PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
TINC.O. 882
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6727
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122
No. 50.
STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.
GOVERNOR SIR F. A. SWETTENHAM to MR. CHAMBERLAIN.
(No. 29.)
(Received February 17, 1902.)
[Auswered by No. 64]
Government House, Singapore, January 22, 1902.
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge your despatch, No. 341, of 1st November,* on the subject of increased exchange compensation to existing members of the Government Service in this Colony and the Federated Malay States, and the prepara- tion of a scheme for placing the salaries of future members of those Services on a sterling basis.
2. I believe that all the points referred to in your despatch have been dealt with in my despatches, Straits Settlements, No. 27, of the 20th instant, and Federated Malay States, confidential, of equal date.f
3. I note (paragraph 2) that the present concession is personal to the officers concerned, but I gather that those who elect to remain on dollar salaries will have a claim (subject to paragraph 4 of your despatch) to be promoted to posts carrying the same dollar salaries and privileges as those enjoyed by present holders, except, of course, in the case of those officers who joined the Service at the 3s. rate of exchange for leave pay and pension.
4. As regards the permission given to me in paragraph 9 of your despatch, I will take advantage of it should the occasion arise; but there will be very few in- stances where an increased dollar salary is required, and, in them, I conclude that, if the present holder of the office is prepared to accept the sterling salary I have recommended, he should be placed on the sterling scheme. The appointments of Veterinary Surgeon, Singapore, and Penang, may be instanced as cases in point.
5. Keferring to your paragraph 10, I have endeavoured to secure the absolute observance (both in the Colony and the Federated Malay States) of the rule that officers on agreement will continue to be paid in exact terms of their agreements; because a departure from that rule would certainly lead to infinite trouble and discontent, if any attempt were made to diser.minate between those who may be retained permanently in the Service on the expiration of their agreements, and those whose agreements will not be renewed. In the Federated Malay States especially there are a large number of Government servants on agreement, and it is impossible to say now whether they will be retained or not; whereas every such officer has willingly accepted the terms on which he is now serving.
6. The ration allowance granted to European nurses has been counted as salary and full compensation granted upon it.
7. In reply to paragraph 14 of your despatch, the commencing salary of cadets has been placed at £225, while passed cadets will receive £300, rising by two triennial increments of £25 each to £350. The commencing salary of Class V. of the cadet scheme for the Colony and Federated Malay States has been placed at £420, rising to £480.
6735
I have, &c.,
No. 51.
FRANK SWETTENHAM.
STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.
Governor SIR F. A. SWETTENHAM to MR. CHAMBERLAIN.
(No. 37.)
SIR,
(Received February 17, 1902.)
[Answered by No. 54.]
Government House, Singapore, January 23, 1902.
I AM obliged to invite your attention to paragraph 5 of my despatch, No. 369,
of 28 August, 1901,‡ to which no exact reply has as yet been received.
123
2. Your despatch, No. 341, of 1 November, replies generally to this and several later despatches, but it does not answer the very important question contained in the paragraph mentioned and the two following paragraphs.
3. The point is this: Are the cadets who joined this Service prior to 1 August, 1901, justified in believing that every post now on the estimates, with the dollar salary against it, and with all the rights of double compensation, leave pay at 4s. or 3s., and pension at 3s. 8d. or 3s., as the case may be, must be maintained by the Government for their benefit, until every one of them has left the Service?
I understand, from paragraph 4 of your despatch, No. 341, of 1 November last,* that this is not your opinion, but other paragraphs may bear a different construction, and it is necessary that there should be no doubt as to this point.
4. As I expected the matter has come to a head in this way. On account of the promotion of Mr. Merewether, the retirement of Mr. Harwood (Solicitor-General) and the creation of the two new posts of Commissioner of Court of Requests and Deputy Public Prosecutor, I shall have to submit to you a large number of promo- tions. This would be an excellent opportunity to apply the sterling scheme; but I find that promotion to a sterling salary, even to one which gives a considerable increase, would not be accepted so long as the Service believes that sterling promotion can be refused, and the oid dollar salaries with all their privileges must continue. To take an instance of what I mean. Mr. Carter, District Officer, Penang, on $2,400, which, with double compensation, is only worth £300 while at work, and £480 for leave pay, would refuse promotion to the post of District Officer, Bukit Mertajam (see sterling scheme in despatch, No. 27, of 20 January, 1902) † on £540 rising to £600 with free furnished quarters. Now as that would be the refusal of every manifest advantage, from every point of view, the only reason why it is made is because Mr. Carter rightly believes that in once accepting a sterling salary he would have to remain où that basis; but he also believes (and this is the
point your decision is necessary) that he has only to wait, and eventually he will rise through a series of dollar salaries, to one of the most highly paid appointments, with every existing privilege. As Mr. Carter joined before 1st July, 1897, he claims 49. exchange for leave pay and 3s. 8d. for pension.
where
5. You will, I am sure, understand that this is a question which must be decided at once, and for always, and that your decision must be published. It is possible that I made a mistake in publishing your despatch, No. 243, of 2 August last, because I am told the members of this Service understand that paragraph 9 of it means that they can claim to serve on dollar salaries with all existing privileges to the end of their service, with promotion on the same terms.
6. I have hitherto understood that your decision was, that every individual officer of the Cadet Service should be given double compensation on the salary of his existing appointment, without losing any single privilege he possesses; and I enquired in my despatch of the 28th August § as to the position of these officers in regard to the future. From the case I have instanced, it will be understood that probably no officer who joined the Service before July, 1897, will now accept even considerable promotion to a sterling salary, if he is able to decline it with the prospect of obtaining, sooner or later, a dollar salary with all those attendant privileges which I understand you consider should be abolished.
7. Whilst there is no question of interference with the privilege of any individual, and whilst you have generously dealt with every case by the grant of double com- pensation, the question now at issue is not one of individual claims, which have all been satisfied, but of the future pay and prospects of a whole Service, having regard not only to the interests of its members, but also to the obligations and interests of the Government. If the sterling basis is admitted to be the best settlement of the salary question, and you are satisfied that the scheme you eventually sanction is one which offers fair remuneration and prospects, then, in my opinion, the sooner it is introduced the better. I understand your grant of double compensation was a generous treatment of an urgent appeal for immediate consideration. By it indi- vidual cases have been satisfied. For the future, whenever it is possible to give an officer promotion, I cannot see that there would be either injustice or hardship in laying down the rule, that every new occupant of any post in the Cadet or other Services should come on to the sterling salary as approved by you.
8. Such a rule as that appears to be fair, if the sterling salaries and periodical
• No. 37.
† Nos. 48 and 49.
‡ No. 33.
• No. 37.
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† No. 48.
No. 21.
No. 33.
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