will not delay the forwarding of the Committee's Report by going into those cases, for they could only be satisfactorily dealt with, on the sterling basis, when the whole scheme of revision has been gone into.

7. Meanwhile, I have given directions to collect the necessary data for framing a scheme of increases and graded classes in the Federated Malay States on a sterling

* Not reprinted,

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basis, and the same will be done here. As the Federated Malay States employ more than twice as many officers as the Colony, and steps have not yet been taken in the States, to get together such information as will be found in the papers I now enclose, I fear that some time must elapse before I can put before you my own recommenda- tions for all the branches of the public service in the Colony and the Federated Malay States.

14182

SIR,

No. 15.

I have, &c.,

FRANK SWETTENHAM.

STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.

ACTING-GOVERNOR SIR F. A. SWETTENHAM to MR. CHAMBERLAIN.

(No. 150.)

(Received April 23, 1901.) [Answered by No. 16.]

Government House, Singapore, March 28, 1901. In view of the probability that the salaries of all European and some other officers serving the Government of this Colony will shortly be fixed in sterling, it is of great importance that all Cadets and all other officers engaged by the Crown Agents should be warned that if you decide to change the present dollar salaries to sterling rates (say within the next twelve months) all those now engaged must accept the sterling rates without any special exchange rate either for leave or pension. For instance, a Cadet to whom an initial salary of $1,500 is offered would not be entitled to more than £187.10 a year, as a commencing salary without any special rates for leave pay, or pension. As the compensation at a two shilling dollar amounts to $375 on a salary of $1,500, making, altogether, at that rate, £187.10, it is my intention to recommend to you that the commencing salary of a Cadet be fixed at £192, with free furnished quarters, teachers, and books. Again, an officer engaged either permanently or for a term of years at $2,400 should be told that if changed to a sterling basis, his salary will not exceed £300 a year, with leave pay, and pension on that sum, or what- ever sterling salary he may be drawing at the time of leave or retirement.

14182

No. 16.

I have, &c.,

FRANK SWETTENHAM.

STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.

MR. CHAMBERLAIN to Acting-GovERNOR SIR F. A. SWETTENHAM,

(No. 168.)

[Answered by No. 26.]

Downing Street, May 23, 1901.

SIR

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch, No. 150, of the 28th March last, proposing that all Cadets and other officers engaged for service in the Straits Settlements should be warned that in the event of sterling salaries being adopted they must accept sterling rates without any special rates for leave or pension. 2. I have to refer you to my despatch, No. 101, of the 28th March last,† în reply to your telegram of the 25th March,t in which the same proposal was made.

3. As regards the latter part of your despatch under acknowledgment, I would suggest that when your scheme for sterling salaries in the Colony and the Federated Malay States is formulated, the pay of Cadets should not be placed at less than £200 a year.

I have, &c.,

́ ́J. CHAMBERLAIN.

• No. 15.

↑ Not printed.

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